Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)
Encyclopedia
"Don't Forget Me" is a 1986 song by Canadian
pop-rock
band Glass Tiger
, from their debut album, The Thin Red Line
. Released as the band's first single, it reached #1 in Canada and #2 in the United States
. The song features backing vocals
by rock singer Bryan Adams
.
the band's debut album.
The band's lead vocalist
, Alan Frew
, recalled: "It worked out great because we were all at the same stage of development. He didn't change the sound of the band at all. He let us experiment but wasn't afraid to get heavy-handed when he had to." Hedrick composed "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" with the band, while Adams provided backing vocals.
in March 1986, and spent two weeks at #1.
The single was certified platinum
by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
in July.
The song entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
in July, peaked at #2 in October - kept from #1 by Janet Jackson
's "When I Think of You
" - and spent 24 weeks on the chart.
It reached #1 on the Singles Sales
chart and #6 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.
The song also peaked at #17 on the Mainstream Rock chart, #30 on the Adult Contemporary
chart,
and #34 on the Billboard Year-End
singles chart of 1986.
The single reached the top 15 in Australia
, #27 in New Zealand
, #29 in the United Kingdom
, and #40 in the Netherlands
.
Frew credited the song's chart performance to "solid record company involvement" and the band's international appeal. "We aren't rewriting musical history by any means," he added. "But our melody lines are strong and mature enough to appeal to the English-speaking world." The song won the 1986 Juno Award for Single of the Year
,
and was named top Canadian single in the Rock Express
magazine readers' poll awards in 1987.
In 1996, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada honored the song for airing more than 100,000 times on Canadian radio.
Glass Tiger performed the song during an episode of the 2005 NBC
reality television
program Hit Me, Baby, One More Time.
, made for the Canadian market, mixed performance footage with a storybook concept.
Directed by Rob Quartly
, the video was nominated for Best Video
at the Juno Awards of 1986
.
This version was the first video to air on the MuchMoreRetro
digital cable
music video channel when it launched on September 4, 2003.
A second video was created for other markets, according to Manhattan Records
Vice President of A&R Bruce Garfield. He noted that "Steven Reed, our senior vice president of marketing, took a very strong stand because the Canadian video was too cutesy and directed solely toward the youth market." Garfield added, "It didn't focus enough on the artistic integrity and entertainment aspect of the band." The newer version received heavy rotation on MTV
.
12" Vinyl (Canada)
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
pop-rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
band Glass Tiger
Glass Tiger
Glass Tiger is a Canadian rock band formed in 1983, in Newmarket, Ontario.-Biography:Originally named 'Tokyo', the band produced several hit singles in Canada and placed two songs on Billboard magazine's top 10: "Don't Forget Me " and "Someday," both of which came from their debut album, The Thin...
, from their debut album, The Thin Red Line
The Thin Red Line (album)
The Thin Red Line is the debut album by Canadian band Glass Tiger. It was released by Capitol Records .The album is most famous for the single "Don't Forget Me ", which reached #2 on the U.S. singles chart and featured back-up vocals by Bryan Adams. The follow-up single, "Someday", was also...
. Released as the band's first single, it reached #1 in Canada and #2 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The song features backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
by rock singer Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
.
Background
In 1985, Glass Tiger chose Roger Hedrick to produceRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
the band's debut album.
The band's lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, Alan Frew
Alan Frew
Alan Frew is the lead singer for the Canadian band, Glass Tiger, and has also released two solo albums...
, recalled: "It worked out great because we were all at the same stage of development. He didn't change the sound of the band at all. He let us experiment but wasn't afraid to get heavy-handed when he had to." Hedrick composed "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" with the band, while Adams provided backing vocals.
Release and reception
"Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" topped the Canadian Singles ChartCanadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
in March 1986, and spent two weeks at #1.
The single was certified platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
in July.
The song entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in July, peaked at #2 in October - kept from #1 by Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
's "When I Think of You
When I Think of You
"When I Think of You" is the third single from Janet Jackson's third studio album, Control . Written by Jackson and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and produced by Jam and Lewis, the song is about a person who finds relief and fun in a lover...
" - and spent 24 weeks on the chart.
It reached #1 on the Singles Sales
Hot 100 Singles Sales
The Hot Singles Sales chart is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It measures sales of commercial singles and is one of three component charts, along with the Hot 100 Airplay and the Hot Digital Songs, that determine the chart positions of singles on the...
chart and #6 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.
The song also peaked at #17 on the Mainstream Rock chart, #30 on the Adult Contemporary
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart,
and #34 on the Billboard Year-End
Billboard Year-End
Billboard Year-End charts are a cumulative measure of a single or album's performance in the United States, based upon the Billboard magazine charts during any given chart year. Billboard's "chart year" runs from the first week of December to the final week in November...
singles chart of 1986.
The single reached the top 15 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, #27 in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, #29 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and #40 in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Frew credited the song's chart performance to "solid record company involvement" and the band's international appeal. "We aren't rewriting musical history by any means," he added. "But our melody lines are strong and mature enough to appeal to the English-speaking world." The song won the 1986 Juno Award for Single of the Year
Juno Award for Single of the Year
The Juno Award for Single of the Year has been awarded since 1974 for the best single in Canada. It has also been known as Best Single and Best Selling Single.-Best Single :...
,
and was named top Canadian single in the Rock Express
Music Express (magazine)
Music Express was a Canadian music magazine.Founded in 1976 as Alberta Music Express by Keith Sharp, it was renamed Music Express in 1978 for most of its run, also becoming Rock Express for the duration of 1986 to 1988. Initially published in a tabloid format, it adopted the magazine format in 1982...
magazine readers' poll awards in 1987.
In 1996, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada honored the song for airing more than 100,000 times on Canadian radio.
Glass Tiger performed the song during an episode of the 2005 NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
program Hit Me, Baby, One More Time.
Music videos
The song's original music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, made for the Canadian market, mixed performance footage with a storybook concept.
Directed by Rob Quartly
Rob Quartly
Robert "Rob" Quartly is a Canadian music video, television and commercial director. During the 1980s, Quartly produced numerous Juno award-winning music videos for artists including Corey Hart, Gowan, Platinum Blonde and Rush....
, the video was nominated for Best Video
Juno Award for Video of the Year
The Juno Award for "Video of the Year" has been awarded since 1984, as recognition each year for the best music video in Canada. The award was previously called the "Best Video".-Best Video :...
at the Juno Awards of 1986
Juno Awards of 1986
The Juno Awards of 1986, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 10 November 1986 in Toronto at a ceremony hosted by Howie Mandel at the Harbour Castle Hilton Hotel. CBC Television broadcast the ceremonies nationally.Labour problems at the Canadian...
.
This version was the first video to air on the MuchMoreRetro
MuchMoreRetro
MuchMoreRetro is a Canadian English language Category B music video specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMoreRetro is a commercial-free service that broadcasts music videos from the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s.-History:...
digital cable
Digital cable
Digital cable is a generic term for any type of cable television distribution using digital video compression or distribution. The technology was originally developed by Motorola.-Background:...
music video channel when it launched on September 4, 2003.
A second video was created for other markets, according to Manhattan Records
Manhattan Records
Manhattan Records is a United States record label, owned by EMI and operates as a subsidiary of The Blue Note Label Group.-Company history:Manhattan Records was formed in 1984 by Bruce Lundvall, and was later renamed EMI Manhattan Records after absorbing EMI America Records imprint...
Vice President of A&R Bruce Garfield. He noted that "Steven Reed, our senior vice president of marketing, took a very strong stand because the Canadian video was too cutesy and directed solely toward the youth market." Garfield added, "It didn't focus enough on the artistic integrity and entertainment aspect of the band." The newer version received heavy rotation on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
.
Track listing
7" Vinyl (Canada, Australia, Europe, U.S.)- "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" – 4:05
- "Ancient Evenings" – 4:50
12" Vinyl (Canada)
- "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" (extended version) – 7:10
- "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" (single mix) – 4:05
- "Do You Wanna Dance (With Me)" – 3:58
Chart performance
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
1 |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
15 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
40 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
27 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
29 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Mainstream Rock | 17 |
| U.S. Adult Contemporary | 30 |