Spandau Ballet - True!!! Huh huh huh hu-uh huh! One of The Greatest Ballads Ever Created!

"True" is a popular song by the British band Spandau Ballet. It was released as a single in 1983 and later included on their third studio album, also titled "True." The song was written by band members Gary Kemp and Steve Norman.
"True" is a romantic ballad that features a smooth and soulful sound. It became one of Spandau Ballet's biggest hits and is often considered their signature song. The song's lyrics express a heartfelt and sincere declaration of love, with the chorus proclaiming, "I know this much is true."
The track's instrumental arrangement includes a prominent saxophone solo performed by Steve Norman, which became one of the most memorable aspects of the song. "True" achieved significant success, reaching the top of the charts in several countries, including the United Kingdom. It has since become a timeless classic and is frequently played on radio stations and featured in various forms of media.

[@lorianne7031]

When this song came out, it was popular on MTV and the radio. I used to hold my then 2-year-old son and dance with him. He told me he loved this song. Fast forward several decades, I've danced with my grandson to this song!! THis is the sound of my soul! Love it.

[@Mousquetaire-du-Roi]

Thanks for sharing that, its really lovely to hear!

[@robynmurray7421]

Grown men wearing hoodies and baseball caps have no right to criticise the fashion style of Spandau Ballet.

[@tallytalbot3430]

There speaks an old and embittered white guy.

[@marceldagenais1893]

Not to mention they probably had parachute pants in their MC Hammer period lol!

[@blueinfinite5940]

OH SNAP!!! 😱🤯😳

[@Chalkster1]

@@marceldagenais1893 yes these guys were at forefront the fashion back then

[@Belluser-we1uc5cb2l]

​@marceldagenais1893 NO they always dressed well. I miss when men were good looking back in the day and they cared about their looks and dressed well.❤

[@JFinSD2]

If nothing else....these guys were SHARP DRESSERS. And th song was SMOOOOOOTH!

[@GrimrDirge]

In the 80's I just ignored this song, it was like elevator music to me. Only in the last few years have I come to appreciate how excellent it is. It's not complex, it's just well executed.

[@susanmurray7654]

I remember I Am Your Flag...totally different vibe. Preceded this ballad.

[@jhamler1]

Same here! I thought it was too gd light back in the 80's but now I realize it's literally a PERFECT pop song. I dunno how they did it.

[@en6278]

it is very complex it incorporates so much. its not osme simple generic song it still sounds unique. People forget that this was the ORIGINAL that others have sampled. Thats why black people think it sounds familiar cause they know it from songs that stole its catchy elements. Those elements dont come around in music very often. it stands up for decades & evrybody wants to copy it.

[@thomasjacques5286]

I'm 70 and when this song was out I was still clinging to the 60s and early 70s. You know Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin......now it's one of my favorite songs.

[@kingeric2468]

So true

[@tbay]

That song was number one in 21 countries.

[@jimaccosted9328]

My man lookin' fresh in that 80's suit . . .CLEAN! Today artists look like they were attacked by Wal Mart

[@glennherron9499]

It's not the 80's without Spandau Ballet

[@fishouttawtr]

If y'all didn't talk and giggle so much, you'd realize he gave props to Marvin Gaye In this song! SPAN- DOW!

[@greeneyesinfl9954]

The line "listening to Marvin all night long" is a shout out to Marvin Gaye.

[@Chalkster1]

Never mind PM Dawn this is the original and the best

[@shannonbrown309]

Not only did PM Dawn sample this song, but the lead singer had a cameo in their video for Set Adrift on Memory Bliss.

[@TracyVoD]

If you like Spandau Ballet's music you'd probably appreciate the band ABC too, especially one of these 2 songs: "The Look of Love" or "When Smokey Sings". They had quite similar styles but were still different enough to stand out in their own right.

[@palebeachbum]

I totally agree. ABC is also great. I especially love their song All of My Heart.

[@glenn20081965]

"One of the best songs of the 80's" Another was Something About You by Level 42.

[@danielswood]

You need to hear Gold!

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

Thrill in my hand and a pill on my tongue. Those lyrics always stay years on. Also listening to Marvin all night long was a nice tip of the hat to Marvin Gaye.

[@darrinlindsey]

This is one of my all time favorite songs.

[@d.rayvenspencer]

Ah the 80's, when it seemed like everyone gave a shoutout to Marvin and his greatness whenever they could.✌🏽☺

[@David-qp4jq]

It's a Timeless song an iconic song

[@annewoodard6803]

For me, it’s “16 Candles” all the way. 😁❤️

[@kathyrizzi8754]

These guys could’ve been models in the U.K. I love this song!👍👏👏👏💙💙💙

[@melande-ru7ro]

I loved this song when the record came out in 1983

[@monilaninetynine3811]

I was 12. Have always loved it. It's literally perfect.

[@VickiBrowne-yk4co]

It's called class!

[@magaliedeconto1682]

It's a beautiful song but "Through the barricades" is a MASTERPIECE !

[@jacqueline4514]

One of the greats!

[@teresah.6696]

@ 4:03 they give a node to Marvin Gaye but you guys was talking and didn't notice. One of the top 10 best songs from the '80s.

[@xoxxobob61]

One of the Greatest POP Songs Ever written ! A True CLASSIC !

[@jabarrobbins1057]

The first part of their name is pronounced "SPAN-DOW" and this song was sampled by not only PM Dawn, but also others like Queen Pen for her song, "It's True"

[@antoniosingletary2865]

Lil Wayne and Lloyd too!

[@mr.balloffur]

Tony Hadley is one of the greatest singers of the 80's, he still is ❤

[@msmrsro]

As a teen throughout the 80s, age 12-22, I live for all things 80s. Takes me back. This song shows up in a lot of movies of the era.

[@blaze1148]

Same age 😉

[@owlhouse53]

It’s pronounced Spandow (like bow wow wow) 👍 And back then, this was a smoochy dance song for the club 😘

[@kangaroojack7678]

This song has played over 1 billion times one of my favorite songs of all time I still love it every time and I cry when it brings back memories

[@ponypower8]

(From Wikipedia): "True" is a song by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released in April 1983....number one on the UK chart in April 1983 and made the top 10 in several other countries, including the US....used in films such as Sixteen Candles and 50 First Dates, as well as TV series like Modern Family...."'True' is about how difficult it is to be honest when you're trying to write a love song to someone"....the Hot 100.."True" peaked at number 4....Later in the month..Adult Contemporary chart, where it spent 22 weeks, one of them at number 1...."

[@rolandgustafsson5655]

Best song of the eighty ´s😍

[@moodyblues1273]

I had posters of Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran all over my bedroom as a teen in the 1980s. Brings back a lot of memories.

[@jaquettajones]

The 80's Sophisti-Pop bands were quite the English Gentlemen. - other bands/artists in this category: ABC, Blow Monkeys, Swing Out Sister, Level 42, Bryan Ferry...

[@rickb3645]

The lead singer of Spandau Ballet, Tony Hadley... Also appeared in the video of P.M. Dawns - Set Adrift on Memory Bliss... He's on the beach wearing a black shirt at the end of the video.

[@rickb3645]

P.M. Dawn - Set Adrift on Memory Bliss. ------> kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2bPc6x8mJx7n68

[@lepoetress]

Only When You Leave and Gold are bangers too

[@kentinatl]

Top 10 song of the 80's

[@mlknox8566]

This song represents my high school experience ❤ True hits my heart and fond memories of being a teen in the 80s.

[@grandy2875]

Spandau Ballet was part of the 80s New Romantics era, along with bands such as ABC, Duran Duran, Soft Cell, Culture Club, Flock Of Seagulls, Visage and Depeche Mode, to name a few...it was all about the look and the sound... and some of the music was pretty good 😊 🙃🐨🇦🇺

[@WineSippingCowboy]

40 years 🎂 Written by Gary Kemp. He plays guitar and keyboards. His brother Martin on bass guitar 🎸. He was married to Shirley, backing singer of Wham! They appear in the Wham! video Last Christmas 🎄 . John Keeble on drums. Steve Norman on sax and percussion. Tony Hadley on lead vocals. "Listening to Marvin" is a reference to the late Marvin Gaye, who was alive in that year. This song appeared 3 years later in the movie 🎥 Sixteen Candles 🕯 starring Molly Ringwald. Recorded in The Bahamas 🇧🇸. Meanwhile, The Police 🚔 recorded their final studio album in nearby Montserrat. Spandau Ballet was rising as The Police were going to break up 💔, which happened two years later, 1985. Suggested videos 📹: 1 Spandau Ballet performs Highly Strung 2 The Police performs Synchronicity 2.

[@roadkill7314]

Absolutely iconic! Part of the soundtrack of our lives; almost impossible not to have heard it.

[@itchyandred4131]

Can't hear this song without thinking about the movie " The wedding singer" 😂😂😂✌️

[@jenniferfoster1692]

Haha, yep! I was a teen in the 80s so I automatically think of Sixteen Candles with this song, but I love The Wedding Singer & loved this song in that movie.

[@ruff500]

A great movie with songs from the 80s 🙂

[@bdmention]

Fun Fact: Brothers Gary (lead guitar) & Martin (bassist) acted in the film 'The Krays'. Great film.

[@monilaninetynine3811]

Gary Kemp, who wrote the song, was in The Bodyguard with Whitney Houston as her publicist.

[@1989NickyD]

Tony Hadley, the lead singer of Spandau Ballet appears (briefly) in the P.M Dawn video for 'Set Adrift...'

[@pfcampos7041]

This song was a staple of my adolescence. Takes me back with all the feels!!❤

[@phoenix-xu9xj]

Me too. Making me feel happy and sad.

[@joshJC99]

Gary Kemp on piano played Sy Spector Whitney Houston’s agent in The Bodyguard

[@GetSoberWithMe]

He gave a shout-out to Marvin Gaye in this song..im sure he was a big inspiration...u can hear his soul in it just like he said

[@ronniearnold9165]

This track was so great, PM Dawn just had to have sampled it!

[@tropenkindje1]

40 years ago I bought the album True. Still a huge fan. Saw them in concert in 2018. They are still rocking this song. Tony Hadley's voice is still powerfull. You should also react to Through the barricades, I fly for you, Gold, Chant no.1, To cut a long story short

[@yolandabrooksqueenofsevens]

Spandau ballet oh my god they were fine ❤️ I remember seeing video a lot when MTV was showing it when I was 13 🔥

[@StevePaur-hf4vy]

A grim little nugget for you about the band's name. The phrase "Spandau Ballet" was coined by American GI's in World War 2. Spandau was a prison in the suburbs of Berlin and was used exclusively to house Nazi who were convicted of war crimes in the years after the war. The last Nazi prisoner died in 1987 and he was the sole prisoner 20+ years. The prison was demolished to prevent it from becoming a Nazi shrine. Some of the condemned Nazis were hanged at Spandau and the while the bodies were going thru the death process they would twitch and convulse back and forth and that's what the GI's called the Spandau Ballet. Don't know how the band got its name.

[@pr-tj5by]

Remember this Fab tune so well, no wonder it was Number 1 in 21 Countries.....

[@lizmagu3189]

Tony still tours, wearing his cool suits and still sounds AMAZING. Check out their song Gold. Its AMAZING as well..

[@marceldagenais1893]

First band I ever saw playing electric drums .

[@debradickson7816]

Love the Spandau boys ❤ Cheers for that 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

[@jenniferfoster1692]

Love you guys. I will say, there's no point in criticizing 80s videos, there were different things going on artistically & stylistically. That's on top of MTV opening up opportunities for film students & commercial directors to go crazy, experiment, it was like performance art even when it was silly. They pushed boundaries. The 'robotic' style you're talking about it similar to some of the 50s performers, where they were powerful singers but restrained performances, like they're 'classy', lol.

[@kathleenedwards6435]

Best times ever. So glad I got to experience it as a teenager

[@mikepetrimoulx933]

1983, a year after graduation, cruising in my Charger, Kenwood rocking a pair of Cerwin Vega home speakers in the back seat, none of that nasty car vibration, just crisp clear sound.

[@Kathiebaxter]

I’ve heard only bits and pieces of this song. I love the ‘80’s signature romantic catch in the voice.

[@luisalbertocalla6649]

❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@donnagreen3626]

I was 18 in 83

[@ShawnDillon-pw8lb]

…fun fact. The suits that the band members were wearing was created by a then unknown designer who went on to start a iconic band: Sade Adu…

[@bradhollinger2532]

" Listening to Marvin (Gaye) all night long " is the best line

[@VickiBrowne-yk4co]

That's a matter of opinion!

[@danmayberry1185]

Throwing down PM Dawn like that - what a memory!

[@StuartPacker]

Had the best slow dance of my life, to True, in early 83 in West Pennard Village Hall. With Sue Dickens. Blissful and True x

[@Wearmouth]

Ahh Spandau huge fan, but I loved them when they first started as 'New Romantics". Saw Tony Hadley (the lead singer) two years ago, absolutely fantastic live, such a voice!!!

[@pokeycantdance9039]

Straight form the 80's, Peace and love fam.

[@shwicaz]

You need to hear "Gold" by them. That one is a banger!

[@mysticvirgo9318]

every prom and wedding slow dance EVEAH! came out my freshmen year high school and was a complete TOTAL 180 from the music on the radio at the time (1982)

[@rsccostarica]

This song first was the soundtrack of the movie Sixteen candles in 1984, I think, wsy before Wedding Singer movie.

[@angelagoodwin5758]

Absolutely loved this song when it came out. It was the early 80s and the second British "invasion", (the Beatles and Stones in the 60s),and this was a vibe! For a different sound, I'd like to see you all react to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. "Breakdown", "Mary Jane's Last Dance", and "You Don't Know How It Feels" are just a few of their gems.

[@joanfisher1079]

PM Dawn did remake this song into a rap and pop hit with a different name sampling True. This song is iconic from the 8Os featured in film, commercials, TV. Huge dance floor Ballad.😮

[@TheRedStateBlue]

set adrift on memory bliss.

[@007ndc]

Gary Kemp of the band wtote this iconic song in his parents living room. This much is True

[@dominicksforza3484]

Youre all right, this is the 80's and is why its one of the best decades of music. One of you mentioned the suits, theyre all dressed to the 9's, the lead singers suit was really nice and would look as good now as it did then, IMO. A really nice ballad from a talented group.

[@JamesBond-ib9tq]

60's, 70's, 80's, to mid 90's were best eras for music and went downhill after that.

[@susanmurray7654]

This was Princess Diana's...like favorite song. I remember that being a thing.

[@user-or1ye3iz6d]

"Robbie and Juuuuuliaa-haha" The Wedding Singer 😁

[@eddie_77]

And the lead singer appears on PM Dawn's music video.

[@MelissaDalehite-ey4bu]

One of my favorite songs. So glad to see you like too.😊😊😊😊😊

[@diannecardenas9866]

Haven't heard this song in such a long time. Brought back memories. Thanks for the reactions.

[@NickiTwix]

One of my all time favourite songs it’s just so smooth like butter 🤣 this song will forever pop into my head on a weekly basis 🤣

[@davidw7]

This song.... especially the introduction. Reminds me of the 60s song by The Association - "Cherish" as the song title. It has that kind of beat also..... If diving into the 60s... The Association had some hits also by their harmonies that stood out and test of time. Might need a creative way to react to a program they appeared as a video of the song to get approved.

[@carolynthompson3291]

Spandeau Ballet ❤🥰

[@Ugly_kid_Joe]

I know this much is true, You guys never fail to entertain.

[@cameronstestingart794]

Listenin to Marvin all night lo-ong! This much is true-ue! What’s not to like? Singer was great and a cutie❤🔥

[@kevin982]

Tony was my father's favourite singer and he didn't have many. He wasn't a lover of music.

[@mcarmenmc]

Una de las canciones más elegantes que existen. Todo un icono de los 80

[@antoinettejones1573]

If you watch the video with PM Dawn the lead singer of Spandau Ballet plays a cameo.

[@Deidra74]

I love this song so much ❤

[@lindasalaki9404]

Great 🎵🎵🎶🎵🎶🎶❤❤❤❤❤

[@donmorton7282]

Total 80s classic. The lead singer is briefly in the PM Dawn video towards the end.

[@bennettmusiccollective3218]

🔥🔥🔥

[@brendawoodson3230]

Absutely hate this song but had to hear you review it cause i love you guys, ya know i guess i don't hate it as much as i thought, i sang it word fir word lol

[@xanajak]

This song is part of a very funny scene in the movie Sixteen Candles.

[@jonyivre4541]

April 15, 1983

[@craigyeargin5332]

Know the song but never the band till now. Awesome song.

[@Baddiesc7gn]

Yesssssssss. Loved them too. Still remember all of the lyrics. Span Dow ballet. MegaMega Hit. British artists. Yes, PM Dawn sampled it. I was with my 6 year old cousin, we went to see Chloe as The Little Mermaid. HIGHLY RECOMMEND FOR ALL AGES. You will never guess what she sang in the car on key. SWEET DREAMS BY THE EURYTHMICS. 6 years old. It was not even playing on the radio at the time. Terrence Trent D’Arby, remember him?

[@davidzimmerli489]

Span-DOW Ballet

[@jannaversheck7121]

❤

[@TheDivayenta]

What a fantastic song! Love it!❤ Thanks !!!!! Cool and sophisticated- great slow dance.

[@kierstenridgway4634]

Robotic style. Yes, you are so right. Devo is a perfect example! 😂 Im so glad we had so many different flavors to chose from. And to go back to. Btw, this song not on any playlist. I thought the same thing! Woud I skip it? Probably not.