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)
People are people (Different
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You and I should get along so awfully
People are people, so why should it be?
You and I should get along so awfully
So we're different colors, and we're different breeds
And different people, have different needs
It's obvious you hate me, though I've done nothing wrong
I can't understand
What makes a man hate another man?
Help me understand
People are people, so why should it be?
You and I should get along so awfully
People are people, so why should it be?
You and I should get along so awfully
Help me understand, help me understand
Help me understand
Now you're punching, and you're kicking
And you're shouting at me
I'm relying on your common decency
So far it hasn't surfaced but I'm sure it exists
It just takes a while to travel from your head to your fist
I can't understand
What makes a man hate another man?
Help me understand
People are people, so why should it be?
You and I should get along so awfully
People are people, so why should it be?
You and I should get along so awfully
I can't understand what make a man hate another man
Help me understand
I can't understand what make a man hate another man
Help me understand
I can't understand what make a man hate another man
Help me understand
I can't understand what make a man hate another man
Help me understand
I can't understand what make a man hate another man
Help me understand
I can't understand what make a man hate another man
Help me understand
In Depeche Mode's iconic song "People are People," the band addresses the issue of discrimination and prejudice. At its core, the song is a plea for people to put their differences aside and recognize that, despite being from different walks of life, we are all human and we should strive to get along.
The lyrics contrast the commonalities that we all share as human beings with the differences that often lead to conflict. The opening lines of the song "People are people, so why should it be? You and I should get along so awfully" emphasize this central message. Despite our differences in gender, race, and culture, we all share the common ground of being human.
The song also acknowledges that people often harbor prejudices against individuals they have never met or interacted with. The line "It's obvious you hate me, though I've done nothing wrong. I've never even met you, so what could I have done?" speaks to this phenomenon of judging people based solely on their race, religion, or other superficial characteristics.
Overall, "People are People" is an anthem for tolerance and understanding, urging people to put aside their differences and treat each other with kindness and respect.
Line by Line Meaning
People are people, so why should it be?
Why should our differences be a cause for conflict when fundamentally, we are all human.
You and I should get along so awfully
Instead of hostility, there should be agreement and cooperation between us.
So we're different colors, and we're different breeds
There is noticeable diversity among us in terms of race and ethnicity.
And different people, have different needs
We all have unique necessities that we require met.
It's obvious you hate me, though I've done nothing wrong
You clearly dislike me even though I have not offended you in any way.
I've never even met you, so what could I have done?
I haven't had the chance to do anything that would justify your animosity towards me since we haven't interacted.
I can't understand
I am confused and cannot fathom.
What makes a man hate another man?
I don't comprehend why someone would despise another individual based on their differences.
Help me understand
Please enlighten me and explain what I am missing or not seeing.
Now you're punching, and you're kicking
You are becoming violent towards me.
And you're shouting at me
You are yelling at me aggressively.
I'm relying on your common decency
I am depending on you to act rationally and treat me with respect.
So far it hasn't surfaced but I'm sure it exists
I remain confident that your basic human decency will eventually reveal itself despite your current behaviour.
It just takes a while to travel from your head to your fist
Perhaps, your anger and frustration take longer than expected to manifest themselves physically.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@OdesaFilmStudio
The lyrics to this song are still true today, always will be.
@sonjabaumann6194
Kannst du mir von da helfen, also nein.
@sonjabaumann6194
Da koennte man einen guten Film machen
@IN-gx9oq
!!
@herminiacx8871
Well let’s hope it isn’t true always because we have to end racism
@mangoman3912
Herminia Cx you can’t make everyone like everyone tho
@ronneyrendon
"I can't understand what makes a man hate another man, help me understand." such a beautiful line.
@kevinknight3606
What,s to understand, it pure ignorance and stupidity,the urge to bully someone else.
@kevinknight3606
The more things change,the more they stay the same.
@jeffsummstl
It’s in our nature, unfortunately. We’re not as basically good as we like to think.