Spandau Ballet Songs Ranked
Spandau Ballet (/ˈspændaʊ ˈbæleɪ/SPAN-dow BAL-ay) was 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.[7][8][9] 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 has 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. Here are all of Spandau Ballet songs ranked.
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15. Instinction (Diamond, 1982)
“Absolutely loved this when it first came out and is still my favorite Spandau Ballet song. Wonderful over the top production from Trevor Horn.”
14. Musclebound (Journeys to Glory, 1981)
“One of my favorite songs to dance to and walk to! Strangely enough, you can actually collect early Spandau songs this way – almost each song up to 1984 has appeared on at least one compilation. It’s all down to availability issues.”
13. How Many Lies (Through The Barricades, 1986)
“This rock-pop ballad is best sung with a true feeling and strong emotion. There are powerful and gentle parts and also a climactic portion of the song that releases pent up energy before falling back into a softer treatment. It is a song of angst and longing and hoping for the lies in this world to come to an end.”
12. I’ll Fly for You (Parade, 1984)
“To me, I’ll fly for you is way better than True, because, well… True is an incredible songs, yet I’ll fly for you has a mysterious side and is a song that gives me goosebumps all the time. And here, Tony Hadley’s voice is at its best (emotionally). Alongside the single, there’s the music video which turns tragically to a very sad ending.”
See more: Spandau Ballet Albums Ranked
11. Communication (True, 1983)
“The last Spandau single before they got into their Armani suits for the supper-club soul of “True”, “Gold” and others was another enjoyable and catchy mild white funk outing again displaying Gaty Kemp’s penchant for quoting from other songs, this time genuflecting to the King himself.”
10. Paint Me Down (Diamond 1982)
“Paint Me Down” has a fantastic bass intro. This song is positively stirring (with an arousing video to match…) A great song to listen to.”
9. She Loved Like Diamond (Diamond, 1982)
“The vocals on ‘She Loved Like Diamond’ sound rather anguished, marking this out as solidly New Romantic. The erotic suggestiveness of the cover art is also typical of the period. The song went to #49 in the UK at the time and I never once heard this on the radio in Australia, those radio-friendly tom-toms notwithstanding.”
8. Lifeline (True, 1983)
“Gary Kemp runs the gamut of lyrical cliches to the max, even quoting Paul McCartney (or is that Ian Fleming?) along the way. Never mind, there’s a perfectly serviceable pop-funk melody and production to sweep it along and a decent chorus for Tony Hadley to foghorn along to in his usual inimitable style.”
7. Chant No.1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) (Diamond, 1982)
“This here is a definite floor filler when you’re ready to funk out on the dance floor! this song is black as hell, and the boys of spandau ballet don’t even try to hide it!! the bass is what grabs your attention, mainly because of the growling effect you hear when the bass goes up and down….the horns are killer, and the chant vocals can really get a crowd hyped up. this really is one for a saturday night!!”
6. With the Pride (Parade, 1984)
“If you love Spandau Ballet then you will love this one. Awesome, well written and well sung pop songs by one of the greatest bands of the 80’s. You will listen to this one again and again!”
See more: Talking Heads Albums Ranked
5. To Cut a Long Story Short (Journeys to Glory, 1981)
“Pretty good debut single from pretty boys Spandau Ballet. The singing foghorn Tony Hadley intones the lyric of slipping into madness over a tight, driving synth backing. The Spands were briefly at the forefront of the New Romantic movement as synths, sashes and sashaying elbowed guitars, drainpipes and pogoing from the charts.”
4. Through the Barricades (Through the Barricades, 1986)
“”Through the Barricades” song starts with a gentle and sentimental mix of folkier acoustic guitars and lead vocals, embellished with a very dreamy & atmospheric stream of keyboards; then, the song becomes louder and more visceral; it ends with military drums and lush keyboards through a familiar acoustic guitar arrangement.”
3. Only When You Leave (Parade, 1984)
“Awesome new wave. The moody synth, sax solo and reverb-heavy production make this perfect for late-night listening.”
2. True (True, 1983)
“Spandau Ballet were by no means an impressive or important band overall, but like many other users of this website, I have a real soft spot for True. Its dreamy harmonies and soulful melody place it a cut ahead of anything else they ever recorded. Indeed, it is one of the most romantic pop songs of the entire decade. They had apparently immersed themselves in the music of the great Marvin Gaye at the time and maybe some of his magic rubbed off; it is one of the softest and most feminine pop songs ever sung by a man.”
1. Gold (True, 1983)
“While I still find “True” a touch too slick, “Gold” has always worked well for me. Listen to the B-side for the breakdown: quite a sophisticated arrangement, with clever syncopation and build-up.