SPANDAU BALLET - TRUE

Estrena: 15 d'abril de 1983

Llistes: EUA: #4  Regne Unit: #1 (4 setmanes)

"True" és una cançó llançada l'abril de 1983 com a tema principal i tercer senzill del tercer àlbum de Spandau Ballet. La cançó es va convertir en un gran èxit, arribant al número 1 de la llista de singles del Regne Unit l'abril de 1983 i aconseguint un èxit internacional, entrant al top 10 en diversos països. Als Estats Units, "True" va ser la primera aparició de la banda al Billboard Hot 100. Amb el seu so suau i ple de soul, la cançó es va convertir en una peça icònica dels anys 80, i sovint es fa servir en pel·lícules i anuncis publicitaris.

La lletra es va inspirar en el desig no correspost de Gary Kemp per Clare Grogan, la cantant principal d'Altered Images i actriu de la pel·lícula “Gregory's Girl”. Tot i que la seva relació va ser purament platònica, els sentiments de Kemp van portar a la creació de la cançó. Musicalment, Kemp es va inspirar en l’estil soul de Marvin Gaye i Al Green, mentre que la lletra va estar influenciada tant per Green com per The Beatles.

Gary Kemp volia crear una cançó de “blue-eyed soul”, influenciada pel tema "Let’s Stay Together" d'Al Green. La idea musical per "True" va sorgir després que Kemp veiés “Let It Be”, on la cançó de John Lennon "Dig a Pony" el va impactar. Admirava com Lennon allargava la paraula "I" en una melodia fluïda i va aplicar un enfocament similar a la seva pròpia cançó. Kemp va reestructurar l'obertura de la frase d'Al Green "I'm so in love with you" per crear la frase icònica "Ah ha-hah hahh-hi / I know this / much is / true-oo", donant a la cançó la seva famosa melòdia.

Kemp va infondre referències personals i literàries a la lletra, inspirat pels seus sentiments no confessats per Grogan i per la novel·la “Lolita” de Vladimir Nabokov, que Grogan li havia regalat. Algunes frases, com "Take your seaside arms", van ser adaptades directament de la novel·la, on Nabokov escriu "seaside limbs". Kemp també va transformar una altra frase del llibre en "With a thrill in my head and a pill on my tongue". La cançó reflecteix la lluita de Kemp per expressar les seves emocions de manera honesta, especialment en una cançó d'amor, que es manifesta en la frase "Why do I find it hard to write the next line?". En la seva autobiografia, Kemp va admetre que se sentia tímid i reticent a l'hora de revelar els seus veritables sentiments a través de la cançó, reconeixent la vulnerabilitat i l'embarràs que comportava intentar confessar la seva atracció.

El videoclip original de "True" incloïa una seqüència en blanc i negre que mostrava el viatge emocional d'un jove, que transitava de l'angoixa a la joia mentre deambulava pels carrers de la ciutat. El vídeo també contenia representacions animades de l'home i un colom, creades per Dominic Anciano, que la banda va acabar rebutjant. Malgrat el valor de producció, el vídeo no tenia una trama definida, cosa que va ser una elecció deliberada. Gary Kemp va explicar que volia que el vídeo fos obert a la interpretació, permetent als oients formar les seves pròpies idees sobre el significat de la cançó. En lloc d'imposar una narrativa, el vídeo es va centrar en l’enfocament artístic, com efectes de llum a través de l'aigua i vidres trencats.

SPANDAU BALLET - TRUE

Released: April 15, 1983

Charts:  US: #4    UK: #1 (4 weeks)

"True" is a song released in April 1983 as the title track and third single from the band’s third album. The song became a major hit, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart in April 1983 and gaining international success by entering the top 10 in several countries. In the US, "True" marked the band's first entry into the Billboard Hot 100. Known for its smooth, soulful sound, "True" became an iconic track of the 1980s, frequently featured in films and commercials.

The lyrics were inspired by Gary Kemp's unrequited crush on Clare Grogan, the lead singer of Altered Images and star of “Gregory's Girl”. Although their relationship remained platonic, Kemp's feelings sparked the creation of the song. Musically, Kemp was influenced by the soulful styles of Marvin Gaye and Al Green, while the lyrics drew from both Green and The Beatles. 

Gary Kemp sought to create a "blue-eyed soul" song with influences from tracks like Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” The musical idea for "True" began after Kemp watched “Let It Be”, where John Lennon's "Dig a Pony" stuck with him. He admired how Lennon elongated the word “I” into a flowing melody and applied a similar approach to his own song. Kemp restructured the opening of Al Green’s line "I'm so in love with you" into "Ah ha-hah hahh-hi / I know this / much is / true-oo,” giving the song its iconic melodic phrasing.

Gary Kemp infused personal and literary references into the lyrics, inspired by his unspoken feelings for Clare Grogan and the novel “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov, which Grogan had gifted him. Some lines, such as "Take your seaside arms," were directly adapted from the novel, where Nabokov wrote "seaside limbs." Kemp also transformed another phrase from the book into "With a thrill in my head and a pill on my tongue." The song reflects Kemp's struggle with expressing emotions honestly, particularly in a love song, which is conveyed in the lyric "Why do I find it hard to write the next line?" In his autobiography, Kemp admitted feeling shy and hesitant about revealing his true feelings through the song, acknowledging the vulnerability and embarrassment that came with trying to confess his infatuation.

The original music video featured a black-and-white sequence portraying a young man's emotional journey, transitioning from anguish to jubilation as he roams city streets. The video also included animated renderings of the man and a dove, created by Dominic Anciano, but the band ultimately disliked the animation and chose not to use it. Despite the production value, the video lacked a storyline, which was a deliberate choice. Gary Kemp explained that he wanted the video to be open to interpretation, allowing listeners to form their own ideas about the song's meaning. Instead of pushing a narrative, the video focused on artistic visuals, including light effects through water and broken glass.