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)
Master And Servant
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot, like life
There's a new game we like to play you see
A game with added reality
You treat me like a dog
Get me down on my knees
We call it master and servant
It's a lot like life
This play between the sheets
With you on top and me underneath
Forget all about equality
Let's play master and servant
Let's play master and servant
It's a lot like life (it's a lot like life)
And that's what's appealing
If you despise (it's a lot like life)
That throwaway feeling
From disposable fun
Then this is the one
Domination's the name of the game in bed or in life
They're both just the same
Except in one you're fulfilled at the end of the day
Let's play master and servant
Let's play master and servant
Master and servant
It's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot
It's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot, like life
It's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot
It's a lot, it's a lot, master and servant
It's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot
It's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot, like life
It's a lot like life (it's a lot like life)
And that's what's appealing
If you despise (it's a lot like life)
That throwaway feeling
From disposable fun
Then this is the one
Let's play master and servant (it's a lot)
Come on, master and servant (it's a lot)
Let's play master and servant (it's a lot)
Come on, master and servant (it's a lot) (it's a lot)
Let's play master and servant (it's a lot) (it's a lot)
Come on, master and servant
The lyrics to Depeche Mode's song "Master and Servant" are about a sexual relationship in which one person dominates and the other submits. The song doesn't make it clear who is playing which role, but it suggests that both parties are consenting to the arrangement. The lyrics use a lot of metaphors to describe the power dynamic, comparing it to a game with added reality, a play between the sheets, and a nameless domination that extends beyond the bedroom.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Let's play master and servant," emphasizing the idea that this is a role-playing game that the two people involved have chosen to play. The line "forget all about equality" suggests that this is not a relationship based on equal footing, but rather one in which one person has more power than the other. The line "domination's the name of the game in bed or in life" further emphasizes the idea that the power dynamic extends beyond the bedroom into the rest of their lives.
Overall, the song explores the blurred lines between pleasure and pain, dominance and submission, and the ways in which sexual relationships can reflect power dynamics in larger society.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot
This activity involves a lot of effort and investment.
It's a lot, it's a lot, it's a lot, like life
This activity is a metaphor for life, where you have to invest a considerable amount of effort to get ahead.
There's a new game we like to play you see
We have a new activity we like to do.
A game with added reality
This game involves a degree of real-life experience.
You treat me like a dog
You treat me poorly, like a pet.
Get me down on my knees
Make me submit to your authority.
We call it master and servant
We refer to this activity as master and servant.
This play between the sheets
This activity is sexual in nature.
With you on top and me underneath
You are in control, and I submit to you.
Forget all about equality
We do not view each other as equals in this activity.
It's a lot like life (it's a lot like life)
This activity mirrors life in many ways.
And that's what's appealing
That's what draws us to this activity.
If you despise (it's a lot like life)
If you dislike the feeling of throwing things away after using them.
That throwaway feeling
The feeling of discarding something after it has served its purpose or value.
From disposable fun
From the kind of entertainment that one can easily replace with something else.
Then this is the one
This activity is for you if you dislike such disposable fun.
Domination's the name of the game in bed or in life
The game is all about domination, whether it's in bed or in daily life.
They're both just the same
The dynamics in bed and daily life are similar.
Except in one you're fulfilled at the end of the day
In bed, fulfilling your desires provides satisfaction unlike in daily life.
Master and servant
The central theme of this game is dominance/submission.
Come on, master and servant (it's a lot)
Let's do this game, even though it requires a lot of effort.
Come on, master and servant (it's a lot) (it's a lot)
Let's engage in this game, even though it requires substantial effort and investment.
Come on, master and servant
Let's play this game where one partner is in control and the other must submit.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind