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.
Only When You Leave
Spandau Ballet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I only wanna learn what you know
But now you're leavin'
How many hearts must you break
And how many calls must I make
But now you're leavin'
In this world all that I choose has come unbearable
Ooh, it's killing me so much
Ooh, only when you leave
I'll need to love you
And when the action has all gone
I'm just a little fool enough to need you
A fool enough too long
Only when you leave, you'll leave in danger
Ooh, I'll make sure that you pay
So give a little passion to a stranger
And take this soul away
I only wanna make things last
So how could this have gone so fast
And now you're leavin'
How many times must I learn
It's only when you've gone that I burn
And now you're leavin'
In the end, all that is left has come unbearable
It's hard to change your mind
So leave it all behind
Ooh, only when you leave
I'll need to love you
And when the action has all gone
I'm just a little fool enough to need you
A fool enough too long
Only when you leave, you'll leave in danger
Ooh, I'll make sure that you pay
So give a little passion to a stranger
And take this soul away
Layin' in the after glow
I only wanna learn what you know
Ooh, but now you're leavin'
How many hearts must you break
How many calls must I make
But now you're leavin'
In this world all that I choose has come unbearable
But love is in your touch
Ooh, it's killing me so much
Only when you leave
I'll need to love you
And when the action has all gone
I'm just a little fool enough to need you
A fool enough too long
Only when you leave, you'll leave in danger
Ooh, I'll make sure that you pay
So give a little passion to a stranger
And take this soul away, uh, no, no, no, no
The singer in Spandau Ballet's "Only When You Leave" is lamenting the departure of a lover, expressing his disbelief that something that he hoped to last forever could end so abruptly. He is filled with a sense of confusion and sadness ("I only wanna make things last / So how could this have gone so fast"), and he struggles with the reality of the situation ("How many hearts must you break / And how many calls must I make"). Despite his emotional turmoil, the singer still holds a deep affection for his lover, as demonstrated by the chorus: "Only when you leave / I'll need to love you / And when the action has all gone / I'm just a little fool enough to need you / A fool enough too long / Only when you leave, you'll leave in danger / Ooh, I'll make sure that you pay / So give a little passion to a stranger / And take this soul away". The lyrics suggest that the singer will try to move on with his life, but in his heart, he will always be attached to the love that he once had.
Through the verses, the singer is reflecting on the fleeting nature of life in the modern world, and how everything he chooses has become unbearable ( "In this world all that I choose has come unbearable"). The song expresses a deep appreciation of true love ("But love is in your touch / Ooh, it's killing me so much"). At the same time, the singer is filled with despair as he believes that his lover has moved on, and he must now face the reality of life without the love of his life.
Line by Line Meaning
Layin' in the after glow
Reflecting on the aftermath of our physical intimacy
I only wanna learn what you know
I'm interested in discovering your thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives
But now you're leavin'
But unfortunately, you're departing
How many hearts must you break
How many more people will you hurt emotionally?
And how many calls must I make
How many attempts do I have to make before you answer your phone and talk to me?
In this world all that I choose has become unbearable
The things I used to enjoy have lost their appeal and no longer bring me joy
But love is in your touch
Your physical touch carries feelings of love and affection
Ooh, it's killing me so much
It's extremely painful and difficult for me to let you go
Only when you leave, I'll need to love you
I only realize how much I love you when you're no longer with me
And when the action has all gone
When everything settles down and there's nothing exciting left to do
I'm just a little fool enough to need you
I'm foolishly desperate for your love and attention
A fool enough too long
I've been foolishly longing for you for far too long
Only when you leave, you'll leave in danger
I'll be emotionally unstable and in danger of losing myself when you leave
Ooh, I'll make sure that you pay
I'll make sure that you'll feel the pain and regret of your departure
So give a little passion to a stranger
Find someone new to share your love and passion with
And take this soul away
Take my soul and my love with you as you depart
I only wanna make things last
I want our relationship to be a long-lasting one
So how could this have gone so fast
So how did our relationship come to an abrupt end so quickly?
And now you're leavin'
And now you're departing
How many times must I learn
How many more times do I have to go through this heartbreak?
It's only when you've gone that I burn
It's only after you leave that I feel the pain and regret of losing you
In the end, all that is left has become unbearable
In the end, everything is intolerable and insufferable
It's hard to change your mind
It's difficult to change your perspective and opinion
So leave it all behind
So leave everything behind and forget about us
Lyrics © REFORMATION MUSIC INC
Written by: GARY KEMP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Luis Najle
Laying in the after glow,
I only want to learn what you know,
But now you're leaving...
How many hearts must you break?
How many calls must I make?
But now you're leaving...
In this world, all that I choose has come unbearable
But love is in your touch
Ooh, it's killing me so much
Only when you leave
I need to love you
And when the action has all gone
I'm just a little fool enough to need you
Fool enough too long
Only when you leave, you'll leave in danger
Oh, I'll make sure that you pay
So give a little passion to a stranger
And take this soul away
I only want to make this things last,
So how could this have gone so fast?
And now you're leaving...
How many times must I learn?
It' s only when you've gone that I burn,
And now you're leaving...
In the end, all that I left has come unbearable
It's hard to change your mind,
So leave it all behind
Only when you leave
I need to love you
And when the action has all gone
I'm just a little fool enough to need you
Fool enough too long
Only when you leave, you'll leave in danger
Oh, I'll make sure that you pay
So give a little passion to a stranger
And take this soul away
Mark Stevenson
Have always thought this is by far their best song still feels fresh after all this time
Gloria González paredes
La buena música nunca muere
Mark Stevenson
@Gloria González paredes Hi Gloria what is your comment in English please👍
Marklar9156
@Mark Stevenson Google translate is not difficult to use?! "Good music never dies." I was a young schoolboy back when this came out and quite liked it even though I was into heavy rock and tended to hate all the bands girls in our class liked! :D (But here in Finland they didn't often listen to Spandau Ballet but likes of Duran Duran and Kajagoogoo) This is a good track, but producer should have noticed the sound and volume level of bass would better suit some band like Whitesnake or Saxon! :D I also liked 'Through the barricades' very much. 'Gold' and 'True' on the other hand are lame as lame can be.
mcmaximon1
This a fantastic song but my favourite by far is " I'll Fly For You" What an excellent group they were!
Träumerei
@mcmaximon1yes, only when you leave, ill fly for you and be free with your love are my top 3 from Spandau.
Mae grace Portugalete
Back in the 80's decade whenever i hear songs played in the radio one after the other these songs were all beautiful & magical to hear i never seem to get tired hearing them. I can hardly find songs that are played like these ones nowadays. 🤔 🎉💕 😊
Ricardo Synthes
1984: Essa música é demais.
2023: Essa música ainda é demais.
Trevor Thompson
This song is a work of art. A band at the very top of their game. The saxophone takes it to a completely different level. Simply brilliant.
Roberta Assis
Why music from the 80’s was so good? And why we can’t have music like this now? 😢