Spandau Ballet are a popular British pop band most prominent during the 80s… Read Full Bio ↴Spandau Ballet are a popular British pop band most prominent during the 80s, at the beginning of which they were forerunners of the British new romantic movement. Its members are singer-songwriter Tony Hadley on vocals, brothers Gary Kemp and Martin Kemp on guitar and bass respectively, with Gary also supplying background vocals, Steve Norman on saxophone, and John Keeble on the drums. Gary Kemp also wrote or co-wrote most of the group's music and lyrics.

Initially formed in 1976 in London, England, they didn't reach a stable line-up or decide on the Spandau name until 1978. Their odd title allegedly came from a piece of bathroom graffiti observed during the members early days. Inspired by a mixture of avant-garde synth pop and slick funk. as typified by their early track "Chant No 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)", also known by other titles such as "Chant # 1", the band commercially broke through with an artistic public image as remarked upon as their music. Said track reached the #2 spot in the U.K. and was notable for inclusion of the horn section from the group Beggar & Co, which proved a fruitful collaboration on record.

Spandau Ballet's first two albums, 1981's 'Journeys to Glory' and 1982's 'Diamond', found them also mining their art rock and glam rock roots as their fan-base expanded, the group looking to the works of David Bowie and Roxy Music for inspiration. Both albums charted in the U.K. top 20 and were later certified gold by the RIAA. Additional popular songs from the band in this era include "To Cut a Long Story Short" and "Freeze" (also known as "The Freeze". The group also notably picked up a semi-friendly rivalry with new wave contemporaries Duran Duran.

After four hits in the U.K. followed by a couple of less successful releases, however, Spandau Ballet's chart career appeared to be on the wane. Yet Instinction, re-ignited their fortunes and became the first of eleven consecutive singles to reach the Top 20

Immensely popular in the UK, the New Romantic group eventually mellowed into a mainstream pop act. As with Duran Duran they 'broke America', albeit briefly - the title track of their 3rd album True peaked in the Top 5 of the Singles charts. The song gained a new life in the 1990's and beyond by being sampled in the songs Set Adrift on Memory Bliss by PM Dawn and N Dey Say by Nelly.

After a split in 1990 and a court case almost ten years later involving Hadley, Keeble & Norman suing Gary Kemp over royalties, they announced in March 2009 a reformation.

Empty Spaces
Spandau Ballet Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Once there were times, love when we could touch the air between
And out across this room we'd fill the space with all our skins
And if we just touch hands, life would shine with electric dreams

No matter how many miles, nothing hurt long distance hearts
And there was always something there that space could never keep apart
But now I know inside that something's died

When we're apart, all we have are empty spaces

It's not like we're building walls, too hard to climb to make us blind
It's just so much numbing space to hollow out the heart and mind
And I can hear echoes of ghosts of love, we left behind

I'll always love April, we fell in love and we planted seeds
And now we walk through fallen trees and leaves are crushed beneath
And I will always live in autumn

Now we're agreed, all we have are empty spaces

I thought this was meant to be our love had an energy
But only as time evolved and all of our strength dissolved
And we'll never feel the flame that burned so naked again

I walk through Kentish Town and all the rain, rain pouring down
So many people here but space like this I've never found
And as I get back home and step inside

I realize, all I have, all I have are empty spaces

Overall Meaning

The song "Empty Spaces" by Spandau Ballet is a melancholic track reflecting lost love and the emptiness that follows its absence. The lyrics convey the longing for a love that was once strong and passionate but seems now to have fizzled out. The opening lines "Once there were times, love when we could touch the air between, And out across this room we'd fill the space with all our skins" reminisce about the intimate moments shared with a loved one. These moments were so electrifying that the character in the song believed that even if they only touched hands, they would experience electric dreams. However, over time, things changed, and distance crept in, leading to the death of the relationship, as stated in the line "But now I know inside that something's died."

The song continues with vivid imageries that paint a picture of the emptiness that comes with a failed relationship. The character talks about the 'numbing space’ that hollows out the heart and mind, making it impossible to feel the flames of love that once existed. He describes walking through Kentish Town, and although the town is full of people, it feels just as lonely as empty spaces. The chorus is an affirmation that when they're apart, all they have is empty spaces, a constant reminder that the love that existed is no more.

Line by Line Meaning

Once there were times, love when we could touch the air between
There was a time when we could feel a strong connection with each other.

And out across this room we'd fill the space with all our skins
We used to fill every corner of the room with our presence and it felt like we were one entity.

And if we just touch hands, life would shine with electric dreams
Our touch was like magic, creating a spark that lit up our world with joy.

No matter how many miles, nothing hurt long distance hearts
Even with distance between us, our love was strong enough to withstand the pain.

And there was always something there that space could never keep apart
Our love was so strong that even distance and physical space couldn't break it apart.

But now I know inside that something's died
I can feel that our love has changed and lost its spark.

When we're apart, all we have are empty spaces
Without each other, our worlds feel empty and incomplete.

It's not like we're building walls, too hard to climb to make us blind
We're not intentionally creating distance between us, but it's becoming harder to connect.

It's just so much numbing space to hollow out the heart and mind
The emptiness and distance between us is taking a toll on our emotional and mental wellbeing.

And I can hear echoes of ghosts of love, we left behind
I feel haunted by the memories of our past love that we're struggling to revive.

I'll always love April, we fell in love and we planted seeds
I will always cherish the memories of our love, which started in April like the growth of new life.

And now we walk through fallen trees and leaves are crushed beneath
Our love, like the autumn leaves, has withered away and is now being trampled on.

And I will always live in autumn
I find myself stuck in a season of decay and loss, unable to move on from our past love.

Now we're agreed, all we have are empty spaces
We both acknowledge that our love has changed and the distance between us has created a void.

I thought this was meant to be our love had an energy
I believed our love was a force of nature that would never fade.

But only as time evolved and all of our strength dissolved
As time passed, our love lost its strength and began to fade away.

And we'll never feel the flame that burned so naked again
We can never recapture the intensity of our once fiery love.

I walk through Kentish Town and all the rain, rain pouring down
The rain pouring down reflects the sadness and melancholy I feel.

So many people here but space like this I've never found
Despite being surrounded by people, I feel alone and disconnected, unable to find the same space that we once shared.

And as I get back home and step inside
Returning home highlights the emptiness and lack of connection I feel.

I realize, all I have, all I have are empty spaces
I can't help but recognize that without you, all I'm left with are empty spaces where our love used to be.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS