The original version of "Strangelove" is a fast-paced poppy track. Though successful, this didn't seem to fit with the Music for the Masses's dark style, so Daniel Miller made a darker slower version of "Strangelove" which became the Album Version. It got its own single in the USA called "Strangelove '88".
==B-sides==
There are two B-Sides for "Strangelove", both instrumental. "Pimpf" is a dark instrumental that's mostly piano, named after the members of one of the Hitler Youth organizations. It is famous for having strange unknown chanting that has caused speculation on what the chanting says. It turns out that the chanting is actually just well-done synths, even though it sounds a lot like Dave and Martin. Piano instrumentals would become more abundant with Depeche Mode for the next 3 years. "Pimpf" later shows up as the final track on the vinyl version of Music for the Masses.
The second instrumental is "Agent Orange", named after the herbicide used in the Vietnam War. It is also mostly piano but has an abundance of war-like atmosphere and is considered one of the finest DM instrumentals. At the end of the song, you can hear some morse code. Rumoured to mean "If anybody can hear this, please help me", it is actually just gibberish (LAXI ".-.. .- -..- ..", several times repeated). "Agent Orange" later shows up as the first bonus track on the CD/Cassette version of Music for the Masses.
==MUSIC VIDEOS==
The music video for "Strangelove" was directed by Anton Corbijn (co-staring his muse Nassim Khalifa) and appears on the Strange video and The Videos 86>98. It features two models posing in their underwear. In the USA, MTV objected to some of the more revealing footage of the models and the video was edited to replace them with images of the band.
There was also an Anton-directed video for "Pimpf", exclusive to the Strange video, which features David Gahan, Alan Wilder and Andrew Fletcher shouting at each other syncing with the synthetic chanting, while Martin Gore plays the song on a Piano. It is to note that while Martin plays the piano in the video, it is Alan Wilder who plays the piano in all Piano-instrumentals by the band from 1987–1990 as well as "Somebody".
In 1988, another video for "Strangelove" was released, set to the tune of the album version of "Strangelove". It was directed by Martyn Atkins who did photography for earlier DM albums. It was not publicly released until the The Videos 86>98+ DVD in 2002.
==OTHER APPEARANCES==
On September 7, 1988, the band played "Strangelove" on the MTV Video Music Awards in the US. You can view it on the official Depeche Mode website
"Strangelove" has been sampled in the songs "Life Ain't a Game" by Ja Rule, "I Won't Be Crying" by Infernal, and "Point of View" by Samantha Mumba.
Strangelove
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove
That's how my love goes
Strangelove
Will you give it to me?
Will you take the pain
Again and again
And will you return it?
There'll be times
When my crimes
Will seem almost unforgivable
I give in to sin
Because you have to make this life livable
But when you think I've had enough
From your sea of love
I'll take more than another river full
Yes, and I'll make it all worthwhile
I'll make your heart smile
Strangelove
Strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove
That's how my love goes
Strangelove
Will you give it to me?
Will you take the pain
I will give to you?
Again and again
And will you return it?
There'll be days
When I stray
I may appear to be constantly out of reach
I give in to sin
Because I like to practice what I preach
I'm not trying to say
I'll have it all my way
I'm always willing to learn
When you've got something to teach
Oh and I'll make it all worthwhile
I'll make your heart smile
Pain, will you return it?
I'll say it again, pain
Pain, will you return it?
I'll say it again, pain
Pain, will you return it?
I'll say it again, pain
Pain, will you return it?
(I won't say it again)
Strangelove
Strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove
That's how my love goes
Strangelove
Will you give it to me?
Strangelove
Strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove
That's how my love goes
Strangelove
Will you give it to me?
Strangelove
Strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove
That's how my love goes
Strangelove
Will you give it to me?
Strangelove
Strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove
That's how my love goes
Strangelove
Will you give it to me?
"Strangelove," recorded by Depeche Mode, is a self-descriptive song that touches upon the strange highs and lows of love. It delves into the concept of taking both pleasure and pain from a relationship and the willingness to reciprocate that with one’s partner. It is about accepting imperfections and admiring the person as a whole.
The song implies that the singer is ready to do whatever it takes to make the relationship work, even if it means committing crimes that seem almost unforgivable. The singer finds comfort in sin because it makes life possible to bear. However, they are also willing to learn from their partner and practice what they preach. The chorus is a series of whispers of the word "Strangelove," which seems like an invitation to indulge in love, no matter how strange it gets.
Overall, "Strangelove" speaks of the darkness and complexity that comes with love, the desire to take and give, and the acceptance of all the weird bits that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Strangelove
The song title, repeated throughout the song
Strange highs and strange lows
My love is unpredictable and has many ups and downs
Will you give it to me?
Are you willing to accept my love as it is, with its highs and lows?
Will you take the pain
I will give to you?
Are you strong enough to handle the pain that comes with my love?
Again and again
And will you return it?
Will you continue to take my love and the pain that comes with it, and give me your love in return?
There'll be times
When my crimes
Will seem almost unforgivable
I will make mistakes that may seem unforgivable, but I hope you can forgive me
I give in to sin
Because you have to make this life livable
I may make bad choices, but I do so to cope with the difficulties of life
But when you think I've had enough
From your sea of love
I'll take more than another river full
Yes, and I'll make it all worthwhile
I'll make your heart smile
When you think I can't take any more of your love, I will continue to accept it and make it worth your while, and bring joy to your heart
There'll be days
When I stray
I may appear to be constantly out of reach
I may have moments of weakness and be distant, but I still love you
I give in to sin
Because I like to practice what I preach
I may preach one thing but do another, but I do so intentionally as part of my lifestyle
I'm not trying to say
I'll have it all my way
I'm always willing to learn
When you've got something to teach
Oh and I'll make it all worthwhile
I'll make your heart smile
I am open to learning and growing with you, and I will make sure that my love is worth it and makes you happy
Pain, will you return it?
I'll say it again, pain
Will you give me the same pain that I give you in our relationship?
(I won't say it again)
I won't repeat this line again
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@josep.rodriguez1419
Strangelove, strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove, that's how my love goes
Strangelove, will you give it to me?
Will you take the pain I'll give to you again and again?
Will you return it?
There'll be times when my crimes
Will seem almost unforgivable
I give in to sin
Because you have to make this life liveable
But when you think I've had enough
From your sea of love
I'll take more than another riverful
Yes, and I'll make it all worthwhile
I'll make your heart smile
Strangelove, strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove, that's how my love goes
Strangelove, will you give it to me?
Will you take the pain I'll give to you again and again?
Will you return it?
There'll be days when I'll stray
I may appear to be constantly out of reach
I give in to sin
Because I like to practice what I preach
I'm not trying to say I'll have it all my way
I'm always willing to learn
When you've got something to teach
And I'll make it all worthwhile
I'll make your heart smile
Pain
Will you return it?
I'll say it again, pain
Pain
Will you return it?
I'll say it again, pain
Pain
Will you return it?
I'll say it again, pain
Pain
Will you return it?
I won't say it again
Strangelove, strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove, that's how my love goes
Strangelove, will you give it to me?
Strangelove, strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove, that's how my love goes
Strangelove, will you give it to me?
Strangelove, strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove, that's how my love goes
Strangelove, will you give it to me?
Strangelove, strange highs and strange lows
Strangelove, that's how my love goes
Strangelove, will you give it to me?
R.I.P. Andy
@23cla69
I would love to say hello to all Depeche Mode fans all over the world. Depression, anxiety, and pain. Depeche Mode guided me to the light.
@mariellaconejo
Aww ❤️🤟
@sonnycrockett6527
Waiting for the night..
@Bellasie1
Thank you! You are not alone, just isolated. DM guided me to the light, too.
@7.Cadde004
From Turkey.
@JordyAlves
Estamos juntos, Stay strong friend!
@Ozymandias-
A message to the future generations. Don't let this song die.
@johncheng9958
absolutely
@senorita208
I agree
@leemyau
<3