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)
Perfect
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In another state of consciousness in another state of mind
Everything was almost perfect, everything fell into place
That you may reach a different verdict
If all the judges missed the case
In a parallel universe that's happening right now
Things between us must be worse but it's hard to see just how
And everything could have been perfect
Everything in the right place
Then I wouldn't have to play the suspect
Accused, abandoned and disgraced
I didn't shoot, I didn't pull the trigger
It wasn't me, I'm just a plain and simple singer
I heard the sound, I turned my head around
To watch our love shot down
In another lonely universe, we're laying side by side
And no one's hurt and no one's cursed and no one needs to hide
And everything is almost perfect
Everything is almost right
There are never any conflicts
There are never any fights
Depeche Mode's "Perfect" is a song about the complex and delicate nature of relationships. The lyrics explore the idea of an alternate universe where things could have been different, and everything would have been almost perfect. The song takes us on a journey through this other world - one in which everything is in the right place, and there are never any conflicts, never any fights. The contrast with the present reality is stark, with the singer being accused, abandoned, and disgraced.
The song's lyrics are particularly poignant because they touch on the universal human experience of wondering about the what-ifs in life. What if a relationship had worked out differently? What if you had made different choices? The song explores the idea that there are many possible outcomes in life, and in some parallel universe, those choices played out differently, resulting in a better outcome.
Overall, "Perfect" is a song that speaks to the human condition - the hope for something better, the regret for past choices, and the desire for a different outcome. It's a reflective and introspective song that encourages the listener to contemplate their own paths in life, and to consider how things might have turned out differently.
Line by Line Meaning
On another world by another star at another place and time
In an alternate reality, far removed from our own place and time
In another state of consciousness in another state of mind
In a different state of being or perception, with a unique perspective
Everything was almost perfect, everything fell into place
For a moment, everything seemed to align perfectly
That you may reach a different verdict
But upon closer examination, the outcome might be different
If all the judges missed the case
And justice may not be fully served
In a parallel universe that's happening right now
Simultaneously, in another alternate reality
Things between us must be worse but it's hard to see just how
Our relationship may have taken a very different, worse turn
And everything could have been perfect
Under different circumstances, everything might have gone smoothly
Everything in the right place
All the pieces falling perfectly into position
Then I wouldn't have to play the suspect
I wouldn't have to bear the weight of suspicion
Accused, abandoned and disgraced
Left to feel alone, rejected and ashamed
I didn't shoot, I didn't pull the trigger
I did not cause the damage or harm
It wasn't me, I'm just a plain and simple singer
I am an innocent bystander, not the cause of the conflict
I heard the sound, I turned my head around
But I witnessed the event and will never forget it
To watch our love shot down
As our relationship was destroyed and damaged beyond repair
In another lonely universe, we're laying side by side
In a different reality, we may be together, but isolated and alone
And no one's hurt and no one's cursed and no one needs to hide
Where things are peaceful and no one is in pain or anguish
And everything is almost perfect
Where everything could be just right
Everything is almost right
Where everything is nearly perfect
There are never any conflicts
Where there is no strife or disagreement
There are never any fights
Where there is no need for confrontation or violence
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind