Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)

In 1985, Glass Tiger chose Jim Vallance to produce the band's debut album.

{{cite magazine

| last = LaPointe

| first = Kirk

| date = July 5, 1986

| title = Glass Tiger Roars Onto Canadian Scene

| magazine = Billboard

| publisher = Nielsen Business Media, Inc.

| volume = 98

| issue = 27

| page = 70

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CiUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT90

| access-date = December 27, 2009}}

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." 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."{{cite web| url = http://www.cbc.ca/covermecanada/2011/10/alan-frew-of-glass-tiger-talks-someday.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130520002334/http://www.cbc.ca/covermecanada/2011/10/alan-frew-of-glass-tiger-talks-someday.html| archive-date = May 20, 2013| title = Cover Me Canada - Blog - Alan Frew of Glass Tiger Talks "Someday"}}

The track runs at 110 BPM and is in the key of A major.{{Cite web|last1=Alan|first1=Frew|last2=Sam|first2=Reid|last3=Wayne|first3=Parker|last4=Al|first4=Connelly|last5=Jim|first5=Vallance|last6=Mike|first6=Hanson|last7=Tiger|first7=Glass|date=April 11, 2016|title=Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0162360|access-date=May 27, 2021|website=Musicnotes.com}} It runs at four minutes and eight seconds in the album version.{{Cite web|url=https://musicstax.com/track/2pTMzMFnEtE4D0U4IcYSSX|title=Key and BPM of Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) by Glass Tiger {{!}} Musicstax|website=musicstax.com|language=en-US|access-date=February 14, 2020}} Frew's vocals span from E₃ to G₄.{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0162360|title=Sheet Music – Glass Tiger – Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)|last=|first=|last2=|first2=|date=April 11, 2016|website=Musicnotes.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214025607/https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0162360 |archive-date=February 14, 2020 |access-date=February 14, 2020|last3=|first3=|last4=|first4=|last5=|first5=|last6=|first6=|last7=|first7=}}

"Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" topped the Canadian RPM Top 100 in March 1986, and spent two weeks at number 1.

{{cite journal

| date=March 29, 1986

| title=RPM 100 Singles

| journal=RPM

| publisher=RPM Music Publications Ltd.

| volume=44

| issue=1

| url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.7803&volume=44&issue=1&issue_dt=March%2029%201986&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=s65e30a40ltbb9n4cc1cq437v5

| access-date=December 27, 2009

| issn=0315-5994}}

{{cite journal

| date=April 5, 1986

| title=RPM 100 Singles

| journal=RPM

| publisher=RPM Music Publications Ltd.

| volume=44

| issue=2

| url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0655&volume=44&issue=2&issue_dt=April%2005%201986&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=s65e30a40ltbb9n4cc1cq437v5

| access-date=December 27, 2009

| issn=0315-5994}}

The single was certified platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association in July.

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.

{{cite book

| last=Whitburn

| first=Joel

| title=The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits

| edition=8th

| publisher=Billboard Books

| page=257

| location=New York

| year=2004

| isbn=978-0-8230-7499-0}}

The song also peaked at number 3 on the Cash Box Top 100 chart, {{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996|year=2014|publisher=Sheridan Books, Inc.|ISBN=978-0-89820-209-0}} 17 on the Mainstream Rock chart, number 30 on the Adult Contemporary chart.{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001 |year=2002 |publisher=Record Research|ISBN=0-89820-149-7}}

At the end of 1986, the song placed at number 34 on Billboard and number 50 on the Cash Box year end singles chart.{{cite magazine |date=December 27, 1986|title=Top 100 Singles|page=9|magazine=Cash Box Magazine}}{{cite magazine

| date = December 27, 1986

| title = Top Pop Singles

| magazine = Billboard

| publisher = Nielsen Business Media, Inc.

| volume = 98

| issue = 52

| page = 9

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tiQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA9

| access-date = December 27, 2009}}

The single reached the top 10 in Australia,{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=126}} N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and June 12, 1988. number 27 in New Zealand,

{{cite web

| url = http://www.ultratop.be/en/showitem.asp?interpret=Glass+Tiger&titel=Don%27t+Forget+Me+%28When+I%27m+Gone%29&cat=s

| title = Glass Tiger - 'Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone'

| publisher = Ultratop

| access-date = December 27, 2009}} number 29 in the United Kingdom,

{{cite book

| last1 = Warwick

| first1 = Neil

| last2 = Kutner

| first2 = Jon

| last3 = Brown

| first3 = Tony

| title = The Complete Book Of The British Charts

| edition = 3rd

| publisher = Omnibus Press

| page = 461

| location = London

| year = 2004

| isbn = 978-1-84449-058-5}} and number 40 in the Netherlands.

Frew credited the song's chart performance to "solid record company involvement" and the band's international appeal.{{cite magazine

| date = December 6, 1986

| title = Glass Tiger Succeeds South of Canada's Border

| magazine = Billboard

| publisher = Nielsen Business Media, Inc.

| volume = 98

| issue = 49

| page = 22

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=NUUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22

| access-date = December 27, 2009}} "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,{{cite news

| title = Juno Award Winners

| last = Griffin

| first = John

| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bpE0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=RKgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4163,62010&dq

| newspaper = The Gazette

| date = November 11, 1986

| page = A-11

| access-date = December 27, 2009}}

and was named top Canadian single in the Rock Express magazine readers' poll awards in 1987.{{cite news

| title = Glass Tiger Sweeps Top Three Awards in Magazine Readers' Poll

| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IL8yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=i-8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1326,4990430&dq

| newspaper = Ottawa Citizen

| date = February 19, 1987

| page = E6

| access-date = December 27, 2009}}

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.{{cite magazine

| date = December 7, 1996

| title = SOCAN Awards Canada's Songwriters

| magazine = Billboard

| publisher = Nielsen Business Media, Inc.

| volume = 108

| issue = 49

| page = 50

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uAkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA50

| access-date = December 27, 2009}}

The song's original music video, made for the Canadian market, mixed performance footage with a storybook concept.{{cite magazine

| date = February 22, 1996

| title = Video Track

| magazine = Billboard

| publisher = Nielsen Business Media, Inc.

| volume = 98

| issue = 8

| page = 28

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA28

| access-date = December 27, 2009}}

Directed by Rob Quartly, the video was nominated for Best Video at the Juno Awards of 1986.{{cite news

| title = List of Juno Award Nominees in Major Categories

| url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jjQiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=U6gFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1568,4564084&dq

| newspaper = The Gazette

| date = September 9, 1986

| page = E-4

| access-date = December 27, 2009}}

This version was the first video to air on the MuchMoreRetro digital cable music video channel when it launched on September 4, 2003.{{cite web

| url = http://www.muchmoreretro.com/

| title = Launch Videos

| publisher = MuchMoreRetro

| access-date = December 27, 2009

| archive-date = December 11, 2009

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091211195759/http://www.muchmoreretro.com/

| url-status = usurped

}}

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, which has a concert setting, received heavy rotation on MTV.{{cite magazine

| date = September 20, 1996

| title = MTV Programming

| magazine = Billboard

| publisher = Nielsen Business Media, Inc.

| volume = 98

| issue = 38

| page = 57

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ayQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT54

| access-date = December 27, 2009}}

Glass Tiger performed the song during an episode of the 2005 NBC reality television program Hit Me, Baby, One More Time.{{cite web

| url = http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=3312

| title = A Dose of Reality: Hit Me Baby One More Time: Week 4

| publisher = The Trades (Burlee LLC)

| access-date = December 27, 2009

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080118084720/http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=3312

| archive-date = January 18, 2008

| url-status = dead

}}

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.George Pimentel, [https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2023/06/10/marilyn-denis-signs-off-with-a-star-studded-show.html "Marilyn Denis signs off with a star-studded show"]. Toronto Star, June 10, 2023.

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

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{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|artist=Glass Tiger|title=Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)|award=Platinum|relyear=1986|certyear=1986|access-date=June 11, 2022|refname="cria"}}

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{{Reflist}}

{{Glass Tiger}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1986 songs

Category:1986 debut singles

Category:Capitol Records singles

Category:Glass Tiger songs

Category:Juno Award for Single of the Year singles

Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles

Category:Songs written by Alan Frew

Category:Songs written by Jim Vallance