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 Want It All
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's oceans that I want
You have to give me everything
Everything's not enough
It's my desire
To give myself to you
Sometimes
Sometimes I try
Sometimes I lie with you
Sometimes I cry
Sometimes I die, it's true
Somewhere I find
Something that's kind
And I've crossed the line again
A line I drew in sand
Still, you give me everything
And everything's not enough
I'm ready but not willing
To give myself to you
Sometimes
Sometimes I try
Sometimes I lie with you
Sometimes I cry
Sometimes I die, it's true
Somewhere I find
Something that's kind
Come on over
Lay down beside me
And I'll try
Come on over
Lay down beside me
And I'll try
And I'll try
I want it all
The lyrics to Depeche Mode's song "I Want It All" present a complex narrative of desire and longing, with the singer expressing their dissatisfaction with the current state of things and their desire for something more. The use of water imagery underscores these themes, with the singer describing a river they see and expressing their desire for oceans. This is juxtaposed with the repeated refrain of "everything's not enough," driving home the idea that the singer wants more, and is not satisfied with what they currently have.
Throughout the song, the singer wrestles with their own desires, sometimes trying to give themselves over to another person, and other times finding themselves unable or unwilling to do so. The repeated use of the phrase "sometimes" evokes a sense of uncertainty, emphasizing how difficult it can be to trust and open oneself up to another person. At the same time, though, the singer also expresses a glimmer of hope, as they describe finding "something that's kind" somewhere, suggesting that there may yet be a possibility for true connection and understanding.
Overall, the lyrics to "I Want It All" explore themes of desire, dissatisfaction, and the struggle to connect with others, all while creating a sense of tension and longing that both propels the song forward and underscores its underlying emotional complexity.
Line by Line Meaning
I see a river
I am aware of the moving water before me
It's oceans that I want
However, what I truly desire is much vaster than this river
You have to give me everything
In order for me to be satisfied, I require all that you possess
Everything's not enough
Despite receiving everything, it still does not fulfill me completely
It's my desire
This longing is deeply embedded and important to me
To give myself to you
I have the desire to offer all that I am to you
Sometimes
Occasionally
Sometimes I try
On occasions, I make an attempt
Sometimes I lie with you
Other times, I lay close beside you and share a bond
Sometimes I cry
And occasionally, my emotions become overwhelming and I shed tears
Sometimes I die, it's true
At times, I feel as if a part of me has perished completely
Somewhere I find
It is then that I come across
Something that's kind
Something that is compassionate and warm
And I've crossed the line again
I have overstepped my own boundaries, once more
A line I drew in sand
I had previously established a limit for myself, but it has now been breached
Still, you give me everything
Regardless, I have received all that you offer me
And everything's not enough
But even with all of this, it is still not satisfying my desire
I'm ready but not willing
I am prepared, but my emotions prevent me from following through
To give myself to you
I am hesitant to allow myself to be completely vulnerable with you
Come on over
Approach me
Lay down beside me
Position yourself next to me
And I'll try
And I will do my best
I want it all
I crave everything
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrew Charles Phillpott, Christian Eigner, David Gahan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind