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)
Monument
Depeche Mode Lyrics
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We laid the foundations down
It didn't take long
Before they came back tumbling down
Don't build at night
You need a little light
How else are you going to see
What it's gonna be like?
So we picked up our tools
And we worked in the morning light
With the last stone placed
Wasn't it a wonderful sight?
But it fell back down
And scattered all around
Anything passes when you need glasses
My monument, it fell down
My monument, it fell down
My monument, it fell down
My monument, it fell down
Work all of my days for this kind of praise
Work all of my days for this kind of praise
It fell down
Work all of my days
It fell down
Work all of my days
It fell down
Work all of my days
It fell down
The song Monument by Depeche Mode narrates the story of a failed project. The lyrics talk about laying down the foundation of a site, only to have it collapse and fall back down. The singer expresses frustration as they put in all their time and effort, working day and night to build something great, only for it to come crashing down. The lyrics "anything passes when you need glasses" can be interpreted as a metaphor for not seeing things clearly, implying that perhaps the project was not carefully planned, or that the people who worked on it did not have a clear vision of what they were building.
In the second half of the song, the singer repeats the phrase "Work all of my days for this kind of praise." This repetition hints at the theme of disappointment as the singer has not received any recognition or praise for their work, despite putting all their effort into it. The phrase is also ironic, as the monument was not successfully built, implying that the hard work put into it was all for nothing.
Overall, the song Monument tells a poignant story of failure, disappointment, and the human condition. It speaks to the desire for recognition and achievement, but also the inevitability of setbacks and failures. The lyrics are delivered in a hauntingly beautiful way, adding to the song's emotional depth and resonance.
Line by Line Meaning
When the site was found
At the beginning of this project
We laid the foundations down
We established the groundwork and core elements
It didn't take long
The project quickly progressed
Before they came back tumbling down
Before everything collapsed and fell apart
Don't build at night
It's important to work with visibility and clarity
You need a little light
You need illumination to help you understand and guide you
How else are you going to see
Without proper light, you can't perceive what you're working on
What it's gonna be like?
The final result won't be clear without proper light
So we picked up our tools
We continued to work diligently
And we worked in the morning light
We worked during daytime hours
With the last stone placed
After the final element was placed
Wasn't it a wonderful sight?
The accomplishment was impressive and joyous
But it fell back down
Despite the effort put in, everything crumbled
And scattered all around
The pieces and debris were spread out in every direction
Anything passes when you need glasses
Your perception is distorted when you don't have the right tools
My monument, it fell down
The project and accomplishment came crashing down
Work all of my days for this kind of praise
The hard work put in for this level of recognition
It fell down
The project failed
Work all of my days
Continuing to work tirelessly
It fell down
The project failed
Work all of my days
Continuing to work tirelessly
It fell down
The project failed
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind