To Cut a Long Story Short
| "To Cut a Long Story Short" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Spandau Ballet | ||||
| from the album Journeys to Glory | ||||
| B-side | "To Cut a Long Story Short" (instrumental) | |||
| Released | 3 November 1980 | |||
| Format | 7", 12" | |||
| Genre | Synthpop, new wave | |||
| Length |
3:20 (single version) 6:04 (12-inch version) | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Writer(s) | Gary Kemp | |||
| Producer(s) | Richard James Burgess | |||
| Spandau Ballet singles chronology | ||||
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"To Cut a Long Story Short" is a 1980 song by Spandau Ballet. It was their first single and reached number 5 on the UK Singles Chart. It appeared on the album Journeys to Glory.
Reception
Allmusic described the single as minimalist "spiky synth pop" with a style reminiscent of early Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark material, and featuring a "dirty, overdriven synth sound and a stomping Gary Glitter-like backbeat". Though largely forgotten today, due to Spandau Ballet's later change in style towards a slick, soul-pop (which occurred around 1983), the reviewer considers that it might fairly be considered "a minor lost classic of the early-'80s U.K. synth pop scene".[1]
Inspiration, meaning and use as sample
The song has been speculated to be about a veteran, perhaps of Vietnam, who is drafted and suffers from PTSD; the lyrics are told from the man's point of view as a boy being drafted, how he gets no answers as to why he must join the war.[2] "To Cut a Long Story Short" was Vince Clarke's inspiration to write Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough",[3] to which the keyboard style bears a certain similarity.
The signature riff from "To Cut a Long Story Short" is used as a sample looping throughout the Freestylers track "In Love with You" on their album Adventures in Freestyle.[4]
Formats and track listings
- 7" single
- "To Cut a Long Story Short" — 3:20
- "To Cut a Long Story Short" (Instrumental) — 3:20
- 12" single
- "To Cut a Long Story Short" (Mix 1) — 6:30
- "To Cut a Long Story Short" (Mix 2) — 3:56
References
External links
- Official music video
- Video of the song performed on UK TV's Top of The Pops (mediocre quality recording but shows the distinctive dress sense of the band at that time)
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