DEPECHE MODE - NEVER LET ME DOWN AGAIN

Released : August 24, 1987

Charted:  UK: #22   US: #63 

"Never Let Me Down Again" is a song released as the second single from their sixth studio album “Music for the Masses”. The strident lyrics appear to reflect drug use and is a synth-pop masterpiece that well conveys the feelings of drug euphoria. The cover art features fragments of a Soviet map of Russia and Europe, with different fragments used for the different editions of the single.

This song is noted for the video in the 101 documentary when Gahan waves his hands in the air during the coda of the song, and the sold-out show of 60,000 all wave with him. When he was interviewed for the French magazine, Best, in 1989, he said: “For me, this is one of the most intense moments during the concert. “Firstly because this track has a very strong emotional charge, and every time I play it the waving goes well with the crowd. In addition, we were heading towards the end of the show and during this song, the stadium was on fire. When I saw the number of people there, I felt like crying. It was very moving.”

Gore in Bravo Magazine, 1987: "I wrote this song last March. And it was such a long time ago that I cannot say much about it anymore. But you're wrong [about the song because about my girlfriend], the song has nothing to do with relationships. It's about the concept of fleeing from reality and the evil awakening afterwards. Any kind of fleeing. Drugs, alcohol, or whatever."

Martin Gore in Rolling Stone magazine, 1993: "There was one instance regarding 'Never Let Me Down Again' when two separate people came up to me after a show one night and said, "I really like that song". One of them thought it was a gay anthem and the other one thought it was a drug anthem. They both loved the song, so that's fine by me."

The song enjoyed a streaming boost in the US after it was included in the HBO series The Last Of Us. It plays on the radio in the final scene of the show's pilot episode on January 15, 2023.

 DEPECHE MODE - MASTER AND SERVANT

Released: August 20, 1984

Charted:  UK: #9   US: #87 

"Master and Servant" is a song released as the second single from the 1984 fourth studio album “Some Great Reward”. The song delves into the complex dynamics of power and submission in relationships, both personal and societal. With its blend of electronic beats and haunting vocals, “Master and Servant” invites listeners to reflect on the complexities of dominance and submission, challenging societal norms and encouraging a deeper understanding of human nature.

“Master and Servant” is a metaphorical exploration of power dynamics. The lyrics vividly illustrate a relationship between a dominant figure (the master) and a submissive individual (the servant). The song delves into the intense emotions experienced by both parties involved, delving into themes of control, desire, and the struggle for autonomy. It is worth nothing that the song’s lyrics are intentionally ambiguous, allowing for various interpretations and personal connections.

Martin Gore said about the song: "I wrote 'Master And Servant' around 1985. Around that time I was going out to quite a few S&M clubs and stuff, and I just started seeing a correlation between what's happening there and life and politics and stuff. And it's where just this idea, this germ of an idea, started. The song It's about domination and exploitation in life, but it uses sex. It's about the power that people employ in work, love, hate... and in sex. We just used the sexual angle to portray it."

He later gave a completely different version of the reason for his inspiration: “If you wanna know where I first got the idea for the song, it's when I was reading a newspaper before about a man who was named "the Notthinghill murderer". He would take these young gays to his flat and murder them. And it sort of struck me - this game, I found it very interesting - I used to play this game, "master and servant" with them."

 

DEPECHE MODE - GET THE BALANCE RIGHT

Released: January 31, 1983

Charted:  UK: #13 

This was the first single with Alan Wilder as a member. This was also the first single to feature a "limited edition" version, and the first single to feature live tracks (all recorded October 25th, 1982, at the Hammersmith Odeon). The "Edited Mix" of "Get The Balance Right" on the 12 inch single is simply the "Single Version", retitled.

"Get the Balance Right!" seems to explore the concept of finding a healthy equilibrium in life. The lyrics touch upon themes such as compromise, responsibility, selfishness, and the constant struggle to strike a balance in various aspects of one's existence. The song suggest that life encompasses more than just enjoyable experiences. It highlights the importance of understanding, asserting oneself, and occasionally resorting to deception. This may imply that in order to navigate through life, one needs to adapt to different situations and sometimes make difficult choices. The phrase "get the balance right." acts as a recurring reminder to achieve harmony and moderation in one's actions and decisions. It suggests that finding the right equilibrium is crucial for a fulfilled life. This cut also explores the idea of being responsible and respectable, yet vulnerable to manipulation. It reflects the struggle of being caring and empathetic towards others while also acknowledging the importance of self-preservation. 

With its catchy melody and thought-provoking lyrics, the song emphasizes the importance of finding balance in life. The purpose of the band is to encourage listeners to explore different aspects of their lives and seek harmony in situations caused by love, work, relationships and personal aspirations, making it a personal challenge for those who dare to accept the defiance they propose through their music, which is evident in the line "Prepare yourself for the fall", which suggests that life is inherently unpredictable and that one must always be prepared for unforeseen setbacks.

In the music video, Wilder lip-syncs the first lines of the song, even though Dave Gahan is the lead singer. The director Kevin Hewitt made the assumption that Wilder was the singer and the band was too embarrassed to point out his mistake.

 

DEPECHE MODE - IT’S NO GOOD

Released: March 31, 1997

Charted:  UK: #5   US: #38 

"It's No Good" a song released as the second single from the 1997 ninth studio album Ultra”. It was commercially successful, reaching number one in Denmark, Spain, Sweden and on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

"It's No Good" carries a subtle synth melody, with lyrics that express emotions of unrequited love. The song emphasizes atmosphere, with suspenseful overtones and no huge crescendos to be found, but that didn’t stop this tune from shuffling its way up the charts.

The song is about a relationship gone wrong. In the song, the singer is trying to convince the person they are with that they should stick together, no matter how difficult it might be. The singer is trying to convince the person that although it might not feel like it right now, it will eventually work out and they will be together happily in the end. He also acknowledges that they can't keep the person from moving on, but they firmly believe that it won't be good without them. The song ultimately comes to the conclusion that the two of them belong together and that it's no good when they're apart.

Martin Gore said in 1998: "This is the one that sounded most like Depeche Mode on “Ultra”, but I still really like it, because it's again, just on that right side of commerciality. I think it's really good when we achieve that balance." Dave Gahan told MTV in 1997: "It was the most Depeche Mode sounding song that we've put out for a long time. The title itself is pretty funny, Depeche Mode's new single, 'It's No Good'. I like that."

Gore described having felt initially hesitant to record 'It's No Good' at the demo stage due to its apparent mainstream pop-like qualities in a 2016 interview: There's a friend of mine who lives in Australia, and I don't see her very often at all, but when I wrote that song, I thought that maybe it was a little on the "poppy" side. We always have this kind of like, line that we draw in the sand, and if a song crosses over too much, then it's like, "Ohhh, we're not sure, what are we gonna do?" If we do it, we're gonna have to really change it or something. So I didn't think, 'Oh, this is an amazing song, this is a great hit', I was like, "I'm not sure about it", and I actually remember playing it to her on a guitar, and she said: 'No Martin, that's it. You gotta do that. That's a hit'.”

 

DEPECHE MODE - PERSONAL JESUS

Released: August 29, 1989

Charted:  UK: #13   US: #28 

"Personal Jesus" is a song released as the lead single from the 1990 seventh studio album “Violator”. The single was their first to enter the US top 40 since 1984's "People Are People" and was their first gold-certified single in the US.

The concept of a personalized deity was a compelling image that clearly struck a chord with many fans, initially introduced, rather cleverly, through an advertisement published in the personal columns of several regional newspapers. The ad featured the words “Your Personal Jesus,” along with a phone number that, when dialed, led to a segment of the song.

Martin Gore cited his inspiration as coming from Priscilla Presley’s Elvis And Me autobiography. He told Rolling Stone: “It’s about how Elvis was her man and mentor, and how often that happens in love relationships – how everybody’s heart is like a god in some way, and that’s not a very balanced view of someone, is it?” 

Dave Gahan, on the other hand, remembers US TV channels being the source; “There is someone trying to sell you some sort of religion and you have to pay like $20 or something and then they send you your own personal rainbow or whatever you want to call it,” he recounted in 1990. “It just seems all twisted and wrong – that’s why Martin wanted to write the song, because he felt this was making a mockery of the Christian movement.”

Johnny Cash did a stripped-down version on his 2002 album “American IV, The Man Comes Around”. Martin Gore revealed to The London Times that the band were unaware that Cash had covered this song. When they heard about the country legend's recording, the threesome were naturally thrilled. Said Gore: "I think when you're somebody of Johnny Cash's caliber, you don't ask for permission." Cash offered his interpretation of the song in an interview for NPR: “It's a very fine, fine evangelical song, probably the most evangelical gospel song I ever recorded, although I don't know if the writer meant it to be that, but that's what it is. It's where you find your comfort, your counsel, your shoulder to lean on, your hand to hold on to your Personal Jesus.”