Gary Kemp had long desired to emulate the Motown greats. Sitting on the bed at his parents’ house in 1982, strumming his guitar, he hit on something that he figured might just fulfil that ambition.

A song from The Beatles’ Let It Be inspired the hook of Spandau Ballet’s “True.” Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet explained the meaning of “True.” “True” became a massive hit in the United States and the ...