"Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)"
Single by Glass Tiger
from the album The Thin Red Line
B-side"Ancient Evenings"
Released1986
Length4:05
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Alan Frew, Sam Reid, Jim Vallance
Producer(s)Jim Vallance
Glass Tiger singles chronology
"Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)"
(1986)		 "Thin Red Line"
(1986)

"Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" is a song by Canadian rock band Glass Tiger. It was released in 1986 as the lead from their debut album, The Thin Red Line. The song reached number one in Canada and number two in the United States. The song features backing vocals by fellow Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams.

Background

In 1985, Glass Tiger chose Jim Vallance to produce the band's debut album.[1] At the time, Vallance was primarily known as a songwriter, having written most frequently (and successfully) with Bryan Adams (who can be heard providing background vocals towards the end of this song). He also had some previous production experience, having produced one album apiece for Adams, Doug and the Slugs and CANO in the early 1980s. 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."[1] Vallance composed "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" with the band, while Adams provided backing vocals. Frew - "On the very first day that we met Jim Vallance, he picked us up at the airport and to break the ice asked us what we were listening to. One was Tears for Fears. We went to his house and drank tea and listened to some tunes. 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' came on and we really liked the shuffle beat. So we went into the studio and based on this shuffle beat, we wrote 'Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)'. First day, first song."[2]

Composition

The track runs at 110 BPM and is in the key of A major.[3] It runs at four minutes and eight seconds in the album version.[4] Frew's vocals span from E3 to G4.[5]

Release and reception

"Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" topped the Canadian RPM Top 100 in March 1986, and spent two weeks at number 1.[6][7] The single was certified platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association in July.[8] The song reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 1 on the Singles Sales chart and number 6 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.[9] The song also peaked at number 3 on the Cash Box Top 100 chart,[10] 17 on the Mainstream Rock chart, number 30 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[11] At the end of 1986, the song placed at number 34 on Billboard and number 50 on the Cash Box year end singles chart.[12][13] The single reached the top 10 in Australia,[14] number 27 in New Zealand,[15] number 29 in the United Kingdom,[16] and number 40 in the Netherlands.[15]

Frew credited the song's chart performance to "solid record company involvement" and the band's international appeal.[17] "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."[17] The song won the 1986 Juno Award for Single of the Year,[18] and was named top Canadian single in the Rock Express magazine readers' poll awards in 1987.[19] 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.[20]

Music videos

The song's original music video, made for the Canadian market, mixed performance footage with a storybook concept.[21] Directed by Rob Quartly, the video was nominated for Best Video at the Juno Awards of 1986.[22] This version was the first video to air on the MuchMoreRetro digital cable music video channel when it launched on September 4, 2003.[23] A second video was created for other markets, according to Manhattan Records Vice President of A&R Bruce Garfield.[17] 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."[17] Garfield added, "It didn't focus enough on the artistic integrity and entertainment aspect of the band."[17] The newer version, which has a concert setting, received heavy rotation on MTV.[24]

Legacy

Glass Tiger performed the song during an episode of the 2005 NBC reality television program Hit Me, Baby, One More Time.[25]

On June 9, 2023, the band appeared on the final episode of the long-running The Marilyn Denis Show, performing "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" with some lyric alterations to reflect that the viewing audience would not forget retiring host Marilyn Denis.[26]

Track listings

7-inch vinyl (Canada, Australia, Europe, U.S.)

  1. "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" – 4:05
  2. "Ancient Evenings" – 4:50

12-inch vinyl (Canada)

  1. "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" (extended version) – 7:10
  2. "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" (single mix) – 4:05
  3. "Do You Wanna Dance (With Me)" – 3:58

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[8] Platinum 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 LaPointe, Kirk (July 5, 1986). "Glass Tiger Roars Onto Canadian Scene". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 27. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 70. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Cover Me Canada - Blog - Alan Frew of Glass Tiger Talks "Someday"". Archived from the original on May 20, 2013.
  3. ↑ Alan, Frew; Sam, Reid; Wayne, Parker; Al, Connelly; Jim, Vallance; Mike, Hanson; Tiger, Glass (April 11, 2016). "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Key and BPM of Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) by Glass Tiger | Musicstax". musicstax.com. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Sheet Music – Glass Tiger – Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)". Musicnotes.com. April 11, 2016. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  6. 1 2 "RPM 100 Singles". RPM. RPM Music Publications Ltd. 44 (1). March 29, 1986. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  7. ↑ "RPM 100 Singles". RPM. RPM Music Publications Ltd. 44 (2). April 5, 1986. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  8. 1 2 "Canadian single certifications – Glass Tiger – Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)". Music Canada. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  9. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 257. ISBN 978-0-8230-7499-0.
  10. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
  11. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. ISBN 0-89820-149-7.
  12. ↑ "Top 100 Singles". Cash Box Magazine. December 27, 1986. p. 9.
  13. ↑ "Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 27, 1986. p. 9. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  14. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 126. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and June 12, 1988.
  15. 1 2 "Glass Tiger - 'Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone'". Ultratop. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  16. 1 2 Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book Of The British Charts (3rd ed.). London: Omnibus Press. p. 461. ISBN 978-1-84449-058-5.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 "Glass Tiger Succeeds South of Canada's Border". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 49. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 6, 1986. p. 22. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  18. ↑ Griffin, John (November 11, 1986). "Juno Award Winners". The Gazette. p. A-11. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  19. ↑ "Glass Tiger Sweeps Top Three Awards in Magazine Readers' Poll". Ottawa Citizen. February 19, 1987. p. E6. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  20. ↑ "SOCAN Awards Canada's Songwriters". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 49. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 7, 1996. p. 50. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  21. ↑ "Video Track". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 8. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. February 22, 1996. p. 28. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  22. ↑ "List of Juno Award Nominees in Major Categories". The Gazette. September 9, 1986. p. E-4. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  23. ↑ "Launch Videos". MuchMoreRetro. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  24. ↑ "MTV Programming". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 38. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 20, 1996. p. 57. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  25. ↑ "A Dose of Reality: Hit Me Baby One More Time: Week 4". The Trades (Burlee LLC). Archived from the original on January 18, 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  26. ↑ George Pimentel, "Marilyn Denis signs off with a star-studded show". Toronto Star, June 10, 2023.
  27. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Don't Forget Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  28. ↑ "Ultimate Music Database". umdmusic.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Glass Tiger" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  30. ↑ "Glass Tiger – Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  31. ↑ "Glass Tiger – Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)". Top 40 Singles.
  32. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Acts (G)". www.rock.co.za. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  33. ↑ "'Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)' - Chart history". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  34. 1 2 "Glass Tiger - Charts & Awards - Billboard Singles". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  35. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Glass Tiger – Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Top 100 Singles of '88". RPM. Retrieved May 15, 2023 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  37. ↑ "1986 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 52. December 27, 1986. p. Y-21.
  38. ↑ "Australian Music Report No 701 – 28 December 1987 > National Top 100 Singles for 1987". Australian Music Report. Retrieved December 11, 2019 – via Imgur.
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