Released 3 November 1980 Genre Synthpop | Format 7", 12" Label Chrysalis | |
B-side "To Cut a Long Story Short" (instrumental) Length 3:20 (single version)
6:04 (12-inch version) | ||
"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.
Contents
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".
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. "To Cut a Long Story Short" was Vince Clarke's inspiration to write Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough", 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.
Formats and track listings
- "To Cut a Long Story Short" — 3:20
- "To Cut a Long Story Short" (Instrumental) — 3:20
- "To Cut a Long Story Short" (Mix 1) — 6:30
- "To Cut a Long Story Short" (Mix 2) — 3:56