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)
Love In Itself
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That lay before me
All of the firsts
And the definite lasts
That lay in store for me
There was a time
When all on my mind was love
That most of the time
Love's not enough
In itself
Consequently
I've a tendency
To be unhappy, you see
The thoughts in my head
All the words that were said
All the blues and the reds
Get to me
There was a time
When all on my mind was love
Now I find
That most of the time
Love's not enough
In itself
All of these absurdities
That lay before us
All of the doubts
And the certainties
That lay in store for us
There was a time
When all on my mind was love (love, love, love)
Now I find
That most of the time
Love's not enough
In itself
In this song, Depeche Mode presents the idea that love alone may not be enough to sustain a relationship, as life presents us with challenges and issues that require more than just love to solve. The opening lines describe the overwhelming tasks that the singer is facing, which include both positive and negative experiences, such as firsts and lasts. Despite these highs and lows, the true challenge lies in the fact that love alone cannot solve all these problems, and therefore the singer is often left feeling unhappy and unfulfilled.
The second verse expands upon these feelings, as the singer explains that the thoughts in their head, along with the words and feelings expressed by others, can all be overwhelming and affect their emotional state. Despite this struggle, the singer still recalls a time when love was all that was on their mind, but now they realize that love is not enough, as they face absurdities and doubts on a regular basis.
Overall, Love In Itself explores the complex dynamics of love and how it intersects with other aspects of life. It presents a poignant idea that love alone cannot solve all our problems and that we need other measures to help us navigate the challenges we face.
Line by Line Meaning
All of these insurmountable tasks
That lay before me
All of the firsts
And the definite lasts
That lay in store for me
I have a lot of challenges ahead of me, both new experiences and things that are certain to be my last.
There was a time
When all on my mind was love
Now I find
That most of the time
Love's not enough
In itself
I used to think love was the most important thing, but now I realize that it's not always sufficient to make me happy.
Consequently
I've a tendency
To be unhappy, you see
The thoughts in my head
All the words that were said
All the blues and the reds
Get to me
I often feel unhappy because I have a tendency to dwell on negative thoughts and memories, which can be overwhelming emotionally.
All of these absurdities
That lay before us
All of the doubts
And the certainties
That lay in store for us
We face many uncertainties and absurdities in life that we cannot control, some of which are doubts and others of which are certainties.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@davec.5204
All of these insurmountable tasks
That lay before me
All of the firsts
And the definite lasts
That lay in store for me
There was a time
When all on my mind was love
Now I find
That most of the time
Love's not enough
In itself
Consequently
I've a tendency
To be unhappy you see
The thoughts in my head
All the words that were said
All the blues and reds
Get to me
There was a time
When all on my mind was love
Now I find
That most of the time
Love's not enough
In itself
All of these absurdities
That lay before us
All of the doubts
And the certainties
That lay in store for us
There was a time
When all on my mind was love
Now I find
That most of the time
Love's not enough
In itself.
@nonamefound1382
My mom gave all her old Depeche Mode vinyl records to me recently and this song was the first track on the first one I listened to.
Thank you, mom, for introducing me to this great band!
@jluispreciado68
Coolest Mom ever ❤️
@petersmith5434
Proper parenting.
@alefbada294
God bless you and your family. I hope you had a great time! I would love to have such a chance!
@bradleyg7498
Lucky
@MikeCaz
I was 15 when this came out. 80s we’re better than you can imagine.
@Kevin-bn2fz
Construction Time Again is an underrated masterpiece! I just can't get enough of this song. I like the way they turned the beat around and went to an alternating double-time feel on the chorus.
@Yumicpcake
Woah, look at those baby boys!! Ya'll are adorable!
@mcrisnotdead4708
Slim Daddy ayyy
@user-xs2yr4sm1w
TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS!