- After the lengthy hiatus caused by COVID-19 and on the eve of the resumption of
the oft postponded 40 Years Of Hits Tour, Simple Minds issued
a special one-off single.
- The group had just begun their the 40 Years Of Hits Tour when
the COVID-19 pandemic started, causing countries to shut down around the world. Despite attempts to
rescheudle the tour for 2021, further
waves of the virus ensured that lockdowns and restrictions on travel continued.
- Everything was put on hold. So, when the single was announced, it was Simple Minds' first new release for over
two years.
- Act Of Love, one of the group's original songs from 1978, had been
on their radar for some time. Jim wanted to rework the original, which
had never been formally recorded, but it wasn't until Charlie expanded on the song's
melodies and added new sections, that it was finally recorded during the new album sessions in Hamburg in
November 2021.
- The cover art was influenced by the punk fanzines circulating in the late 1970s. Designer Stuart Crouch wrote:
'Jim wanted something that gave a nod to posters and flyers from that period.
Designer Kate Stephenson first introduced me to punk and new wave fanzines from the late 70s / early 80s and I've
had a love of them ever since so this was a great project to work on.
- The cover was based on two photographs by Laurie Evans, who'd taken many of the first live photographs
of the band during 1978.
- The single was issued on the 17th January, the anniversary of
their first show back in 1978. The lyric video
dropped the same day, while Steve Wright exclusively premiered the track on his afternoon show on BBC Radio 2.
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