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Album · 1985

Once Upon a Time

by Simple Minds

Once Upon a Time is a 1985 rock album by Simple Minds. It runs 8 tracks across 40 minutes on BMG. Riffiter listeners rate it 2.5/5 from 1 rating.

Rock · Electronic · New Wave

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2.5 /5
1 rating
74 /100
9 critics
8
Tracks
40 min
Runtime
118 bpm
Tempo
C major
Key

Ratings

1 rating · avg 2.5

0.5★5★

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Critics

9 publications

Scores collected from the English Wikipedia ratings box (CC BY-SA). Ratings belong to the publications; follow a link to read the review.

Once Upon a Time album cover

Once Upon a Time album cover

The Once Upon a Time cover was photographed by Anton Corbijn and illustrated by Mick Haggerty.

Photography
Anton Corbijn
Illustration
Mick Haggerty

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Tracklist

8 tracks · 40 min

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Also released as

Every pressing below shares this page's rating and reviews — they are the same record.

  • Once Upon A Time (2025 Mix)Remaster · 2026 · 8 tracks
    1. 1Once Upon A Time (2025 Mix)
    2. 2All The Things She Said (2025 Mix)
    3. 3Ghost Dancing (2025 Mix)
    4. 4Alive And Kicking (2025 Mix)
    5. 5Oh Jungleland (2025 Mix)
    6. 6I Wish You Were Here (2025 Mix)
    7. 7Sanctify Yourself (2025 Mix)
    8. 8Come A Long Way (2025 Mix)
  • Once Upon A Time (Super Deluxe)Deluxe edition · 2015 · 33 tracks
    1. 1Street Hassle (Live From The Ahoy, Rotterdam / 1985)
    2. 1Once Upon A Time
    3. 1Don't You (Forget About Me)
    4. 2A Brass Band In African Chimes
    5. 2Love Song (Live From The Ahoy, Rotterdam / 1985)
    6. 2All The Things She Said
    7. 3Ghost Dancing
    8. 3Don't You (Forget About Me) (12" Version)
    9. 3Ghostdancing
    10. 3Sanctify Yourself (Extended Mix)
    11. 4Sanctify Yourself (Dub Version)
    12. 4Alive And Kicking
    13. 4A Brass Band In African Chimes (Extended Version)
    14. 5Oh Jungleland
    15. 5Alive and Kicking (Edit)
    16. 5All the Things She Said (Edit) [Remastered 2005]
    17. 6Alive And Kicking (Instrumental)
    18. 6Promised You a Miracle (12" Version)
    19. 6I Wish You Were Here
    20. 7All the Things She Said (Extended Version)
    21. 7Up On The Catwalk (Live From Barrowlands Ballroom, Glasgow / 1985)
    22. 7Sanctify Yourself
    23. 8Come A Long Way
    24. 8Alive And Kicking (7" Remix / Edit)
    25. 8Don't You (Forget About Me) [Live from The Ahoy, Rotterdam / 1985]
    26. 9Ghostdancing (12'' Mix)
    27. 9Alive And Kicking (12" Remix)
    28. 10Alive And Kicking (Kevorkian 12" Remix)
    29. 10Ghostdancing (Instrumental)
    30. 11Sanctify Yourself (Edit)
    31. 11Oh Jungleland (12'' Version)
    32. 12Oh Jungleland (Instrumental)
    33. 12Sanctify Yourself (Instrumental)
    34. 13Sanctify Yourself (Alternative Edit)
    35. 13Alive And Kicking

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About

Once Upon a Time is the seventh studio album by Simple Minds, released in 1985. Although already successful in their native UK and Europe, the band had also now become popular in the US, mainly due to the Keith Forsey-penned "Don't You (Forget About Me)" which appeared on The Breakfast Club soundtrack and had become a no.1 hit there. However, the band deliberately left the track off the album due to their reluctance to record it. Four singles were taken from the album; "Alive and Kicking" (UK #7, US #3), "All the Things She Said" (UK #9, US #28), "Sanctify Yourself" (UK #10, US #14), and "Ghost Dancing" (UK #13). The album topped the UK charts, and peaked at no.10 on the US charts. The album was available with two covers upon its original LP release. The alternate cover uses the back image for the front and vice versa. It also moves the Simple Minds logo to the right of the cover. The album cover was standardised for the original CD release and this version has since been used for the various reissues of the album. There was also a limited pic disc LP. Virgin reissued the album as a remastered edition in 2002 (cardboard vinyl replica edition) and early 2003 (jewel-case).

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Virgin reissued the album on SACD in 2003.

In brief

Is Once Upon a Time good?
Riffiter listeners rate Once Upon a Time 2.5/5 from 1 rating.
When was Once Upon a Time released?
Once Upon a Time was released in 1985 on BMG.
How many tracks are on Once Upon a Time?
Once Upon a Time has 8 tracks, with a runtime of 40 minutes.
What genre is Once Upon a Time?
Once Upon a Time is catalogued under Rock, Electronic, New Wave.
What BPM is Once Upon a Time?
Once Upon a Time runs at a median tempo of 118 BPM across its tracks, most often in C major, measured from audio analysis.
What albums are similar to Once Upon a Time?
Listeners of Once Upon a Time also rate Songs From the Big Chair by Tears for Fears, Greatest Hits by The Police, Kick by INXS.

Once Upon a Time at a glance

Label
Virgin
Produced by
Jimmy Iovine

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).