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)
Mercy In You
Depeche Mode Lyrics
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I suffer from greed, a longing to feed
On the mercy in you
I can't conceal the way I'm healed
The pleasure I feel when I have to deal
With the mercy in you
Lose my way and fall again
Just so I could call again
On the mercy in you, the mercy in you
When here in my mind I feel inclined
To wrongly treat you unkind
I have faith I will find
The mercy in you
I would lose my way again
Be led hopelessly astray again
Just so I could pray again
For the mercy in you
When here in my mind I have been blind
Emotionally behind
I have faith I will find
The mercy in you, the mercy in you
The mercy in you, the mercy in you
The lyrics of Depeche Mode's "Mercy In You" describe a profound need the singer has for another person's help and guidance. The singer is quite vulnerable, in that they can't help but seek for mercy and kindness from this other person even after they have made mistakes and been led astray. The opening lines, "You know what I need when my heart bleeds/I suffer from greed, a longing to feed/On the mercy in you," show how the singer seeks solace and comfort from others when they are going through a difficult time.
The song goes on to talk about how the singer feels transformed or healed when they are able to connect with this mercy and kindness that they seek. They feel pleasure and satisfaction from being able to deal with it. The lyrics describe how the singer is willing to go through any amount of pain or hardship just to experience that mercy, saying "I would do it all again/Lose my way and fall again/Just so I could call again/On the mercy in you." They consistently rely on this mercy to help them through difficult times, with lines like "I have faith I will find/The mercy in you" and "Just so I could pray again/For the mercy in you."
Overall, "Mercy In You" portrays an image of a deeply emotional and fragile person who has been hurt and is in need of help. They are willing to go through anything to connect with someone who is kind and understanding, and the lyrics suggest that this support is essential for their survival.
Line by Line Meaning
You know what I need when my heart bleeds
You understand what I require when I'm in emotional pain
I suffer from greed, a longing to feed
I'm struggling with my own selfish desires, my yearning to satiate them
On the mercy in you
I rely on your compassion to soothe me
I can't conceal the way I'm healed
I'm unable to hide how much you make me whole again
The pleasure I feel when I have to deal
It gives me delight to have to depend on you
With the mercy in you
Because of your mercy, you're able to save me
I would do it all again
I would redo my mistakes
Lose my way and fall again
Make the same errors and suffer the same consequences
Just so I could call again
So I could ask for your help again
For the mercy in you, the mercy in you
Request your forgiveness, your empathy once more
When here in my mind I feel inclined
When my thoughts are convincing me
To wrongly treat you unkind
To mistreat you, to give you pain inaccurately
I have faith I will find
I believe I can find your clemency once more
I would lose my way again
I would misplace my sense of direction once more
Be led hopelessly astray again
Be taken in the wrong direction, without a clear goal once more
Just so I could pray again
Just so I could plead for you to grant me mercy once more
When here in my mind I have been blind
When I was ignorant because of the thoughts that I had
Emotionally behind
My heart was not keeping up with my mind
I have faith I will find
I know that I will eventually discover your lenience once more
The mercy in you, the mercy in you
Your compassion, your pity, your kindness
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind