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 Secret Garden
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Run from the house holding my head in my hands
Feeling dejected, feeling like a child might feel
It all seems so absurd that this should have occurred
My very only secret and I had to go and leak it
My secret garden's not so secret anymore
No, my secret garden's not so secret anymore
Can't stay long, here comes the reason why
She'll catch me if she can, take me by the hand
I'll have to keep on running and I just can't see the fun in
My secret garden not being secret anymore
It used to be so easy on days such as these
She'd search and search for hours
In among the flowers
I loved it
I loved her
I loved it
I loved her
Play the fool, act so cruel (I loved it)
Read her book, take a look (I loved her)
Play the fool, act so cruel (I loved it)
Read her book, take a look (I loved her)
It all seems so absurd that this should have occurred
My very only secret and I had to go and leak it
My secret garden's not so secret anymore
It all seems so absurd that this should have occurred
My very only secret and I had to go and leak it
My secret garden's not so secret anymore
It all seems so absurd that this should have occurred
My very only secret and I had to go and leak it
My secret garden's not so secret anymore
It all seems so absurd that this should have occurred
My very only secret and I had to go and leak it
My secret garden's not so secret anymore
The lyrics to Depeche Mode's "My Secret Garden" tells the story of a person's once-private, now-public space. The titular garden was once a place of solace, where the singer could be alone with their thoughts and feelings. However, something happened that caused them to inadvertently reveal the location and existence of this secret place. Now, everyone knows about it, and the singer is left feeling exposed and vulnerable.
The lyrics paint a picture of someone running from their home, holding their head in their hands. They feel dejected and childlike, as if they've been caught doing something they shouldn't have. The phrases "feeling like a child might feel" and "My very only secret and I had to go and leak it" convey this sense of shame and embarrassment. The singer can't find refuge in their secret garden anymore, as someone (presumably a lover, spouse, or family member) is in pursuit, trying to catch them.
The final stanza is a repetition of the earlier, emphasizing the absurdity of the situation. The singer still can't believe that their once-private space has been made public. They loved the garden and the person who shared it with them, but now it's lost, and they can't get it back. The song leaves a sense of longing and loss, as the singer mourns the loss of their secret place.
Line by Line Meaning
My secret garden's not so secret anymore
The place that used to be my safe haven is now known to others.
Run from the house holding my head in my hands
I'm trying to escape the situation that I brought upon myself and feeling ashamed.
Feeling dejected, feeling like a child might feel
I'm feeling defeated and vulnerable like a child who's afraid of being scolded.
It all seems so absurd that this should have occurred
I can't believe that my one and only secret has been revealed.
My very only secret and I had to go and leak it
I'm the one who gave away the information about my secret place.
No, my secret garden's not so secret anymore
It's a repeated statement to emphasize that the once-hidden garden is now exposed.
Run through the fields, down to the edge of the water
I'm on the move, trying to escape to a place near water where I can find some peace.
Can't stay long, here comes the reason why
I have to keep moving because the person who uncovered my secret is on my heels.
She'll catch me if she can, take me by the hand
The person who found out about my garden is pursuing me and will try to bring me back to the real world.
I'll have to keep on running and I just can't see the fun in
I have to keep moving and I'm not finding any joy in it.
My secret garden not being secret anymore
The garden that was once my solace has been taken away from me.
She'd search and search for hours
The person who uncovered my secret had been looking for it for a long time.
In among the flowers
The garden was hidden among the flowers and difficult to find.
I loved it
I enjoyed having my secret garden and the peace it brought me.
Play the fool, act so cruel (I loved it)
I sometimes intentionally misled the person who uncovered my secret and enjoyed it.
Read her book, take a look (I loved her)
I enjoyed spending time with the person who found out about my secret garden.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@saniabroadnutrition7604
I was there as a 15 year old. Still remember electric atmosphere. Seeing them again this year. What a journey.
@PiaKrista
wow!
@cristinaromeo4655
Such an journey Together ❤
@veggie42
I was 4!
@mickyday2008
Yay
@everymomentisagift
Yes! Was 18 when I saw them in Toronto Canada! Was blown away their talent not to mention their kindness!
@scottnyc6572
Alan Wilder on those keyboards...such the genius there!!!
I miss Alan...
@scottnyc6572
Back in 2023 for a DM fix..
Alan Wilder on those keyboards is just incredible!!
@rpp31111
Ну вот как.. как можно заставить взрослого человека снова и снова пускать слезу при звуках этой мелодии и этого голоса. Как и десять, двадцать, тридцать лет назад...
@september-go4nb
вытри сопли. нормально ведь все было