DEPECHE MODE - DREAM ON

Released :  April 17, 2001

Charted:  UK: #6   US: #85 

This bluesy electronic track is the lead single from Depeche Mode's 10th studio album “Exciter”. The video features several classic American cars, including a 1973 Lincoln Continental Mark IV and a 1974-1976 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.

The song is a reflection on the idea of karma and how our choices have consequences that can haunt us. The lyrics emphasize the idea of suffering due to our mistakes, and the power of resilience in spite of this. The singer encourages us to look to the future and not be held back by our past. The chorus of the song encourages us to hold onto hope, embrace love, and dream on despite our current circumstances. The song ultimately serves as a reminder that our actions can bring us down, but we still have the power to choose our own fate, to find peace and happiness, if we just keep dreaming.

Dave Gahan told Entertainment Weekly in 2017: "Mark Bell who produced “Exciter”, he's not with us anymore, unfortunately, but he taught me some interesting things about using my voice because he had been working with Björk before that, and he brought in a lot of the things she was doing with her voice into the studio. I learned how to whispering, sing very quietly and very close to the microphone, to use all the noises in my voice to be able to create this creature, this thing, and “Dream On” was one of those songs lyrically where it was a character that I was becoming, that I could be without all the misery. I could step into it, and step out.”

"'Dream On' consists mainly of two guitar lines. We used nylon strings for the first and steel strings for the second line. Both lines were recorded very close to the microphone to receive a lot of noise and this special "pump effect". When you play acoustic guitars very softly, you get a lot of strange tones and noises, which make it sound almost electronic. We had one guitar line with the right groove. And we worked with it as if it was a loop. We adjusted the other line with the PlugIn Vocalign. It was like a live performance, but with a very tight timing. We treated the electronic sounds in 'Dream On' with the same respect as the acoustic ones. I find it really boring when electronic things are treated as if they're from the future, with all that phasing and bouncing silly shit all over the place. This one was really honest with the complete live performances intact, with decorative electronics adding to the pace and the narrative of the song."(Mark Bell)

While Martin Gore generally doesn't like to discuss the meaning of his songs, he told the Associated Press: "It's about a lot of people that I know and me. The songs are never about one thing in particular. It's a song about loathing other people and self-loathing for me."