Through the Barricades (song)

"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 entered the UK Singles Chart on 8 November 1986 and became the band's tenth and final top-10 single, peaking at number six and spending a total of 10 weeks on the chart.[3]

"Through the Barricades"
Single by Spandau Ballet
from the album Through the Barricades
Released27 October 1986[1]
RecordedSeptember 1985 – Summer 1986 in Munich, West Germany and the South of France
GenreSoft rock[2]
Length5:59
LabelCBS
Songwriter(s)Gary Kemp
Producer(s)
Spandau Ballet singles chronology
"Fight for Ourselves"
(1985)		 "Through the Barricades"
(1986)		 "How Many Lies"
(1987)

Background

A song about love prevailing throughout the violence and sectarianism of the Troubles, the song was inspired by the killing of Thomas "Kidso" Reilly, who had worked for the band, by Private Ian Thain in Belfast on 9 August 1983 during the Troubles.[4][5] In 2015, songwriter Gary Kemp spoke to the Belfast Telegraph about his inspiration for it:

"We had a guy called 'Kidso' (Thomas Reilly), who worked for us on merchandise during the True tour. He went back to Belfast after the tour and was killed. Kidso's brother, Jim, who played drums for Stiff Little Fingers, subsequently took me along to see his grave and the song was inspired by walking down the Falls Road. I got to experience some of the emotion of that first-hand and it just stuck with me. I didn't expect it to come out in the shape of a Romeo and Juliet sort of song, but it did."[4]

The lyric "it's a terrible beauty we've made" alludes to W. B. Yeats's poem "Easter, 1916", about the Irish Easter Rising.[6][7] Accepting his award for Outstanding Song Collection at the 2012 Ivor Novello Awards, Kemp singled it out as a particular favourite of his, stating: "'Through the Barricades' is one I'm really close to."[8] Tony Hadley said that he considers it to be the band's best song.[9]

Reception and legacy

The song, which is in the form of an acoustic ballad, has been described by Dan LeRoy of AllMusic as "the best song by far" on its album.[10] Ian Gittins was critical of the song in The Guardian, describing it as "one of Spandau's more ponderous, clunky numbers."[11]

Tony 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.[12]

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for "Through the Barricades"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[23] Gold 25,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Releases" (PDF). Record Mirror. 25 October 1986. p. 3. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  2. "Robbie Williams, Roundhouse, London Spandau Ballet, O2, London". The Independent. 25 October 2009. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022.
  3. "Spandau Ballet: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  4. "Gary Kemp: When we played Through the Barricades in Belfast the reaction was incredible". Belfast Telegraph. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  5. "British soldier sentenced to life". United Press International. 15 December 1984. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  6. 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.
  7. Bailie, Stuart (10 November 2010). "I'll Get You, William Butler..." BBC Radio Ulster. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  8. "Gary Kemp 'Complete' With Ivor Novello Award". Contact Music. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  9. 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.
  10. LeRoy, Dan. "Through the Barricades". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
  11. Gittins, Ian (1 October 2014). "Spandau Ballet review – return of the shoulder-heaving soul boys". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  12. "Hadley wins Reborn contest". BBC News. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  13. "Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  14. "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 50. 20 December 1986. p. 16. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  15. "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".
  16. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 1, 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  17. "Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  18. "Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades". VG-lista. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  19. "Top 3 Singles in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 6. 14 February 1987. p. 16. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 28 September 2023 – via World Radio History.
  20. "Offiziellecharts.de – Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  21. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  22. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  23. "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".
  24. "British single certifications – Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades". British Phonographic Industry. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
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