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)
Stripped
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'll lay on the grass and let the hours pass
Take my hand, come back to the land
Let's get away just for one day
Let me see you stripped down to the bone
Let me see you stripped down to the bone
Metropolis has nothing on this
You're breathing in fumes, I taste when we kiss
Take my hand, come back to the land
Where everything's ours for a few hours
Let me see you stripped down to the bone
Let me see you stripped down to the bone
Let me hear you make decisions without your television
(Let me hear you speaking just for me)
Let me see you stripped down to the bone
(Let me hear you speaking just for me)
Let me see you stripped down to the bone
(Let me hear you crying just for me)
Let me see you stripped down to the bone
(Let me hear you speaking just for me)
The lyrics to Depeche Mode's song "Stripped" describe a desire to escape from the oppressive, industrial world of Metropolis into the natural world of trees and grass. The singer invites their lover to join them in this escape, where they can be free for just one day. The lyrics also express a desire for intimacy and vulnerability, as the singer asks to see their lover "stripped down to the bone". The verse about breathing in fumes and tasting them when they kiss suggests that the world they are trying to escape from is polluted and unhealthy.
The chorus repeats the request to see their lover stripped down to the bone, emphasizing the desire for intimacy and vulnerability. The bridge of the song takes a more political turn, urging the listener to make decisions without relying on the influence of television. The phrase "let me hear you speaking just for me" suggests that the singer wants their lover to express themselves authentically, without the influence of outside forces. The final repetition of the chorus adds the phrase "let me hear you crying just for me", which further emphasizes the desire for emotional openness and vulnerability.
Line by Line Meaning
Come with me into the trees
Join me in nature, where we can escape the worries and stress of everyday life
We'll lay on the grass and let the hours pass
We can relax and enjoy each other's company without worrying about time
Take my hand, come back to the land
Let's leave behind the urban environment and return to nature
Let's get away just for one day
We need a break from daily routine to rejuvenate our souls
Let me see you stripped down to the bone
I want to see the real you, without any pretense or artifice
Metropolis has nothing on this
Urban life can't compare to the beauty and serenity of nature
You're breathing in fumes, I taste when we kiss
The pollution of the city is affecting our health and well-being
Where everything's ours for a few hours
Nature provides us with an abundance of resources that we can enjoy for a short time
Let me hear you make decisions without your television
I want to hear your genuine thoughts and opinions, not those influenced by media
(Let me hear you speaking just for me)
I want your undivided attention, without any distractions or outside influences
(Let me hear you crying just for me)
I want you to trust me with your vulnerability and reveal your true emotions
(Let me hear you speaking just for me)
I want to connect with you on a deeper level, through honest and intimate conversation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Martin Lee Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@msmith6713
That's an awesome chorus,
Let me see you stripped
Down to the bone
Let me see you stripped
Down to the bone
Let me hear you make decisions
Without your television
Let me hear you speaking just for me
I wonder which band member wrote that. This song has stood the test of time. Still relevant today.
@luiscarloslandas4205
Lyrics
Come with me
Into the trees
We'll lay on the grass
And let the hours pass
Take my hand
Come back to the land
Let's get away
Just for one day
Let me see you
Stripped down to the bone
Let me see you
Stripped down to the bone
Metropolis
Has nothing on this
You're breathing in fumes
I taste when we kiss
Take my hand
Come back to the land
Where everything's ours
For a few hours
Let me see you
Stripped down to the bone
Let me see you
Stripped down to the bone
Let me hear you
Make decisions
Without your television
Let me hear you speaking
Just for me
Let me see you
Stripped down to the bone
Let me hear you speaking
Just for me
Let me see you
Stripped down to the bone
Let me hear you crying
Just for me
@brigittewekerle-vx2ef
Anyone in April 2024??😅
@Tampra8675
❤❤❤
@asica8846
Yes 🙌😂 I didn't know Depeche mode sang this song
@missrobin2088
Yes, taking a break from news to relive my youth.
@silviaguerreiro1554
Here!
@user-wn5co6bl5s
Да, дружище!
@davidrider2264
The darkness of their music is overwhelming. And magnificent.
@Phantom_Lord815
As longtime metalhead, I simply love this band.
@niemals9837
Me too.
@AnxiousPizzaFace
Potent, dark, and sensual. 🖤 To say I love Depeche Mode is an understatement.