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)
Personal Jesus (Album Version
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who's there
Feeling unknown
Flesh and bone
By the telephone
Lift up the receiver
I'll make you a believer
Take second best
Put me to the test
Things on your chest
You need to confess
I will deliver
You know I'm a forgiver
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith
Your own personal Jesus
Feeling unknown
And you're all alone
Flesh and bone
By the telephone
Lift up the receiver
I'll make you a believer
I will deliver
You know I'm a forgiver
Reach out and touch faith
Your own personal Jesus
Reach out and touch faith
The lyrics to Depeche Mode's song "Personal Jesus" can be interpreted in a number of ways, but one possible interpretation is that it's about finding comfort in someone or something that can offer a sense of security and understanding. The "personal Jesus" mentioned in the song can be seen as a metaphor for such a figure, rather than a literal religious figure.
The first verse sets the tone for the song, with the repeated phrase "Your own personal Jesus" suggesting the importance of individual experience and connection. The second verse explores the feeling of being alone and isolated, with the line "Feeling unknown/And you're all alone" capturing a sense of emotional disconnection. The idea of being "by the telephone" suggests a longing for contact and communication.
The chorus brings in the message of the song more explicitly, with the repeated exhortation to "reach out and touch faith." This can be seen as a call to connect with something that can offer a sense of certainty and belonging, whether that's a religious faith or something else.
Line by Line Meaning
Your own personal Jesus
You need someone in your life to guide you and offer you companionship
Someone to hear your prayers
You need someone to listen to your troubles and offer you comfort
Someone who cares
You need someone in your life who truly cares about your well-being
Feeling unknown
You're feeling lost and uncertain about yourself and your place in the world
And you're all alone
You feel like you don't have any real connections or meaningful relationships in your life
Flesh and bone
You're a human being with real emotions and physical needs
By the telephone
You're waiting for someone to call you and offer you a sense of companionship
Lift up the receiver
Answer the phone and talk to me, I'm here for you
I'll make you a believer
I'll show you that you're not alone and that there is hope for a better future
Take second best
You settle for less than you deserve in life
Put me to the test
Challenge me and see if I can live up to your expectations
Things on your chest
You have something weighing heavily on your mind that you need to express
You need to confess
You need to reveal your secrets and innermost thoughts
I will deliver
I'll provide you with the help and support you need
You know I'm a forgiver
I won't hold your mistakes or shortcomings against you, I'll always forgive you
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out to me and trust that I'll be there for you, offering you faith and hope
Your own personal Jesus
I'm here to be your guide and offer you the support and companionship you need
Reach out and touch faith
Trust in me and together we can overcome any obstacles or challenges we may face
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MARTIN LEE GORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Limits98
Lyrics
Reach out and touch faith
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who's there
Feeling unknown
And you're all alone
Flesh and bone
By the telephone
Lift up the receiver,
I'll make you a believer
Take second best,
Put me to the test
Things on your chest
You need to confess
I will deliver,
You know I'm a forgiver
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who's there
[Interlude]
Feeling unknown
And you're all alone
Flesh and bone
By the telephone
Lift up the receiver,
I'll make you a believer
I will deliver,
You know I'm a forgiver
Reach out and touch faith
Your own personal Jesus
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith
[Interlude]
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith
(Reach out, reach out)
Reach out and touch faith
Korea Insincere
The last minute and a half of this is absolute perfection.
House OfDNY
True story
Dorothy Allspice
This song always makes me feel like a badass. 🔥
B. Pope Gary
This is the proper version! I like the end part which starts @ 3:20
lo mejor de la musica sin palabras
Luv this remix
Enjoy
Wow this cool😍
Duver Guiral
depeche mode lo mejor de lo mejor gracias por esos sonidos y letra exelente los felicito los escucho desde 1989 exelente
Limits98
Lyrics
Reach out and touch faith
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who's there
Feeling unknown
And you're all alone
Flesh and bone
By the telephone
Lift up the receiver,
I'll make you a believer
Take second best,
Put me to the test
Things on your chest
You need to confess
I will deliver,
You know I'm a forgiver
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who's there
[Interlude]
Feeling unknown
And you're all alone
Flesh and bone
By the telephone
Lift up the receiver,
I'll make you a believer
I will deliver,
You know I'm a forgiver
Reach out and touch faith
Your own personal Jesus
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith
[Interlude]
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith
(Reach out, reach out)
Reach out and touch faith
be jannini
Wow this cool😍
Depeche Mode forever 🖤
love this version....it should last for 25'
Silvia Cavanini
Depeche Mode forever 🖤
FEDERICO MONACO
love this version....it should last for 25'
Jose Vazquez
lo mejor de la musica sin palabras