"Round and Round" is a song by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released as the fourth single from the 1984 album ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

''. In their native UK, the song reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart, and reviews were mixed.

Release and commercial performance

Recorded in spring 1984, "Round and Round" was released in the UK on 26 November of that year and peaked at number 18 there. It also reached number 9 in Ireland, number 11 in Italy, number 14 in Spain, number 16 in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. and number 37 in the Netherlands.

Critical reception

Lesley White of ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' summed it up as "slick, polished and confident. A hit—with me at least." In a review of ''Parade'' for '' Record Mirror'' in which she finds little to recommend, Betty Page admitted the song had a "neat turn of melody". '' Number Ones Phil McNeill, however, wrote that band guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp "seems so obsessed with crafting his little pop gems, he doesn't notice how boring they are" and dismissed "Round and Round" as "well-crafted tedium". When the band reunited for their comeback tour in 2009, Dave Simpson commented on the song in his review for '' The Guardian'': "Other songs have aged badly – the power ballads sound like they're stuck in an '80s suburban wine bar. However, 'Round and Round'… is hugely poignant."

Music video

The concept for the song's music video is the presentation of a school play by children in

Key Stage 2 Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when the pupils are aged between 7 and 11 years. England and Wales Legal definition The t ...

. The video begins in the classroom as individual students daydream about the characters in the play: one sees the school headmaster as a vampire; another imagines their teacher as a snow queen. Other scenes involve rehearsals and the parents watching the play in which the boys are mostly monsters and vampires and the girls are dressed as flowers and snow princesses. Spandau Ballet were filmed separately from these scenes on a mostly bare stage with minimal set decoration. Members are shown sporadically throughout as they sing and play instruments alongside various school- and play-related props such as student desks, folding chairs, stacks of books and a blackboard. The entire video was filmed in black and white.

Track listing

*7-inch single :A. "Round and Round" – 4:34 :B. "True" (live) – 6:34 *12-inch single :A. "Round and Round" (long version) – 5:27 :B1. "True" (live) – 6:34 :B2. "Gold" (live) – 5:03

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes for ''

'': Spandau Ballet * Tony Hadley – lead vocals * Gary Kemp – guitar and backing vocals * Martin Kemp –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Steve Norman – saxophone and percussion * John Keeble – drums Additional musician * Jess Bailey – keyboards Production * Tony Swain – producer, engineer *

Steve Jolley Steve Jolley (born October 15, 1975) is a retired American soccer defender, who spent ten seasons in Major League Soccer and one in the Premier Development League. Today, Jolley provides color commentary for the New York Red Bull’s games on ...

– producer * Spandau Ballet – producers * Richard Lengyel – engineering assistance * Pete Hillier – equipment * Nick Sibley – equipment * David Band – illustration * Mixed at Musicland Studios (Munich)

Charts

References

{{authority control 1984 songs 1984 singles Spandau Ballet songs Chrysalis Records singles Songs written by Gary Kemp Song recordings produced by Jolley & Swain