"Waterfront" is a song by Scottish rock band Simple Minds, the first single–released in November 1983–taken from their (then-to-come) sixth studio album, Sparkle in the Rain (released in February 1984).

Background and recording

Prior to the release of "Waterfront" as the first single from Simple Minds' forthcoming album Sparkle in the Rain in November 1983, the song had been premiered at a live gig a few months earlier and in a radio session for Kid Jensen. "Waterfront" became a chart hit around the world, topping the New Zealand Singles Chart for two weeks during February 1984. It also reached number 13 on the UK Singles Charts, number 16 in Sweden, number 19 in Australia and number five in Ireland. Today, it is a live favourite.

Composition

It features a bass line consisting of a single note (D) throughout. The version as released on 7-inch vinyl single differs from versions available on CD. The original single did not feature the repetitive bass-line that leads into the main body of the song but had a "one, two....one, two, three, four.." drumstick count-in by drummer Mel Gaynor. The song originated from the one-note bassline Derek Forbes came up with. The lyrics were written by Jim Kerr. Inspired by him walking along River Clyde in summer 1983 watching the decline of the shipyard industry in his native Glasgow, the lyrics express a feeling of hope and rebirth.

Music video

The music video features a shot of a live performance of the song to an invited audience at Barrowland's Ballroom in Glasgow on 20 November 1983, with additional black and white footage of the band on Renfrew Ferry and aerial shots of River Clyde.

In popular culture

An instrumental version of the track was used as the theme music for the 1989 Glasgow-set BBC One drama serial The Justice Game. It has been used for many years as the song Sheffield Wednesday football club come out to before home matches. The version originally played was a live version, but has since been changed to the studio recording. The track was used by BBC Sport as the theme tune for their coverage of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The track is featured in the 2021 documentary Clerk, which is about Kevin Smith.

Track listings

7-inch single 12-inch single

Personnel

Charts

Salesamount