Through the Barricades (song)

Last updated

"Through the Barricades"
Through the barricades single.jpg
Single by Spandau Ballet
from the album Through the Barricades
B-side "With the Pride" (Live in '85)
Released27 October 1986
Recorded1986
Genre Soft rock [1]
Length
  • 5:20 (single/video version)
  • 5:58 (album version)
  • 7:09 (extended version)
Label CBS
Songwriter(s) Gary Kemp
Producer(s)
Spandau Ballet singles chronology
"Fight for Ourselves"
(1986)		"Through the Barricades"
(1986)		"How Many Lies"
(1987)

"Through the Barricades" is a song by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released as the second single from their 1986 studio album of the same name. The song was inspired by the murder of a member of the band's road crew in Belfast during The Troubles and emerged as the Spandau Ballet song that the band members rated the best. It reached number six on the UK Singles Chart, becoming their final top ten hit, and made the top ten elsewhere.

Contents

Background

When Spandau Ballet guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp met his "True" object of affection Clare Grogan in 1981, [2] her band Altered Images employed Belfast native Thomas "Kidso" Reilly as a member of their road crew. Spandau Ballet hired him to sell merchandise during their 1983 UK tour and enjoyed his upbeat personality. [3] [lower-alpha 1] He became a casualty of The Troubles, however, on 9 August 1983 when he was walking with a group in which someone ridiculed a British army patrol. [4] Kemp described the incident in his 2009 autobiography I Know This Much: From Soho to Spandau: [3]

One hot, sunny evening, Kidso was walking home bare chested through the streets of West Belfast, when he and a few friends were stopped by an army patrol. After giving his name and details he walked away. In one hand was his takeout, in the other his T-shirt. A few seconds later he was dead, shot in the back by a young private who would later become the first British soldier convicted of murder while serving in Northern Ireland. Kidso was twenty-three.

The band's first exposure to the political climate in Belfast on that year's tour was especially eye-opening, [5] [lower-alpha 2] but it was their stop there on the Parade tour in 1984 that inspired Kemp to use the setting as a backdrop for a song. He met with Kidso's brother, who took him to Milltown Cemetery to see Kidso's grave. During their trip down the Falls Road along the way, Kemp was taken aback by the sight of the barricades that were used as peace lines. [6] [lower-alpha 3]

Composition and lyrical interpretation

The band later spent time in Dublin, [7] [lower-alpha 4] and Kemp began writing the songs for their next album there over the course of six months in 1985. [8] [lower-alpha 5] After spending an evening reading about the history of The Troubles, he was again consumed by the political climate in Belfast and his memory of the visit to Kidso's grave. [9] [lower-alpha 6] He woke after little sleep and felt compelled to get up and write down the lyrics that came to mind. [9] [lower-alpha 7] In a Mastertapes interview in 2013 he told John Wilson, "[T]he first thing that probably came along was, 'I know what they're saying. It's a terrible beauty we've made,'" [10] : 5:13  the last half of which is a quote from the W. B. Yeats poem "Easter, 1916", about the Irish Easter Rising. [11] [12] He also told Wilson it was a song he had written "completely lyric first". [10] : 5:03  The music came to him immediately as well. [9] [lower-alpha 8] When explaining to Wilson the arena rock sound he wanted for the album, Wilson asked if some of the intimacy of love songs gets lost. Kemp replied, "I think I tried as a writer to do both in 'Through the Barricades'. So that's the best of both worlds. It starts with a dry guitar, and it's very, very intimate and ends up singing to the galleries." [10] : 4:07  In his autobiography he wrote, [9]

Sure, hiding in there somewhere was Bowie with "Five Years" or "Life on Mars", but it owed more to my early prog rock records — a touch of Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick maybe — as well as adolescent trips to folk clubs.

It's a song that represents anyone that's had struggles.

– Martin Kemp [13]

Kemp felt writing it as a love song set against the divided city would be the best way to dramatize what he had seen, [9] [lower-alpha 9] and in 2015, he told the Belfast Telegraph , "I didn't expect it to come out in the shape of a Romeo and Juliet sort of song, but it did." [14] He explained at the time of the song's release that the "different sides of life" mentioned in the lyrics paralleled relationships between people of different races and religions found throughout the world. [15] : 23:48  [lower-alpha 10] When asked if that choice was an indication of Spandau Ballet becoming more socially aware, he replied, "No, it's just, I think you can write love songs. That's very easy, but you've got to put that in a situation that's a bit more unusual to make it poignant." [15] : 24:19  Kemp's brother, Martin, the band's bassist, told the Belfast Telegraph in 2020, "It was written about Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland and finding love across that divide but it is also about finding love across any sort of divide that keeps people apart." [13] In an article titled "It's a Terrible Beauty We've Made: Singing 'Through the Barricades' with Spandau Ballet", Dr. Jason Eng Hun Lee of Hong Kong Baptist University wrote that the song can "teach us to reconcile with our adversaries and inner demons so that we might one day transcend these differences between us." [11] Discussing the song in the context of the band having reunited after a lawsuit over royalties kept them apart for many years, Gary Kemp said, "It's also a story about us… 'Through the Barricades' is what we had to do in the end." [16] : 5:16 

Recording

Because of the powerful subject matter, Kemp felt more connected to the song than he had others he had written [17] [lower-alpha 11] and felt possessive of it, so much so that he spent extra time performing the song for lead singer Tony Hadley to make sure he understood his concerns. [18] [lower-alpha 12] Hadley had a good working relationship with True and Parade producer Steve Jolley, [19] [lower-alpha 13] but the band wanted to move on to someone more suited to the sound of live performance that they wanted to have on their new studio album. [20] [lower-alpha 14] They chose Gary Langan, a recording engineer they met while working with Trevor Horn, as their producer on "Fight for Ourselves", the first single from the new album, [21] and decided to hire him to work in that same capacity on the project, [19] [lower-alpha 15] which would eventually also be called Through the Barricades .

[I]t was a very difficult song to arrange because… the more instruments we put on the beginning, the more it detracted from Tony's singing. So in the end we just said, "Well, let's be brave enough to make it as simple as just an old-fashioned acoustic guitar and a voice."

– Gary Kemp [15]

Kemp sensed that the change in producers might reactivate old issues that began with recording Hadley's vocals for the Diamond album [19] [lower-alpha 16] when that producer, Richard James Burgess, tried having Hadley lie down in a sort of makeshift tent in the studio with candles lit to help him relax while he was singing. [22] [lower-alpha 17] Hadley also felt the other band members judging his every mistake at those sessions as they watched him record from the control room [22] [lower-alpha 18] to the point where he lost his temper. [23] [lower-alpha 19] The sentiment of "Through The Barricades" added to the tension in the studio as Hadley again felt the expectations of the band as they looked on. [24] [lower-alpha 20] Kemp recalled putting pressure on him as he tried to record the vocals: [25]

I'd been stopping Tony after every line. I could see him frustrated behind the glass…, but I gnawed away at any loose nuance. A few days earlier I'd played the guitar part, and then, at my suggestion, put on a guide vocal myself. It was meant to be a template for other overdubs but was more a flag of ownership stuck in the track. It only led to more pressure on Tony to deliver.

In his 2004 autobiography To Cut a Long Story Short, Hadley wrote, "Finally, I said, 'Look, I'll go away and learn the song in my own way and when I'm ready to sing it, I'll tell you. But I do not want everyone in the studio.'" He eventually recorded it with just Langan present, [24] but Kemp claims that it was Langan who suggested this. [26] [lower-alpha 21] Afterward Kemp also admitted that Hadley gave his best performance ever. [26]

Release and commercial performance

"Through the Barricades" was released in the UK on 27 October 1986 [27] and peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart, remaining on the chart for ten weeks. [28] [29] Although the band thought it would be successful, they were disappointed that it did not chart higher there. [30] [lower-alpha 22] It gave them their first number one in Italy [31] and also reached number two in Spain, [32] number three in the Netherlands, [33] number four in Ireland, [34] number six on the European Hot 100, [35] number seven in Norway, [36] number ten in Belgium, [37] number 14 in West Germany [38] and number 50 in Australia. [39] It received Silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry on 2 April 2021 for reaching the 200,000 units of shipment threshold. [40]

In the US, Billboard magazine's 29 November 1986 issue reported that the song would be released there as a single in early 1987, [41] but instead the release of "How Many Lies" in the US in March came right behind that song's UK release in February. [42] Both Billboard [43] and Cash Box [44] indicated that "How Many Lies" was the first single that was released in the US from the Through the Barricades album in their respective single reviews. Billboard reported on the availability of the "Through the Barricades" music video for programming in the US in its 16 May 1987 issue, [45] and Cash Box reviewed the song in its Single Releases column the following month, in its 20 June issue. [46]

Critical reception

"Through the Barricades" received mixed reviews at the time of its release. In recommending the single to retailers and radio stations, the editors of Cash Box felt it had "enough appealing elements to be the rare ballad to become a hit with CHR programmers." [46] Simon Mills of Smash Hits magazine considered the song's title "preposterous" and, after quoting the lyrics, described the recording as "all tinged with a vaguely Gaelic, acoustic feel. I'm sure it's all very sincere and significant. I just can't stand it." [47] Number One's Anna Martin wrote, "Unadventurous but highly polished, this is very much a classic Spands release—a safe and surefire hit." [48] When the Through the Barricades album was released, her colleague Karen Swayne wrote that both the title song and the album showed that Kemp "still has a way with a catchy chorus and a sure commercial instinct". [49] In a review of the album for Record Mirror , Roger Morton opined that the songs were "ultimately neutered by the self-conscious classiness of it all," concluding that "even the title song's beautifully crafted, doubtlessly sincere lament for Northern Ireland ends up sounding bogus." [50]

Retrospective reviews also varied. Dan LeRoy of AllMusic called it "the best song by far" on its album. [51] In a review of a concert from the band's reunion tour in 2009, the critic for The Independent dismissed it as "unimaginably patronising". [1] During his time with BBC Radio Ulster in 2010, Stuart Bailie described the song as "repellent". [12] Ian Gittins was critical of the song in The Guardian in 2014, describing it as "one of Spandau's more ponderous, clunky numbers". [52]

Aftermath

Kemp received the award for Outstanding Song Collection at the 2012 Ivor Novello Awards and named "Through the Barricades" as "one I'm really close to." [53] Other band members and Langan have been generous in their praise of the song since its release. Tony Hadley said that he considers it to be the band's best song, [54] adding in his autobiography that "in the years that followed, nothing else came close". [24] When asked about his first impression of the song by Dutch Public TV in 2014, drummer John Keeble said, "Astonishing. I mean, it was, you know, the best thing I'd ever heard, and it was like, 'Wow, where did that come from?'" [16] : 3:07  When the Through the Barricades album was remastered in 2017, Langan recalled listening to all the demos when he agreed to produce the original album and singling it out as the "killer song", explaining, "Back then albums had to have the single, the killer song, and unless you had that it wasn't deemed that you had a successful album." [15] : 19:31  Martin Kemp told the Belfast Telegraph that, for him, the song "means the most because it was about finding love across a divide, no matter what that divide is… They're the sort of stories that touch my heart the most." [13]

Hadley performed the song as part of his three-song set in the final of ITV reality show Reborn in the USA in 2003, which saw him win the public vote against Michelle Gayle. [55]

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Through the Barricades"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI) [62] Gold25,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [40] Silver200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ "Kidso was a Belfast boy whose Falls Road accent revealed his allegiances. I’d met this ardent Celtic fan — christened Thomas Reilly — during my courtly friendship with Clare Grogan. Small, dark and fit for the street, he’d worked with Altered Images as part of their road crew, but later, in 1983, he joined us on our UK tour, helping, rather successfully, to sell merchandise. We soon became very fond of him. He was a good guy whose optimistic temperament encouraged others to fold their proverbial wings around him." [3]
  2. ↑ "For a band used to touring Western cities, Belfast came as a shock. The observation towers that loomed like giant beasts of war flagged up the city’s difference as soon as you arrived. And then there were the army trucks, cruising nervously through the old streets, the tanks, the RUC's bullet-proof vans, and the general visibility of weaponry, all of which told of a city under occupation, a city that in 1983 I found impossible to imagine as part of the cosy, tea-and-toast Britain I thought I knew." [5]
  3. ↑ "The following year we were back in Belfast for the Parade tour and I'm introduced to Jim Reilly. He's a drummer — he'd played in the punk band Stiff Little Fingers — but he's also Kidso's brother and he came along to meet us at the King's Hall. Somehow he and I decided that he'd walk me down the Falls Road the next day, for a little insight into how he and his family lived. What affected me most as we walked were the so-called 'peace lines' that blocked the streets branching off that Catholic thoroughfare. On the other side I saw people walking, dressed in a similar style, fellow citizens, no different from the people I found myself with on this side, but, cordoned off by the barricades, they could have been on another continent." [6]
  4. ↑ "The best time we had was together in Dublin." [7]
  5. ↑ "Spandau's 17th single, a song about love across the Protestant and Catholic divides of Northern Ireland written, like the album, in Dublin during six months of last year, is as far removed from the pleasure-loving, soul boy days of 'Chant No. 1' as possible." [8]
  6. ↑ "A few months later, living in Dublin, I'm doing my history, and Ulick O’Connor’s The Troubles lodges upon my bedside table. One night, while reading, I find myself thinking of that day, of Kidso, of the barricades and the divided people. What do I know? I'm a privileged pop star. But what I did know, as I closed the book, was how affected I was by it all." [9]
  7. ↑ "About two in the morning I wake, and lying beneath the covers find lines forming in my head... In all my time of writing songs I’d never leapt, cliché-like, from the bed in search of a pen, but now I am." [9]
  8. ↑ "It came in one sitting; a surprise delivery of lyrics and music." [9]
  9. ↑ "It’s a love song — that’s what I know best; no: that’s how best to tell it - a Romeo and Juliet tale set somewhere divided, somewhere torn, somewhere made for a tragic assignation. Belfast." [9]
  10. ↑ "It's like a Romeo and Juliet situation. It's a love story where the individuals come from either different races or different religions and just the problems that would occur in that situation. Um, it's quite sad in a way because that thing is happening all over the world, not just in places like Northern Ireland or South Africa, say, but in London with a black and white relationship." [15]
  11. ↑ "It was climactic and dramatic, and all in all I began to have a relationship with it like no other song I’d ever written. When you sang it, you felt its power." [17]
  12. ↑ "As the band began to find their way through it, I made reasoned excuses to Tony as to why I should sing it just one more time — 'Have a listen to how the middle section goes' — 'Just read the lyrics for now until you get the vibe'— 'Let me show you again'. I had to let the song go, but with 'Barricades' a dangerous desire to own it started to form within me." [18]
  13. ↑ "Tony’d lost the mentor he had in Steve Jolley." [19]
  14. ↑ "We wanted to move on from Swain and Jolley, we wanted a bigger, meatier sound, one more suitable to the arenas we were now playing." [20]
  15. ↑ "Working in Germany in the wintery new year of 1986, we got off to a great start with the song 'Fight For Ourselves' and rubber-stamped Langan through into continuing the co-production of the whole album with us." [19]
  16. ↑ "For Tony, it must have brought back all the fear he felt back under that Turkish rug." [19]
  17. ↑ "It was while I was wrestling with 'Paint Me Down' that Richard Burgess came up with what he thought was an inspired idea. He had heard - although precisely where from remains a mystery - that singers sometimes performed better lying down. He wanted to put me in a tent with a few candles to create a relaxed mood." [22]
  18. ↑ "As I sweated, the rest of the band watched from behind the glass that separated the studio from the control room. Everyone was willing me to get it right, which only made matters worse. Each time I messed up a line I sensed a collective rolling of the eyes." [22]
  19. ↑ "I don't even remember which track I was struggling with. I just remember losing it. Again, the rest of the band was watching from the control room." [23]
  20. ↑ "When we recorded it there was a lot of pressure to get it right. I remember working on the vocals in the studio at Musicland, as Gary and the others watched from the control room. It was incredibly off-putting, everyone going on about the sentiment of the song, and how important it was." [24]
  21. ↑ "Langan turned the talkback button to off so Tony couldn’t hear what we were saying. 'Look, Gary, why don't we start again tomorrow on this? But maybe I should do it my own with Tony.'" [26]
  22. ↑ "We were confident it would be a huge hit. When it peaked at Number 6 in November ’86, we were all disappointed. It deserved to be a bigger hit." [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spandau Ballet</span> English pop band

Spandau Ballet were an English pop band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European Dance Music" as "The Applause" for this new club culture's audience. They became one of the most successful groups of the New Romantic era of British pop and were part of the Second British Invasion of the Billboard Top 40 in the 1980s, selling 25 million albums and having 23 hit singles worldwide. The band have had eight UK top 10 albums, including three greatest hits compilations and an album of re-recorded material. Their musical influences ranged from punk rock and soul music to the American crooners Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.

<i>True</i> (Spandau Ballet album) 1983 studio album by Spandau Ballet

True is the third studio album by English pop band Spandau Ballet, released on 4 March 1983 by Chrysalis Records. The band's songwriter/guitarist Gary Kemp realised after the release of their second album that the nightclub audience they initially wanted to attract had lost interest in them in part because of the band's transition from dance music to pop. He no longer felt obligated to keep writing music for them and shifted his focus to soul and R&B influences such as Marvin Gaye and Al Green for this album. Kemp thought that bandmate Steve Norman's newfound interest in the saxophone would be well-suited to the sound he was going for, as would the decision to record most of the album at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Hadley</span> English pop singer

Anthony Patrick Hadley is an English pop singer. He rose to fame in the 1980s as the lead singer of the new wave band Spandau Ballet and launched a solo career following the group's split in 1990. Hadley returned to the band in 2009 but left again in 2017. Hadley is known for his "expressive voice" and "vocal range".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Keeble</span> Musical artist

John Leslie Keeble is an English pop and rock drummer. He is best known for his membership of the 1980s new wave band Spandau Ballet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Kemp</span> English actor and musician

Gary James Kemp is an English songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and principal songwriter for the new wave band Spandau Ballet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">True (Spandau Ballet song)</span> 1983 single by Spandau Ballet

"True" is a song by English pop band Spandau Ballet, released in April 1983 as the title track and third single from their third studio album. It was written by the band's lead guitarist and principal songwriter Gary Kemp to express his feelings for Altered Images lead singer Clare Grogan. Kemp was influenced musically by songs of Marvin Gaye and Al Green he was listening to at the time, and lyrically by Green and the Beatles. "True" reached number one on the UK singles chart in April 1983 and made the top 10 in several other countries, including the US, where it became their first song to reach the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Journeys to Glory</i> 1981 studio album by Spandau Ballet

Journeys to Glory is the debut studio album by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released on 6 March 1981 by Chrysalis Records. All of the songs on the album were produced by Richard James Burgess and written by band guitarist Gary Kemp to appeal to the patrons of a weekly Tuesday night club the band started attending called the Blitz, where they were accustomed to hearing "white European dance music". Their performances at the Blitz and other exclusive venues attracted the attention of record labels eager to sign them, and one of the songs they had been performing, "To Cut a Long Story Short", gained popularity through a recording session made at BBC Radio 1.

<i>Diamond</i> (Spandau Ballet album) 1982 studio album by Spandau Ballet

Diamond is the second studio album by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released on 12 March 1982 by Chrysalis Records. As with their debut album, Journeys to Glory, all songs were produced by Richard James Burgess and written by band guitarist Gary Kemp. The music was inspired by a variety of genres, including the renewed interest in funk around Soho, American film scores with roots in eastern Europe, the second side of David Bowie's Low album, Pink Floyd records and the mood pieces of another English new wave band, Japan.

<i>Parade</i> (Spandau Ballet album) 1984 studio album by Spandau Ballet

Parade is the fourth studio album by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released on 25 June 1984 by Chrysalis Records. The band wanted the album to sound more like how they played together live, and their guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp came up with material that he felt would be more appropriate for the arenas in which they performed now since they were attracting larger audiences. Because they would be parading themselves around the world as part of the album's corresponding tour, he hit upon the idea of a parade as the theme of the album and included an international cast of characters taking part in a parade on the album cover.

<i>Through the Barricades</i> 1986 studio album by Spandau Ballet

Through the Barricades is the fifth studio album by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released on 17 November 1986 by CBS Records. The band was continuing their efforts to replicate the sound of their live performance on a studio album that they had attempted unsuccessfully with their previous album, Parade. They were also wanting to address any misconceptions about their music that came from the success of their first US hit song, "True", and reshape the style of their music to that of a rock band. The title song, which details the struggles in a relationship, was chosen as the album title because of how they felt they were being perceived. Through the Barricades was also their first album with the label after leaving Chrysalis Records because of the downturn in their popularity in the US after "True".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold (Spandau Ballet song)</span> 1983 single by Spandau Ballet

"Gold" is a song by English pop band Spandau Ballet, released on 5 August 1983 as the fourth single from their third album, True. The song was written by the band's guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp as an homage to the film themes of composer John Barry that was especially influenced by his scores for the James Bond series. This was apparent to some music critics, but they were sharply divided in their reviews. Some appreciated the energy and drama behind it while others found it affected and overwrought. The song peaked at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart and made the top 10 in several other countries, but its number 29 showing in the US and the disappointing chart performances of the next two singles released there led to the band's decision to change record labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lifeline (Spandau Ballet song)</span> 1982 single by Spandau Ballet

"Lifeline" is a song by English pop band Spandau Ballet, released on 24 September 1982 as the first single from what would be their third album, True (1983). The song confirmed the band's intent to transition from dance music to pop that was hinted at with their previous single, "Instinction". Some band members found an enjoyable chemistry with "Lifeline" producers Tony Swain and Steve Jolley that was lacking in recording sessions with previous producers. The new song received mixed reviews but reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also their first single to chart in the United States, missing the Billboard Hot 100 but charting on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 at number 8. The music video for the song received airplay on the U.S. cable channel MTV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Only When You Leave</span> 1984 single by Spandau Ballet

"Only When You Leave" is a song by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released as the first single from their fourth album Parade. It peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and made the top 10 in several other countries but only reached number 34 in the US, where it was their last song to appear on the Billboard Hot 100. Most critics were impressed with Tony Hadley's vocals and enjoyed the song. The music video used its theme of revenge as a way of paying tribute to the late film director Alfred Hitchcock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)</span> 1981 single by Spandau Ballet

"Chant No. 1 " is a song by the English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released on 10 July 1981 as the first single from their second album, Diamond. The band's guitarist/songwriter, Gary Kemp, wanted to pay homage to the latest London hotspot, Le Beat Route, by emulating the funk music that was popular there and even using the club as the location for the music video, all in order to show that the band was still part of the trendy Soho scene. Except for the remix of the song from the album's box set, "Chant No. 1" received good reviews, and the 7-inch single became their third top ten hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instinction (song)</span> 1982 single by Spandau Ballet

"Instinction" is a song by Spandau Ballet whose original version was included on their second album Diamond as produced by Richard James Burgess. The song was written by band guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp. A remix by Trevor Horn was released on 2 April 1982 as the last single from the album and reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. This new version received good reviews but constituted a shift into pop music that did not interest the patrons of trendy London nightclubs that Spandau Ballet originally intended to represent. The band tried continuing their work with Horn on the songs for their next album but came to an impasse with him and moved on to a successful relationship with producers Steve Jolley and Tony Swain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muscle Bound</span> 1981 single by Spandau Ballet

"Muscle Bound" is a song by the English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released as part of the third single from their debut album Journeys to Glory. In the UK, it was released as a double A-side with the song "Glow"; elsewhere, "Glow" was included as the B-side. "Muscle Bound" received mostly good reviews, and the combined single was their third consecutive top 20 hit in their native UK, reaching number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video for "Muscle Bound" was more ambitious than their previous promotional clips and went over budget because of snowy weather that caused delays during the location shoot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paint Me Down</span> 1981 single by Spandau Ballet

"Paint Me Down" is a song by the English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released on 2 November 1981 as the second single from what would be their second album, Diamond. Their guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp copied some of the elements of their previous hit, "Chant No. 1 ", and the conflict between producer Richard James Burgess and lead singer Tony Hadley that began with that song continued as they recorded the vocals for "Paint Me Down". A controversial music video for the song was rejected by the British music chart television programme Top of the Pops, and its number 30 peak position on the UK Singles Chart was not enough to justify airing the studio performance they had filmed for the show either.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She Loved Like Diamond</span> 1982 single by Spandau Ballet

"She Loved Like Diamond" is a song by the English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released on 11 January 1982 as the third single from what would be their second album, Diamond. The music video and cover art for the single focused on the sexual themes in the lyrics and the allure of the title character. In writing the song, their guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp was influenced by American Jewish music with an eastern European flavour that he had heard in movie themes and musicals. Most reviews singled out lead singer Tony Hadley's performance as the main problem with the recording, which only mustered a number 49 peak position on the UK Singles Chart. The poor showing prompted the idea to release another song from the album, but the band realized that getting a new single to succeed would require a remix of the disappointing work of their current producer and decided to discontinue their association with him in doing so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communication (Spandau Ballet song)</span> 1983 single by Spandau Ballet

"Communication" is a song by English pop band Spandau Ballet, released on 4 February 1983 as the second single from what would be their third album, True. The song was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas along with most of the material from that album and received several good reviews. It reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and made the pop charts in other countries as well. The music video for the song was made to look like a film with lead singer Tony Hadley as the main character and received airplay on the U.S. cable channel MTV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fight for Ourselves</span> 1986 single by Spandau Ballet

"Fight for Ourselves" is a song by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released as the first single from their 1986 album Through the Barricades. In their native UK, the song reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart, and reviews were mostly negative.

