So true - saw them perform at the Paradise in Boston ('83). I was 16 (under age) - but my buddies got me in. They rocked it that night (the crowd completely stoked). Saw them again a few years later (at the Orpheum). So many great memories ...
Magnificent. Wonderful lyric. The line ' now when I see him we still talk, but there's no light shining in his eyes', hits me like a ton of bricks. My mate, Dave, everything about him screamed 'rockstar'. Our band was gonna take on the world. Heroin got him first. Then Strangeways, then finally f*ckin cancer. 50 years old. I still recall our delicate, at-odds last conversation, the light had gone. Thank you Mike Peters for this cathartic song and RIP my old mate. We COULD have made it.❤
This song takes me back almost 40 years, when I was in my early teens. Listening to this song at the age of 53 is a reminder to me of another time, in which there was far less surveillance and I listened to music largely with cassette tapes.
This song belongs with all the great ballads...just perfect. One of the greatesr rock voices of all time. I graduated in '76 and have heard them all, but Mr. Peters is right there with Paul Rodgers, Freddy, Joplin and Bowie. Feed the kids this wonderful music.
May 15th 1984 ... The Decloration Tour.. I'd just turned 15... I skipped of school with a mate and we jumped on a bus to Birmingham so that we could watch them playing at the Birmingham Odeon... My first ever concert and it literally changed my life, They were our local-ish heroes from up the road and they lived up to and outdone every dream and expectation I had building up to that gig and so started a love of live music that has stayed with me for life... I've met Mike a couple of times and remember telling him the story I've just shared... He walked closer, gave me the most genuinely sincere hug imaginable then unbelievably thanked me for being a fan and giving up my time to go and watch them as their career started to take off... A true gentleman from a band that deserved immense success, status and popularity... A band who never traded in their passion for playing for the money they might get for conforming to the androgyny of selling out 🖤🖤
I saw them for the first time the very next day, May 16th at the Lyceum Ballroom London, the 1st of a 2 night stint at that venue. I don’t have the words to describe the impact that event had on me !! To this day I regret not going back for the 2nd night…….I was so high on the emotions of seeing them for the first time I’m not sure I could have handled it again so soon lol 😂
"I will never give in, until the day that I die" - such a great anthem! Brilliant song! Sending Love Hope and Strength to Mike Peters for a speedy and complete recovery!
If this song had been released by Weller, Springsteen or Bono it would be rightly acknowledged as a classic. Congratulations to Mike Peters for just going for it . Their best moment it deserves to be better known
I love this song and its message. I keep coming back to listen again. I love where Mike Peters is pictured with the young boys at the end. It says A lot about him and what he thinks is important.
I was just thinking the other day how this song is just as good as Sprinsteen’s The River, Thunder Road, Born to Run, etc. It’s simply amazing and so underrated
This song takes me back to the summer of 1986 at Troy's place having a camp fire and hanging out with buddies all night. Where ever you are out there Troy I hope you are happy & healthy.
Saw this band so many times in the mid 80's. Kiburn empire, electric ballroom and town and country club. Glorious nights and so many memories of being young and unstopable.
Few acts compare live. Got my playing cards I picked up off the floor that Mike Peters threw out at 3ten in Austin. Look forward to seeing them for a third time. Long live rock.
I agree. I had seats in the gallery level with the stage in Bradford St Georges Hall and was looking down directly on Dave Sharp, he put absolutely everything into playing. Watching him play this song was fantastic, the way he used the pedals and whammy bar. Note perfect as well. Superb!
Such brilliant memories, Manchester Apollo, saw them many many times, the atmosphere was always electric & so so happy.A wesome band, incomparable to any other band Live.
Happy 62nd Birthday Michael Leslie Peters 25/02/59 Prestatyn, Wales Your folksy / raspy voice is one of a kind. And so is The Alarm. Born same day as George Harrison too..
My brother and I saw them in the Beacon Theater in NYC on the Strength tour and it was an amazing experience. To this day the best show I've ever seen, with the most energy between the band and the crowd, and excitement pulsing through the building. We walked out into the night dripping with sweat and so high from the incredible night.
1986 , Senior Week , right about now 37 year ago. My Born To Run. My God Save the Queen. My In My Life My Dream On My Baba O'Reilly My Free Bird My Space Oddity My Good Times Bad Times My Wild Horses My f..... life The F..... Alarm :) 😀
9-55pm on the 29th of June during the covid 29 lockdown of 20/20 and I'm on my ninth beer trying to remember who I saw live more times back in the day The Alarm or Stiff Little Fingers then I remembered it doesn't matter they were both fucken awesome
The Alarm held a concert at my college in 1984. I was surprised at the quality and intensity of the band. I loved this song then and I still do today. So underrated!
Vividly remember buying the 12 inch single double pack of Spirit of '76 in January 1986 from Max Records in Grove Road Eastbourne as a 16 year old. Happy days! It should have been a massive hit.
217th like...my lucky # Oh my friend ... RIP Greg ... so glad we got to see Mike Peters together in Salt Lake ... all the dreams we shared ... love you my brother in arms ~;^\
Better than most of the U2 'hits', I can tell you that. Island vs IRS was no match some how. How THAT band is one of the biggest in the world and the Alarm are relegated to us super fans is unconscionable.
I feel your pain, but I think it comes down to songwriting. If the Alarm had stayed together and continued to write good songs, they could've been as big or bigger than U2😅😊
For once can we go one thread lol where the whole dislike thing isn't mentioned there's dislikes on every video there is. Hey I love the song I can't control what others think of it 😁
Spirit Of ’76 Well, I find myself in reverie About what we might have had and what might have been We had something going once that was such a long, long time ago It was way back in ’76 our friendship formed of pure innocence We first met on Mathew Street and we heard something that would set us free A sign stands over a door, it says “Four lads who shook the world” In the depths of those heady nights,we would dream of those bright lights Oh my friend, Oh my friend, Oh my friend My friend John, he went away, he made some mistakes spent time in Walton jail Now when I see him we still talk but there’s no light shining in his eyes Susie, she was 17 and more beauty in this world I swear you’ll never see I was gonna be king, she was gonna be queen, now all she does is hide behind her tears If there was more sense in this world and work wasn’t so hard to find You would not be going your way, I would not be going mine Oh my friend, Oh my friend, Oh my friend Somewhere tonight out on the street, somewhere beneath this city’s heat In the eyes of strangers who pass me by, life is cruel and so unkind Oh, Oh, The SPIRIT OF 76 And now me, I’ve seen his dreams come true But that don’t make me no hero, I’m just one of the lucky few If a man can’t change the world these days I still believe a man can change his own destiny But the price is high and it’s got to be paid For everyone who survives there are many who fail I’ve seen my friends caught out in the crossfire All their dreams and hopes smashed on the funeral pyre I will never give in until the day that I die I’ll get myself some independence, carve out a future with my two bare hands Oh my friend, Oh my friend, Oh my friend Somewhere tonight out on the street, Somewhere beneath this city’s heat In the eyes of strangers who pass me by, Life is cruel and so unkind Oh, Oh, The SPIRIT OF 76 Mersey lights shine in the distance, same as they did for us then Mersey lights shine bright in the distance, Where are you now my friend? You see, some nights when I can’t sleep, I still think of you Of all the promises, all the dreams we shared I know those lights still call to you, I can hear them now… Somewhere tonight out on the street, Somewhere beneath this city’s heat In the eyes of strangers who pass me by, Life is cruel and so unkind Oh, Oh, The SPIRIT OF 76
I was fortunate enough to see them in Dallas, TX, at Deep Elum Live, in the early 90's. Great band! Rain In The Summertime, was the first song of their's I heard. But being a 1976 high school graduate, this song is kind of special for me. Even though it was released in the early 80's.
68 Guns is the best single ever by anyone. The full length version is even better. Spirit both versions are very nearly as good. Best live band ever. Seen them so many times. Going to see them again in March 2022!
Thank you TV club Dublin Peter we shared a moment I was kid you had me on your shoulders.. Just beautiful I have the gig still on tape Whole gig every song 🎵 And clean and clear
![The Alarm - Spirit of '76 (Official Music Video} Long Version [2019 Remaster]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
