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)
Pain Killer
Depeche Mode Lyrics
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Let me see you
Stripped down to the bone
Metropolis
Has nothing on this
You're breathing in fumes
I taste when we kiss
The lyrics of Depeche Mode's song Pain Killer are quite abstract and open to interpretation, but one possible interpretation is that the singer is urging someone to return to a more natural way of living and being, represented by the phrase "come back to the land." The use of the word "stripped down to the bone" reinforces this idea of a stripped-down, raw, and authentic existence. The reference to Metropolis, a city of industrialization and technology, suggests that the singer views this world as lacking in true substance or meaning compared to a more organic and human way of life. The final line, "I taste when we kiss," could be interpreted in different ways, but perhaps it suggests that the singer finds a kind of intoxicating, addictive quality in this authentic experience.
One might also interpret these lyrics as being more focused on the personal relationship between the singer and the person they are singing to. The phrase "come back to the land" could be seen as a metaphorical plea for the other person to come back from a more superficial or fake existence and connect with the singer on a deeper level. The references to being "stripped down to the bone" and "breathing in fumes" could suggest that the singer wants to experience a more raw and intense kind of intimacy with the other person. The final line, "I taste when we kiss," could be seen as an expression of how much the singer craves the other person's presence and touch.
Line by Line Meaning
Come back to the land
Return to reality, away from the haze of whatever is currently clouding your judgment.
Let me see you
Show me who you really are without any facade or pretenses.
Stripped down to the bone
Revealed in your rawest form, all the way down to your innermost self.
Metropolis
The bustling cityscape, representing the overwhelming and chaotic nature of modern life.
Has nothing on this
Even the busiest city lacks the intensity and passion of this moment/relationship/experience.
You're breathing in fumes
Your current situation is harmful and toxic, causing you to inhale poisonous gases.
I taste when we kiss
The toxicity of your situation affects me as well, as seen in the taste of your lips during our intimate moments.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JUNIOR BRANTLEY, LENNIE LACOUR, MARTIN LEE GORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind