YMMV / Simple Minds

• Audience-Alienating Era: The Neapolis through to Cry period, a time where the group was— by their own admission— not as excited about making cutting edge new music as they once had been. It didn't help that critics ravaged them as washed out during this period. Fortunately, Black and White 050505 restored their image.
• Awesome Music: Most of their hits, but these ones stand out the most: "Waterfront", "Glittering Prize", "Ghostdancing", "Someone Somewhere in Summertime".
• Even Better Sequel: Real to Real Cacophony is considered to be a lot better than Life in a Day, setting the group apart from their punk roots into something Darker and Edgier that quickly got them a cult following overseas.
• Germans Love David Hasselhoff: Though certainly loved in their native Scotland as well as other parts of the UK, they are extremely popular in Italy, and the feeling was mutual - Jim Kerr took up residence in Taormina, Sicily in the early 2000s, owning a hotel, working with local musicians, and releasing Italian exclusives such as the Live & Rare compilation.
• Replacement Scrappy: The general fan reaction to the band secretly replacing longtime drummer Mel Gaynor and keyboardist Andy Gillespie with Cherisse Osei and Gordy Goudie respectively, particularly as their contributions to the actual recording and songwriting have been minimal. Also, a sizable number of fans believe anyone who succeeded bassist Derek Forbes and keyboardist Mick Mac Neil to have been scrappies. Mel Gaynor himself is about the only replacement musician to generally be liked, because he played on New Gold Dream, their most popular album. That said, the group's original drummer Brian Mc Gee is still highly regarded.
• Signature Song: It is interesting that this is different depending on the country:
  • In their native Scotland it is "Waterfront"; the song is an unofficial anthem for Glasgow.
  • In the rest of the UK and Europe, their anthem is "Alive and Kicking".
  • In the U.S., it is "Don't You (Forget About Me)", as it was their only song to top the charts in America, tied to one of the most iconic films of the 1980s, and largely the only song they're remembered for in that country.
• What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids?: Their biggest hit "Don't You (Forget About Me)" was referenced or played in in several kid-oriented shows. But while that song is tame, it was written for The Breakfast Club, an R-rated movie. And let's not get started on their other songs...

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