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)
Only When I Lose Myself
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I find myself
I find myself
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
Something beautiful is happening inside for me
I feel hypnotized, I feel paralyzed
I have found heaven
There's a thousand reasons
Why I shouldn't spend my time with you
For every reason not to be here I can think of two
To keep me hanging on
Feeling nothing's wrong
Inside your heaven
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
I can feel the emptiness inside me fade and disappear
There's a feeling of contentment now that you are here
I feel satisfied
I belong inside
Your velvet heaven
Did I need to sell my soul
For pleasure like this?
Did I have to lose control
To treasure your kiss?
Did I need to place my heart
In the palm of your hand
Before I could even start
To understand?
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
The song "Only When I Lose Myself" by Depeche Mode is a ballad that delves into the complex emotions of love and self-discovery. The lyrics suggest that the only way the singer can truly find himself is by losing himself in another person. The first two lines of the chorus serve as the central theme of the song, emphasizing that the singer needs to be with someone else in order to uncover his own identity. The repetition of "I find myself" is particularly significant, as it illustrates the importance of the singer's self-discovery.
The verses describe the singer's experience of falling in love – something beautiful, sensual, and full of fire and mystery. The singer is hypnotized and paralyzed, feeling as if he has found heaven within the arms of his lover. Despite this, the singer is aware that there are many reasons why he shouldn't be with his lover, but for every reason not to be there, he can think of two reasons to stay. In a sense, his lover's embrace serves as a haven from the outside world, and it's only here, with his lover, that he truly feels at home.
The bridge of the song questions the nature of the pleasure that the singer finds in his lover's arms. He asks whether he had to sell his soul or lose control to experience such ecstasy. He also wonders whether he had to give his heart to his lover before he could understand what true love really meant. Overall, the lyrics of "Only When I Lose Myself" are both poignant and enigmatic, exploring the complexities of love, self-discovery, and personal identity.
Line by Line Meaning
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
I can only truly lose myself and find who I am when I am with someone else.
That I find myself
In the midst of losing myself with someone else, I am able to discover who I truly am.
I find myself
In this vulnerable state, I am able to uncover my true self.
Something beautiful is happening inside for me
There is a transcendent and breathtaking change happening within me.
Something sensual, it's full of fire and mystery
This change I am experiencing is electric, provocative, and enigmatic.
I feel hypnotized, I feel paralyzed
I am captivated and spellbound, unable to move or think clearly because of the intensity of my emotions.
I have found heaven
In this moment, I have discovered something akin to paradise.
There's a thousand reasons
I am aware of countless reasons why I should not continue to pursue this connection.
Why I shouldn't spend my time with you
I perceive that there are valid reasons why I should not be investing time and energy into this relationship.
For every reason not to be here I can think of two
Despite these reasons, I can come up with twice as many reasons why I should stay.
To keep me hanging on
These reasons are enough to keep me tethered to this person.
Feeling nothing's wrong
In this space, I feel completely at peace.
Inside your heaven
I am within a heavenly state while being with this person.
I can feel the emptiness inside me fade and disappear
I am experiencing the absence of emptiness in my life, as if a void is being filled.
There's a feeling of contentment now that you are here
I am experiencing a sensation of deep satisfaction now that this person is in my life.
I feel satisfied
I am fully content.
I belong inside
This person makes me feel like I belong.
Your velvet heaven
I am in a state of bliss while being with you.
Did I need to sell my soul
I wonder if I had to make a deal with the devil to experience this kind of pleasure.
For pleasure like this?
Is it worth it to feel pleasure at the cost of my soul?
Did I have to lose control
I question whether losing control of myself was necessary to feel this level of attachment and bliss.
To treasure your kiss?
Is it worth my surrender of control to experience the ecstasy of your kiss?
Did I need to place my heart
I consider whether offering my heart as a sacrifice was necessary for me to experience these emotions.
In the palm of your hand
I wonder if I handed over everything to have this connection with you.
Before I could even start
I am in awe that I had to give everything up before I could even begin to comprehend these feelings.
To understand?
Was sacrificing everything the only way I could truly understand this type of connection?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Oriana Fernandez
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
Something beautiful is happening inside for me
Something sensual, it's full of fire and mystery
I feel hypnotized, I feel paralyzed
I have found heaven
There's a thousand reasons
Why I shouldn't spend my time with you
For every reason not to be here I can think of two
Keep me hanging on
Feeling nothing's wrong
Inside your heaven
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
I can feel the emptiness inside me fade and disappear
There's a feeling of contentment now that you are here
I feel satisfied
I belong inside
Your velvet heaven
Did I need to sell my soul
For pleasure like this
Did I have to lose control
To treasure your kiss
Did I need to place my heart
In the palm of your hand
Before I could even start
To understand
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
It's only when I lose myself with someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
PerceptionVsReality
A great song and a great video as well. It's about longing for someone, even when you know that loving them might not be right. To me it's one of the most sensual songs I've heard.
I think this should have been placed on "Ultra," but somehow ended up as a separate single.
As for a meaning - it seems to be about love, but it might have a double meaning:
This song might also be about infidelity; selling your soul is the risk of being unfaithful. Losing control, giving your heart to feel loved again.
Maybe its about love akin to drugs - the chemistry and all that stuff. When its gone, you start to feel withdrawal symptoms, so Dave is obviously painting good parallels to drug use. It seems like its about his relationship with heroin again. but every addiction feels like that for some people. So this can mend any addiction for someone who listens to it. its very intense.
Jukka K
There are ballads and then there is Depeche Mode's ballads. This is exceptional beauty.
Igor Tokarski
Agree
Maureen Saul
Wonderful 💖
Jukka K
@Maureen Saul 😘
Giorgio boccali
Hi, I don't know them very well. Any other ballads like this to recommend me? 😊
Hugo Tavera
@Giorgio boccali "see you" is so very 80's DM "somebody" the 101 version is the best, "halo", "strangelove" "black dress", "judas" aww fack!!! better get yourself a discography, every record, skipping exciter, is formidable at least.
Joe Bondo
Underrated, haunting, original, thought provoking and at times, depressing. One of their best slow ballads.
Ellie
Depeche Mode has a lot of amazing, underrated songs. It's unfortunate that an amazing and talented band don't get the credit that they deserve.
VC Fernandez
yes and that album is ULTRA! Shame this didnt make the cut for it! Absolutely dark mesmerizing and beautiful!
WILNEL
what? underrated? I dont know what you are smoking