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"
File:Simple Minds Alive and Kicking single cover.jpg
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" noicon

"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.

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 (four weeks at Top Five Billboard Hot 100) and number 7 on the UK Singles Chart.

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.

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 matches. The double A-side reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart.

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".

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

• Ltd Edition Reflective Gold Sleeve

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

Personnel

• Produced By Jimmy Iovine & Bob Clearmountain
• Engineered By Moira Marquis & Mark McKenna
• Engineering assisted By Martin White
• Words & Music By Simple Minds (Kerr, Burchill, MacNeil)
• "Up on the Catwalk" Recorded live at Barrowlands, Glasgow, 5 January 1985
• Backing vocals Robin Clark

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)	33

Other versions

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