Alive and Kicking (song)

This article is about the Simple Minds song. For other songs with the same title, see Alive and Kicking (disambiguation).
"Alive & Kicking"
Single by Simple Minds
from the album Once Upon a Time
Released 20 September 1985 (US)
30 September 1985 (UK)
Format 12", 7"
Recorded 1985
Genre Pop rock, new wave
Length 4:47 (single version)
4:33 (radio version)
5:26 (album version)
Label Virgin
Writer(s) Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, and Mick MacNeil
Producer(s) Bob Clearmountain, Jimmy Iovine
Simple Minds singles chronology
"Don't You (Forget About Me)"
(1985)		 "Alive and Kicking"
(1985)		 "Sanctify Yourself"
(1986)
Music sample
"Alive and Kicking"

"Alive and Kicking" is a song by the Scottish rock band Simple Minds, released in 1985, which reached the Top three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and served as first single from the band's most successful album, Once Upon a Time.[1]

Chart performances

Following on from the success of previous non-album single, "Don't You (Forget About Me)", "Alive and Kicking" was released as a single, reaching number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the U.S. Mainstream rock tracks chart[2] (four weeks at Top Five Billboard Hot 100) and number 7 on the UK Singles Chart.[3]

Music video

The music video for "Alive and Kicking" was filmed near the Town of Hunter,at North and South Lake in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. A portion of the video was filmed on the overlook at the site of the old Catskill Mountain House (previously demolished). It was directed by Zbigniew Rybczyński, who directed the video for "All the Things She Said", the third single from the same album.[4]

Appearances in media

It was re-released in 1992 as a double A-side with "Love Song" to promote the band's Glittering Prize 81/92 collection. Around the same time, it was used on trailers for BSkyB's recently acquired coverage of FA Premier League[5] matches. The double A-side reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart.[3]

Spin magazine's review of the album Once Upon a Time had mixed messages about the song saying that the song was an "ornate epic", but that the lyrics are so vague that the band "only describes nirvana without attaining it".[6]

Track listing

7" Single

  1. "Alive and Kicking" (Single Version) (4:47)
  2. "Alive and Kicking" (Instrumental Version) (6:01)

12" Single

  1. "Alive and Kicking" (5:26)
  2. "Alive and Kicking" (Instrumental Version) (6:01)

Second 12" Single

  1. "Alive and Kicking" (5:26)
  2. "Alive and Kicking" (Instrumental Version) (6:01)
  3. "Up on the Catwalk" (Live) (5:37)

Personnel

Chart performance

Country Peak
position
Dutch Top 40 2
UK Singles Chart 7
Canada Music Chart 3
Billboard Hot 100 3
Billboard Top Rock Tracks 1
Hit Parade Italia 1
Ireland Singles Chart 2
New Zealand Singles Chart 5
German Singles Chart 17
Australian Singles Chart 21
Belgium Singles Chart 1
Norway Singles Chart 5
Sweden Singles Chart 11
European Hot 100 Singles 3
France (SNEP)[7] 33

Other versions

The version by East Side Beat reached number 26 in the UK Singles Chart in 1992.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Allmusic: Simple Minds (Awards)". Allmusic. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  2. ↑ "Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Simple Minds". Billboard. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  3. 1 2 "Chart Stats - Simple Minds". chartstats.com. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
  4. ↑ "videos alive and kicking". simpleminds.org. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  5. ↑ Plunkett, John (5 February 2009). "A look back at the best Sky ads from the past 20 years". The Guardian (London). Archived from the original on 26 October 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2010.
  6. ↑ Charles Burchill; John Giblin (January 1986). Simple Minds - Once Upon a Time. Spin. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  7. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Simple Minds – Alive & Kicking" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
  8. ↑ British Hit Singles & Albums (17th ed.). London: Guinness World Records. 2004. p. 630. ISBN 0-85112-199-3.
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