Spandau Ballet - Communication

What this video is

Released on 4 February 1983 as the second single from Spandau Ballet's third album True, 'Communication' arrived at a pivotal commercial moment for the band — bridging their cult New Romantic origins with a broader pop-soul crossover audience. Written by Gary Kemp and co-produced with Tony Swain and Steve Jolley (who had recently worked with Bananarama), the track marked a stylistic shift toward polished synth-pop…

Why it matters

A key transitional artefact in the New Romantic-to-synth-pop continuum, 'Communication' illustrates how UK acts of the period leveraged narrative music video production to differentiate themselves on MTV and Top of the Pops. Its crime-thriller video format anticipates the more cinematic, story-led…

The director

British director and cinematographer active in the early 1980s music video industry. Springhall directed short films as early as 1973 and transitioned into music video direction around 1982–1983, working with acts including The System and Robert Palmer. His…