"Through the Barricades" is a song by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released as the second single from their 1986 studio album of the same name.

When Spandau Ballet guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp met his "True" object of affection Clare Grogan in 1981,[2] her band Altered Images employed Belfast native Thomas "Kidso" Reilly as a member of their road crew.

[4] Kemp described the incident in his 2009 autobiography I Know This Much: From Soho to Spandau:[3] One hot, sunny evening, Kidso was walking home bare chested through the streets of West Belfast, when he and a few friends were stopped by an army patrol.

A few seconds later he was dead, shot in the back by a young private who would later become the first British soldier convicted of murder while serving in Northern Ireland.

[8][e] After spending an evening reading about the history of The Troubles, he was again consumed by the political climate in Belfast and his memory of the visit to Kidso's grave.

"[10]: 4:07  In his autobiography he wrote,[9]Sure, hiding in there somewhere was Bowie with "Five Years" or "Life on Mars", but it owed more to my early prog rock records — a touch of Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick maybe — as well as adolescent trips to folk clubs.It's a song that represents anyone that's had struggles.

[15]: 23:48 [j] When asked if that choice was an indication of Spandau Ballet becoming more socially aware, he replied, "No, it's just, I think you can write love songs.

"[13] In an article titled "It's a Terrible Beauty We've Made: Singing 'Through the Barricades' with Spandau Ballet", Dr. Jason Eng Hun Lee of Hong Kong Baptist University wrote that the song can "teach us to reconcile with our adversaries and inner demons so that we might one day transcend these differences between us.

"[11] Discussing the song in the context of the band having reunited after a lawsuit over royalties kept them apart for many years, Gary Kemp said, "It's also a story about us… 'Through the Barricades' is what we had to do in the end.

[22][q] Hadley also felt the other band members judging his every mistake at those sessions as they watched him record from the control room[22][r] to the point where he lost his temper.

It only led to more pressure on Tony to deliver.In his 2004 autobiography To Cut a Long Story Short, Hadley wrote, "Finally, I said, 'Look, I'll go away and learn the song in my own way and when I'm ready to sing it, I'll tell you.

[39] It received Silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry on 2 April 2021 for reaching the 200,000 units of shipment threshold.

In recommending the single to retailers and radio stations, the editors of Cash Box felt it had "enough appealing elements to be the rare ballad to become a hit with CHR programmers.

"[46] Simon Mills of Smash Hits magazine considered the song's title "preposterous" and, after quoting the lyrics, described the recording as "all tinged with a vaguely Gaelic, acoustic feel.

"[47] Number One's Anna Martin wrote, "Unadventurous but highly polished, this is very much a classic Spands release—a safe and surefire hit.

"[13] Hadley performed the song as part of his three-song set in the final of ITV reality show Reborn in the USA in 2003, which saw him win the public vote against Michelle Gayle.