References

  1. 1 2 "Robbie Williams, Roundhouse, London Spandau Ballet, O2, London" . The Independent . 25 October 2009. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022.
  2. ↑ Myers, Marc (27 December 2017). "The Story Behind the Making of Spandau Ballet's 'True'". The Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Kemp 2009 , p. 235
  4. ↑ "British soldier sentenced to life". United Press International. 15 December 1984. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  5. 1 2 Kemp 2009 , pp. 235–236
  6. 1 2 Kemp 2009 , pp. 236–237
  7. 1 2 Simper, Paul (12 July 1986). "I'm a Born Again Spandau". Number One . No. 160. p. 10. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  8. 1 2 Panos, Andrew (8 November 1986). "The Dance Goes On". Number One . No. 177. p. 6. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kemp 2009 , p. 237
  10. 1 2 3 Kemp, Gary (24 June 2013). "Spandau Ballet (B-Side)". Mastertapes . Series 2. UK. BBC. BBC Radio 4 . Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  11. 1 2 Lee, Jason Eng Hun (29 September 2017). "It's a Terrible Beauty We've Made: Singing Through the Barricades with Spandau Ballet". Hong Kong Baptist University . Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  12. 1 2 Bailie, Stuart (10 November 2010). "I'll Get You, William Butler..." BBC Radio Ulster . Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 "Martin Kemp: Spandau Ballet's Troubles track Through the Barricades means great deal to me". Belfast Telegraph . 29 November 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  14. ↑ "Gary Kemp: When we played Through the Barricades in Belfast the reaction was incredible". Belfast Telegraph . 13 February 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Gary Kemp, Gary Langan, John Keeble, Steve Norman. Through the Barricades documentary (Internet video). YouTube . Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  16. 1 2 John Keeble, Gary Kemp. Spandau Ballet - Through the Barricades: The story behind the song – Top 2000 a gogo (Internet video). YouTube . Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  17. 1 2 Kemp 2009 , p. 240
  18. 1 2 Kemp 2009 , p. 241
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kemp 2009 , p. 242
  20. 1 2 Kemp 2009 , p. 238
  21. ↑ Kemp 2009 , p. 238
  22. 1 2 3 4 Hadley 2004 , p. 95
  23. 1 2 Hadley 2004 , p. 96
  24. 1 2 3 4 Hadley 2004 , p. 188
  25. ↑ Kemp 2009 , pp. 242–243
  26. 1 2 3 Kemp 2009 , p. 243
  27. ↑ "Releases" (PDF). Record Mirror . 25 October 1986. p. 3. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  28. 1 2 "Spandau Ballet: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  29. ↑ David Roberts, British Hit Singles and Albums, Guinness World Records Limited, p 518
  30. 1 2 Hadley 2004 , pp. 188–189
  31. 1 2 "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 24 June 2022.Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Through the Barricades" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
  32. 1 2 Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  33. 1 2 "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 1, 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  34. 1 2 "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Spandau Ballet". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  35. 1 2 "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 3, no. 50. 20 December 1986. p. 16. OCLC   29800226 – via World Radio History.
  36. 1 2 "Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades". VG-lista. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  37. 1 2 "Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  38. 1 2 "Offiziellecharts.de – Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  39. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 286. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  40. 1 2 "British single certifications – Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades". British Phonographic Industry. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  41. ↑ Gett, Steve (29 November 1986). "On the Beat" (PDF). Billboard . p. 21. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  42. ↑ "News digest". Record Mirror . 31 January 1987. p. 14. Retrieved 9 December 2023– via flickr.com.
  43. ↑ "Reviews > Singles > Pop > Picks > Spandau Ballet – How Many Lies" (PDF). Billboard . 21 March 1987. p. 75. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  44. ↑ "Single Releases >Feature Picks >Spandau Ballet – How Many Lies" (PDF). Cashbox . 21 March 1987. p. 9. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  45. ↑ "New Videoclips" (PDF). Billboard . 16 May 1987. p. 57. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  46. 1 2 "Single Releases >Feature Picks >Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades" (PDF). Cashbox . 20 June 1987. p. 9. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  47. ↑ Mills, Simon (22 October – 4 November 1986). "Spandau Ballet: "Through the Barricades"". Smash Hits . Vol. 8, no. 22. p. 31. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  48. ↑ Martin, Anna (1 November 1986). "Spandau Ballet: Through the Barricades". Number One . No. 176. p. 38. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  49. ↑ Swayne, Karen (22 November 1986). "Spandau Ballet: Through the Barricades". Number One . No. 179. p. 46. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  50. ↑ Morton, Roger (22 November 1986). "Spandau Ballet: Through the Barricades" (PDF). Record Mirror . Vol. 33, no. 47. p. 12. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  51. ↑ LeRoy, Dan. "Through the Barricades". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  52. ↑ Gittins, Ian (1 October 2014). "Spandau Ballet review – return of the shoulder-heaving soul boys". The Guardian . Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  53. ↑ "Gary Kemp 'Complete' With Ivor Novello Award". Contact Music. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  54. ↑ Bernstein, Jonathan (4 October 2014). "Spandau Ballet's True story: 1980s pop stars on how their hits were written". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  55. ↑ "Hadley wins Reborn contest". BBC News. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  56. ↑ Through the Barricades (7-inch single liner notes). Spandau Ballet. CBS. 1986. SPANS1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  57. ↑ Through the Barricades (7-inch single liner notes). Spandau Ballet. Epic Records. 1986. 34-07190.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  58. ↑ Through the Barricades (12-inch single liner notes). Spandau Ballet. CBS. 1986. SPANST1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  59. ↑ "Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  60. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  61. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts . Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  62. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 16 December 2019. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Through the Barricades" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.