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)
Never Let Me Down
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hope he never lets me down again
He knows where he's taking me
Taking me where I want to be
I'm taking a ride with my best friend
We're flying high
We're watching the world pass us by
Never want to come down
Never want to put my feet back down on the ground
I'm taking a ride with my best friend
I hope he never lets me down again
Promises me I'm safe as houses
As long as I remember who's wearing the trousers
I hope he never lets me down again
We're flying high
We're watching the world pass us by
Never want to come down
Never want to put my feet back down on the ground
We're flying high
We're watching the world pass us by
Never want to come down
Never want to put my feet back down on the ground
Never let me down
Never let me down
Never let me down
Never let me down
See the stars, they're shining bright (never let me down)
Everything's alright tonight (never let me down)
See the stars, they're shining bright (never let me down)
Everything's alright tonight (never let me down)
See the stars, they're shining bright (never let me down)
Everything's alright tonight (never let me down)
See the stars, they're shining bright (never let me down)
The lyrics to Depeche Mode's "Never Let Me Down" seem to reflect on a certain type of loyalty and companionship between two individuals. The opening lyric, "I'm taking a ride with my best friend," sets the tone for the entire song as it focuses on a journey of some sort with a person that the singer clearly trusts and admires. The second line, "I hope he never lets me down again," further emphasizes the possibility of disappointment or failure that has occurred in the past, but the singer still has faith that his friend won't let him down moving forward.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the journey is both physical and metaphorical. The two individuals are flying high and watching the world pass them by, which implies that they are in a state of pure freedom and bliss, momentarily escaping the stresses and pressures of reality. The repeated line, "Never want to come down, never want to put my feet back down on the ground," accentuates the desire to remain in this euphoric state and never return to the mundane.
The final portion of the song repeats the phrase "Never let me down" while detailing the beauty of the night sky and the assurance that everything is alright for the moment. Overall, "Never Let Me Down" is a song about being in the moment, finding happiness with a trustworthy friend, and attempting to prolong that joy for as long as possible.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm taking a ride with my best friend
I am experiencing an adventure with my companion
I hope he never lets me down again
I wish my confidant never disappoints me as he did before
He knows where he's taking me
He has a precise direction in mind
Taking me where I want to be
Leading me towards my desired destination
We're flying high
We are feeling ecstatic and exhilarated
We're watching the world pass us by
We are observing the environment as we move along
Never want to come down
I never want to abandon this state of euphoria
Never want to put my feet back down on the ground
I want to stay in this ecstatic experience and not return to ordinary reality
Promises me I'm safe as houses
He assures me that I am secure as can be
As long as I remember who's wearing the trousers
As long as I recognize who is in control and act accordingly
Never let me down
Never disappoint me
See the stars, they're shining bright (never let me down)
The stars are captivating and inspiring, and I hope my friend doesn't ruin this moment
Everything's alright tonight (never let me down)
I feel content and comfortable with my companion by my side
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hannahlorance9357
Anyone else revisiting this song after The Last of Us? Truly a masterpiece
@bloodygemini6667
Ofc 😍 80s means trouble 🤣♥️
@jaykay8550
I knew that someone will also come here looking for that song after 1ep of TLoU :D
@Buzz_1991
Here! 😍
@Loob_
❌
@matthewhitchcock4731
🙋🏻♂️
@thiqo
My brother, when he was 16, was going to lagoon with his two best friends and he was playing this song in the bus. He said that he would like this song to be played on his funeral one day. The same day, few hours later, he tragically drowned in the lagoon. The song was played on his funeral, like he wished to (unconsciously not knowing what was going to happen...). He was a very big fan of Depeche Mode and we buried him with an album of them and his headphones too. It was in August last year. We will never forget him and this song will be always with us, for the rest of our lives. For us, the lyrics are definitely not about drugs - they are about that one day and his feelings....
@lesliesimon2311
Dude your story brought tears to my eyes it’s awfully sad, and while listening to this song it’s even sadder, I’m sincerely sorry for your loss... :3
@thiqo
Leslie Simon thank you so much :( you have a big heart... 6 days ago was anniversary of his death.. on his tombstone is the inscription "you are taking a ride with your best friend" (but in our language)
@lesliesimon2311
Thiqo it’s beautiful in a way... may his journey never end... tonight I will see the stars and how they’re shining bright, I will have a thought for him, be brave mate :3