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)
Pipeline
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What is it this time?
We're laying a pipeline
Let the beads of sweat flow till the ends have met though
Could take a long time
Working on the pipeline
Taking from the greedy
On this golden day, work's been sent our way
That could last a lifetime
Working on the pipeline
From the heart of our land to the mouth of the man
Must reach him sometime
We're laying a pipeline
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
Taking from the greedy
Giving to the needy
The song "Pipeline" by Depeche Mode seems to be a symbolic representation of the societal divide between those who have and those who have not. The lyrics begin with a command to start construction, indicating a rebuilding or growth of some sort. The question "What is it this time?" suggests that there has been previous work done and that this is just the latest project. The focus then shifts to the pipeline, with the lines "We're laying a pipeline" and "Working on the pipeline" repeated throughout the chorus.
The idea of sweat and hard work, represented by the "beads of sweat flow," is a recurring theme throughout the song. The workers are putting in long hours, with the line "Could take a long time" acknowledging the potential difficulties and challenges they will face. The purpose of the pipeline, according to the lyrics, is to take from the greedy and give to the needy. It is an act of service and solidarity, as the workers move resources from the "heart of our land" to the "mouth of the man." This is reinforced in the repeated lines "Taking from the greedy, Giving to the needy."
Overall, "Pipeline" seems to be a song about the struggle for economic justice and equity, and the hard work and sacrifice that it takes to achieve it. It is an anthem for those who labor and sacrifice in order to help their fellow human beings.
Line by Line Meaning
Get out the crane, construction time again
It's time for construction and the necessary equipment is being prepared
What is it this time?
Asking about the purpose or goal of this particular construction
We're laying a pipeline
The current project involves building and laying a pipeline
Let the beads of sweat flow till the ends have met though, could take a long time
Working on this task will require significant effort and patience to complete it successfully, which may take a while
Working on the pipeline
Continuing to focus on the task of building and laying the pipeline
Taking from the greedy, giving to the needy
This project involves taking resources or materials from those who have excess and giving them to those who are in need
On this golden day, work's been sent our way, that could last a lifetime
This particular day has brought us an opportunity for work that could provide long-term benefits
From the heart of our land to the mouth of the man, must reach him sometime
The pipeline being built will transport something valuable or essential from where it is produced to where it will be consumed, and it must eventually reach its destination
Taking from the greedy, giving to the needy
The theme of redistributing resources from those who have an excess to those who are in need is reiterated
Taking from the greedy, giving to the needy
The theme of redistributing resources from those who have an excess to those who are in need is again emphasized
Taking from the greedy, giving to the needy
The theme of redistributing resources from those who have an excess to those who are in need is once more reinforced
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind