Depeche Mode is an English band founded in 1980, originally from Basildon, … Read Full Bio ↴Depeche Mode is an English band founded in 1980, originally from Basildon, Essex, United Kingdom. They are one of the most enduring and successful bands that emerged during the 80s, particularly from the new wave/new romantic era. The band name is derived from a French fashion magazine, Dépêche mode, which means "fashion dispatch."

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)

My Joy
Depeche Mode Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My joy
The air that I breathe
My joy
In God I believe
My joy
You move me

My joy

The blood in my veins
My joy
Flows in your name
My joy
You move me

I'm not a mountain, no
You move me
I'm not a mountain, no
You move me

My joy
Heavenly bliss
My joy
The pleasures I've missed
My joy
You move me

I'm not a mountain, no
You move me (move me)
I'm not a mountain, no
You move me (move me)
I'm not a mountain, no
You move me (move me)

I'm not a mountain, no
You move me (move me)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Depeche Mode's "My Joy" are about being moved, both emotionally and spiritually. The song celebrates the presence of joy in the singer's life, which they view as the "air that [they] breathe" and the "blood in [their] veins." The joy comes from a belief in God or a higher power ("In God I believe"), and is described as "heavenly bliss" and the "pleasures [they've] missed." The repetition of "you move me" throughout the song highlights the power that the source of the singer's joy has over them.

The line "I'm not a mountain, no/ You move me" is particularly poignant because it speaks to the idea that even the most solid and stalwart among us can be emotionally impacted and changed by joy or a spiritual force. The singer acknowledges that they are not infallible or invulnerable, but rather that they are open to being influenced and transformed by the source of their joy.

Overall, "My Joy" is a testament to the transformative power of joy and spirituality in the singer's life. It showcases the profound impact that these forces can have on a person and speaks to the idea that we are all capable of being moved and changed by them.

Line by Line Meaning

My joy
The source of my happiness

The air that I breathe
The essential element that sustains my life

My joy
The confidence and comfort that comes from my belief in a higher power

In God I believe
The foundation of my beliefs and sense of purpose

My joy
The inspiration that drives me forward

You move me
The force that motivates and energizes me

My joy
The life force that pumps through me

Flows in your name
Directly tied to the object of my affection

My joy
The emotion that elevates my spirit

Heavenly bliss
An ecstatic state of being

My joy
The treasures that bring me pleasure and fulfillment