“True” by Spandau Ballet

Saturday, May 10th 2008 by Shanel Yang         Email this article to a friend

“True” came out in 1983 and was Spandau Ballet’s biggest hit.

Spandau Ballet was a British pop band that originally called itself the Makers. By the time it became popular in the U.S., it consisted of the following five members: Tony Hadley (lead vocals); Gary Kemp (back up vocals and songwriter); Martin Kemp (Gary’s brother and bass player); Steve Norman (guitar, sax, and percussion); and, John Keeble (drums). These five handsome men were admired by their fans as much for their fashion as for their romantic music, both of which came to be known as part of the New Romantic movement. They wore 1940s-inspired suits, clean-cut faces, and wind-swept hairstyles. Duran Duran was another hugely successful British pop band that was part of that movement.

The name “Spandau Ballet,” though it may sound romantic, actually has a much darker origin. Apparently, it was an expression that referred to the hanging executions of the Nazi prisoners at Spandau, Germany. The prisoners were said to dance at the end of their rope. But, don’t let that take away from the beauty of this song and the poetry of its lyrics. This is a truly romantic song as well as a tribute to the great American soul music artist Marvin Gaye.

(Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha!)
(Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha!)

(This much is true. Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha!)
(This much is true.)
I know this much is true!
(This much is true.)
I know this much is true.
(This much is true.)

EXPLANATION OF PHRASES

1. “So true.”

This is a sentence fragment that means “[It/This/Something] is so true.”

2. “Funny how it seems.”

“Funny” does not always mean “humorous.” It can also mean “silly,” “strange,” “unusual,” “bizarre,” “inexplicable,” or “ironic.” In the context of this song, it probably means “ironic.”

3. “Always in time, but never in line for dreams.”

“Always in time” might mean “I’m always on time.” “On time” means “to arrive at the agreed-upon time” or “to not be late.” This phrase is contrasted with the following phrase, “but never in line for dreams,” which might mean “even though I always arrive on time, I never seem to end up standing in the right line to make my dreams to come true.” “Standing in line” might be a metaphor for “waiting for something desired.” Maybe, he’s too practical or too afraid to “stand in the right line” to make his dreams come true, unlike the hero in “Flashdance, What a Feeling!” who, despite her fears, takes steps to make her dreams come true.

4. “Head over heels, when toe to toe.”

“Head over heels” is an expression that means “extremely in love” and “when toe to toe” can mean “when slow dancing” or “when standing face to face.”

5. “This is the sound of my soul.”

“My soul” can mean “my mind,” “my heart,” or the “essence of my existence.” Hence, “sound of my soul” might mean “the sentiments for feelings I am singing in this song are the true expression of the deepest part of me.”

6. “I bought a ticket to world.”

“Buying a ticket to the world” means “leaving home to experience the world.”

7. “Why do I find it hard to write the next line?”

The phrase “the next line” implies there’s a story to tell, but it is not easy for him to tell the next part of it. It may be difficult for him to put his feelings or thoughts into words because what he needs to say will not be pleasant for the listener.

8. “Oh, I want the truth to be said.”

This sentence explains why the singer is forcing himself to “write the next line” because he believes it is important that he share the truth with the listener.

9. “I know this much is true.”

To say “I know this much is true” is to imply that the singer is not sure of the rest of the story that he is not addressing. Whatever it is he is sure about, it is not the entire story. We are not told what the “this much” is that he is sure about other than the rest of the lyrics, which are all mysterious and open to many different interpretations. One interpretation might be, after traveling the world, he has learned that Marvin Gaye’s soulful music above making love and forgiving one another speaks the truth.

10. “With a thrill in my head and a pill on my tongue, dissolve the nerves that just begun, listening to Marvin all night long.”

This might mean “with my head filled with exciting thoughts and some drugs to calm my sudden fears, I listen to the songs sung by Marvin Gaye all night long.”

11. “Always slipping from my hands, sand’s a time of it’s own.”

He refers to the hourglass and the sand that falls through the narrow passage in the middle of the glass as well as the image of sand slipping through the fingers of a hand. “Sand has a time of it’s own” might mean “I can’t slow or stop time.”

12. “Take your seaside arms and write the next line.”

He could be talking to himself and referring to his own arms as “seaside arms” meaning “arms that happen to be by the seashore” if he is at the beach. This would also explain his choice of the metaphor about sand slipping through his hands.

CONCLUSION

We began our lessons in Pop Music English words and usage by studying the lyrics of three popular songs from from the 1960s: “Yesterday” and “Hey Jude” by the Beatles and “Oh, Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison. Then, from the the 1970s, we studied the following three pop hits: “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain and Tennille, “Dancing Queen” by Abba, and “Emotion” by Samantha Sang.

We started the 1980s with “Flashdance, What a Feeling!” by Irene Cara and continued with this lesson about “True” by Spandau Ballet. Our final song from the 1980s will be “Holiday” by Madonna. Finally, we will complete this series with the following songs from the 1990s to 2000s: “Vogue” by Madonna; “Get the Party Started” by Pink; and “Pump It” by Black Eyed Peas.

[For more “Pop Music English,” click here.]

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