The band has been highly influential in the electronic dance music scene, especially synthpop, techno, and trance, partly due to their innovative work, recording techniques, and use of sampling. Their most successful album is arguably 1990's Violator, which reached the #2 position in the UK, #7 in the US, and sold over 8 million copies worldwide. The band has released a long series of high-charting singles over their three-decades long career. Enjoy the Silence is their most recognized song and one of history's most covered songs.
The original line-up was Dave Gahan, Martin L. Gore, Andy Fletcher, and Vince Clarke. In December 1981, Clarke left the band and later formed Yazoo, The Assembly, and Erasure. Alan Wilder joined the group initially in January 1982 as a live keyboardist but became an official member in December 1982. He left in mid-1995 to fully concentrate on his Recoil project, and the band continued as a trio. In 2010 Wilder re-joined Depeche Mode on stage after 16 years for a performance of Somebody during a show at London's Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Depeche Mode's origins date back to 1977, when Vince Clarke and Andrew Fletcher formed a band called No Romance in China, with Clarke on vocals and guitar and Fletcher on bass. In March 1980, Clarke, Gore, and Fletcher formed a band called Composition of Sound, with Clarke on vocals/guitar, Gore on keyboards, and Fletcher on bass. Soon after the formation of Composition of Sound, Clarke, and Fletcher switched to synthesizers. Dave Gahan joined the band in 1980 after Clarke heard him perform at a local scout hut jam session, singing to a rendition of David Bowie's "Heroes" and Depeche Mode was born.
While playing a live gig at the Bridge House in Canning Town, Daniel Miller, the founder of Mute Records, approached the band, who proposed a verbal contract. The result was their first single, Dreaming of Me, recorded in December 1980 and released in February 1981, reaching number 57 in the UK charts and followed soon by a real contract with Mute.
To date, Depeche Mode have released:
15 studio albums: Speak & Spell (1981), A Broken Frame (1982), Construction Time Again (1983), Some Great Reward (1984), Black Celebration (1986), Music For the Masses (1987), Violator (1990), Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993), Ultra (1997), Exciter (2001), Playing the Angel (2005), Sounds of the Universe (2009), Delta Machine (2013), Spirit (2017), and Memento Mori (2023);
8 compilations: People Are People (1984), The Singles 81-85 (1985), Catching Up with Depeche Mode (1985), Greatest Hits (1987), The Singles 86>98 (1998), Remixes 81-04 (2004), The Best Of Depeche Mode Volume 1 (2006), The Complete Depeche Mode (2006);
5 live albums: 101 (1989), Songs of Faith and Devotion Live (1993), Recording the Angel (a series of live recordings; 2006), Tour Of The Universe: Barcelona 20/21:11:09 (2009) and Live In Berlin (Soundtrack) (2014) ;
Over 50 singles: including Just Can't Get Enough, Everything Counts, People Are People, Master and Servant, Shake the Disease, Stripped, A Question of Time, Strangelove, Never Let Me Down Again, Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence, World in My Eyes, Policy of Truth, I Feel You, Walking in My Shoes, In Your Room, Barrel of a Gun, It's No Good, Home, Dream On, Freelove, Precious, Wrong and Heaven ;
14 live / video collections (VHS/DVD/Blu-ray): The World We Live In and Live in Hamburg (1985), Some Great Videos (1985), Strange (1988), 101 (1989), Strange Too (1990), Devotional (1993), The Videos 86>98 (1998), One Night in Paris (2002), The Videos 86>98 (2002), Touring the Angel: Live in Milan (2006), The Best of - Volume 1 (2006), Tour of the Universe : Barcelona 20/21.11.09 (2009), Live in Berlin (2014) and Video Singles Collection (2016)
I Love You Love Me Love
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dont say you need me
Dont say you love me
Its understood
Dont say youre happy
Out there without me
I know you cant be
cause its no good
In Depeche Mode's I Love You Love Me Love, the singer is pleading with their lover not to say that they want, need or love them. This might seem counterintuitive, but the singer is indicating that these things are already "understood" without needing to be said. The main focus is on the second set of lines, which express the doubt the singer has that their lover can truly be happy without them. This creates a sense of tension and regret within the song, as the singer is trying to come to terms with the fact that their presence may be causing as much pain as it does pleasure.
The lyrics create a powerful emotional pull, drawing attention to the often complicated nature of love and relationships. The repetition of the refrain, "I love you love me love," underscores this complexity, highlighting the way in which love often involves a constant give and take. The song has an intentionally uneasy and discordant quality to it, which further reinforces the underlying emotional turmoil.
Line by Line Meaning
Dont say you want me
Don't express your desire for me
Dont say you need me
Do not portray the necessity for my presence in your life
Dont say you love me
Abstain from professing affection for me
Its understood
It is implicit and clear without verbalization
Dont say youre happy
Avoid stating your joyousness
Out there without me
In the absence of my company
I know you cant be
I am aware that you cannot experience happiness without me
cause its no good
because the situation is not favorable
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MARTIN GORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TheDarkmage1971
Yes! A friend had this on a bootleg in the begining of the 1990's. Love it! I recall that it was recorded in Paris, in a hotelroom after a show.
redfivemansell
would be odd to hear it live
Tanja Miller
This was originally done by Gary Glitter in like 1973. I couldn't believe women found that weirdo sexy (Gary Glitter NOT Dave Gahan - Dave is like a bottle of fine wine - he gets better with age)
munndrekki
@redfivemansell indeed.. hehe
David Jimenez
FAKE
Synth_Pop_Fox
David Jimenez that is not true this is very Authentic, this was recorded around the Black Celebration period. Romour has it that this was recorded as a joke for Andy on his birthday. But other sources (an ex-mute employee) noted this was a catalyst for a Martin Gore solo cover album. Basically the inspiration for Counterfeit. Either way, this is a Martin Gore Demo, and is found on the same demo tape as Here Is The House and Shake The Disease.