Simple Minds - Mandela Day

What this video is

Released in early 1989, 'Mandela Day' emerged from one of the most politically charged moments in British pop history. Simple Minds were the only act at the 1988 Wembley Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute to compose an original song for the event, aligning the band directly with the global anti-apartheid movement at a time when Nelson Mandela had been imprisoned for 25 years. The 'Ballad of the Streets' EP…

Why it matters

A landmark artefact of late-80s British political rock, 'Mandela Day' represents the apex of the era's fusion between mainstream pop-chart success and explicit political advocacy. Alongside peers such as Peter Gabriel's 'Biko' and the Artists Against Apartheid movement, Simple Minds demonstrated…

The director

Andrew Douglas Morahan (born 11 August 1958) is a British commercial, film, and music video director. A graduate of St Martin's College, he was a central figure in the late-1980s UK music video revolution. He won the MTV Award for Best Director for George…