Alive and Kicking

Album: Once Upon A Time (1985)
Charted: 7 3
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  • You turn me on
    You lift me up
    Like the sweetest cup I'd share with you
    You lift me up
    Don't you ever stop, I'm here with you
    Now it's all or nothing
    'Cause you say you'll follow through
    You follow me, and I, I, I follow you

    What you gonna do when things go wrong?
    What you gonna do when it all cracks up?
    What you gonna do when the love burns down?
    What you gonna do when the flames go up?
    Who is gonna come and turn the tide?
    What's it gonna take to make a dream survive?
    Who's got the touch to calm the storm inside?
    Who's gonna save you?

    Alive and kicking
    Stay until your love is
    Alive and kicking
    Stay 'til your love is
    Until your love is, alive

    Oh
    You lift me up
    To the crucial top, so I can see
    Oh you lead me on
    till the feelings come and the lights that shine on
    But if that don't mean nothing
    Like if someday it should fall through
    You'll take me home where the magic's from
    And I'll be with you

    What you gonna do when things go wrong?
    What you gonna do when it all cracks up?
    What you gonna do when the love burns down?
    What you gonna do when the flames go up?
    Who is gonna come and turn the tide?
    What's it gonna take to make a dream survive?
    Who's got the touch to calm the storm inside?
    Don't say goodbye, don't say goodbye
    In the final seconds who's gonna save you?

    Ooh oh, oh oh
    Alive and kicking
    Oh stay until your love is, love is
    Alive and kicking
    Ooh oh, oh oh
    Alive and kicking
    Oh stay until your love is, love is
    Alive and kicking

    Ooh oh
    Alive and kicking
    Stay until your love is
    Alive and kicking, oh

    Stay until your love is
    Alive and kicking, oh Writer/s: CHARLES BURCHILL, JAMES KERR, MICHAEL JOSEPH MACNEIL
    Publisher: BMG Rights Management
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 11

  • Ed B from Ottawa, IllinoisThis song is a masterpiece. It directly raises your spirit whether you know the lyrics or not. A commenter mentioned it reminds them of "flying." Same here - it begins so gently before it sweeps you up along with it and bursts through the clouds. Pure ascension. It's so much more than the sum of its parts. Robin Clark's vocals alone uplift this song by another order of magnitude. The drummer and the keyboardist were incredible too. So amazing.
  • David Lewis from Dallas TxThe lyrics in this song very much incorporate the teachings that you will find in most, well intentioned and realistic, premarital counseling sessions given by spiritual counselors of the Christian faith.

    In fact, this song resonated with me as a direct result of the premarital counseling that I received from a pastor of the Christian faith. This song describes and supports that teaching within the boundaries of the three main principles covered in this song.

    Those are Love, the absence of love, and holding onto the commitment until the Love returns.

    Because Love is an emotion, a feeling, it fluctuates. Feelings can change but if the feeling can dissipate the feeling can also return.

    That's why it is taught the importance holding onto that commitment when the love isn't there or felt. The focal point of the song is the dream and that dream is staying together. Read the words and you'll see what I mean
  • Jb from Newport BeachIt’s a shoemaker stopper!

    Kerr mentioned it being a spiritual song of inspiration at a concert in 2020, for what it’s worth
  • Sol Luna from MexicoThe songs lyrics are not about romantic love, its more about elemental forces of nature, and the video reinforces that message, starting with the band lying on the floor and the moon in the beginning and end of the video, as well as the Sun appearing at the same time than the lyrics: "....I'll follow you", I know it will sound strange to many, but some artists prefer to show their beliefs in a subtle manner, or through symbolisms
  • Melinda from AustraliaLoved Simple Mind’s ‘Love Song’ too. It came out years before they made it big. Love Song has the exact feel of the early 1980’s. And so Simple Minds. Almost choral and gospel in influence.
    My problem was I heard it by chance. And then never heard it again till years later. I was obsessed in that song.
    Young people today have no idea how in the days before the internet, you couldn’t access things in a moment.
    You had to wait until someone you knew or they knew, had a great record or cassettes collection you could borrow or access to record.
    Records were expensive. And if you heard part of a song on the radio and...If you missed hearing what it was called. You couldn’t find out. I believe this is why Gen Xers have way more patience than the Gens that have come after us.
    We know how to wait. Bide our time.
  • Melinda from AustraliaAlive and Kicking was f...king awesome. But I tended to think it was about a more mature age group. In the lyrics, Commitment stuff. Mmm. The audience for Simple Minds at this time were teens. And early 20’s. But despite this, the majestic power of this song assured its success. Sanctify Yourself was really good too. Simple Minds knew how to knock it out of the park musically + lyrically. I notice there’s no commenters here from the UK. C’mon UKers, Simple Minds are one the underrated bands of the 80’s. Or you’s hated The Breakfast Club. Or is it that the UK jus has so much musical talent. It’s easy to be undervalued there. i think so.
  • Melinda from AustraliaI really think Simple Minds music on the movie The Breakfast Club really propelled them into major success. I’d heard very little of them prior to that. I was crazy mad about Jim Kerr. He was good lookin back in the day. This song Don’t You Forget About Me matched perfectly that movie. Because not only that cult 80’s movie is about mixed up young people. It’s about having empathy + forming new relationships with people you wouldn’t normally mix with at school. I’d jus left school when it came out. But I totally ‘got’ that movie.
  • Tony from Olonkin CityFirst piece of music the band released without the original bass player Derek Forbes. He was sacked after the previous hit "Don't you forget about me".
  • Joseph from Fort WorthIt sounds more like a song about Faith in Jesus Christ, holy communion and the spirit.
  • Myla from San Diego, CaWonderful song. I think it was written when Jim Kerr was still married to Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders. Too bad it didn't last.
  • Travis from Grandisland, FlLove this song I dont know why but it always reminds me of flying. Great video too and band! Peace
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