“Did the the label put pressure on us? Big time. I wish they had won, looking back. We often ask ourselves ‘what were we thinking?’” Simple Minds guitarist Charlie Burchill on the regrets and rewards of making their ’80s classic, Once Upon A Time

Simple Minds' Charlie Burchill [left] and Jim Kerr perform at Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Party concert. Burchill plays a Gibson Les Paul Standard and wears a white jacket.

With the huge success of Don’t You (Forget About Me) taken from the soundtrack of the 1985 John Hughes film The Breakfast Club – and their subsequent album, Once Upon a Time – Simple Minds became a household name in the U.S. in 1985, with four subsequent Top 10 singles pulled from the album, including Alive and Kicking and Sanctify Yourself.

The band – still a household name – have continued to enjoy success around the world since those heady times and are scheduled to tour North America in May and June. Guitarist Charlie Burchill has fond memories of the era.