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)
The Love Thieves
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the poor tortured souls
Who fall at your feet
With their love begging bowls
All the clerks and the tailors
The sharks and the sailors
All good at their trades but
Alms for the poor
For the wretched disciples
And the love that they swore
With their hearts on the bible
Beseeching the honor
To sit at your table
And feast on your holiness
As long as they're able
Love needs its martyrs
Needs its sacrifices
They live for your beauty
And pay for their vices
Love will be the death of
My lonely soul brothers
But their spirit shall live on in
The hearts of all lovers
Your holding court
With your lips and your smile
Your body's a halo
Their minds are on trial
Sure as Adam is Eve
Sure as Jonah turned whaler
They're crooked love thieves
And you are their jailor
Love needs its martyrs
Needs its sacrifices
They live for your beauty
And pay for their vices
Love will be the death of
My lonely soul brothers
But their spirit shall live on in
The hearts of all others
Love will be the death of
My lonely soul brothers
But their spirit shall live on in
The hearts of all others
The Love Thieves by Depeche Mode is a song about the power dynamics of love and desire. The lyrics describe a scenario in which the singer observes people falling at the feet of the person they desire, begging for love and attention. This person is characterized as having a kind of holiness or beauty that inspires devotion, but also as being somewhat cruel, holding court over their admirers with a smile on their face but also putting their minds on trial. The singer notes that those who love this person are martyrs, sacrificing themselves for the chance to be close to them.
The line "Love needs its martyrs, needs its sacrifices" is particularly striking, as it suggests that there is something dangerous or destructive about the kind of love being described. Love is not just a feeling, but an all-consuming force that can lead people to do extreme things. The singer also notes that love will be the death of his "lonely soul brothers," implying that there is something sad or tragic about this kind of unrequited love.
Overall, The Love Thieves is a powerful examination of the emotions and power dynamics surrounding love and desire. It suggests that love can inspire both great devotion and great pain, and that the line between the two is often blurry.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the tears that you weep
Your tears are meant to manipulate and evoke pity
For the poor tortured souls
For the people who are broken and damaged and easy to control
Who fall at your feet
Who are willing to submit to you and do whatever you want
With their love begging bowls
With their constant need for your affection and approval
All the clerks and the tailors
All the ordinary people who are good at their jobs
The sharks and the sailors
The opportunists and adventurers
All good at their trades but
All capable in their own way but lacking in your favor
They'll always be failures
They will never be good enough for you
Alms for the poor
You give a little to keep them coming back for more
For the wretched disciples
For the devoted followers who are desperate for your attention
And the love that they swore
And the promises they made in exchange for your affection
With their hearts on the bible
With their vows of loyalty and devotion
Beseeching the honor
Begging for the privilege
To sit at your table
To be close to you and bask in your presence
And feast on your holiness
To revel in your perceived superiority and righteousness
As long as they're able
As long as they can maintain your favor
Love needs its martyrs
Love requires sacrifice and devotion
Needs its sacrifices
Needs people to give up their own desires in favor of the object of their affection
They live for your beauty
They exist to serve you and admire your perceived beauty
And pay for their vices
And suffer the consequences of their own shortcomings
Love will be the death of
Love will ultimately bring an end to
My lonely soul brothers
Those who also long for love and companionship
But their spirit shall live on in
Their legacy and ideals will endure
The hearts of all lovers
In the hearts of those who continue to search for love
Your holding court
You are surrounded by admirers and supplicants
With your lips and your smile
Using your charm and charisma to manipulate others
Your body's a halo
You are seen as almost divine, with an aura of purity and perfection
Their minds are on trial
They are being judged by you constantly
Sure as Adam is Eve
As certain and unchangeable as the biblical story of Adam and Eve
Sure as Jonah turned whaler
As predictable and inevitable as the story of Jonah becoming a whaler
They're crooked love thieves
They are dishonest and manipulative in their pursuit of love
And you are their jailor
You have complete control over their actions and emotions
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheAnchor78
Oh the tears that you weep
For the poor tortured souls
Who fall at your feet
With their love begging bowls
All the clerks and the tailors
The sharks and the sailors
All good at their trades
But they’ll always be failures
Alms for the poor
For the wretched disciples
And the love that they swore
With their hearts on the Bible
Beseeching the honour
To sit at your table
And feast on your holiness
As long as they’re able
Love needs its martyrs
Needs its sacrifices
They live for your beauty
And pay for their vices
Love will be the death of
My lonely soul brothers
But their spirit shall live on in
The hearts of all lovers
You’re holding court
With your lips and your smile
Your body’s a halo
Their minds are on trial
Sure as Adam is Eve
Sure as Jonah turned whaler
They’re crooked love thieves
And you are their jailor
Love needs its martyrs
Needs its sacrifices
They live for your beauty
And pay for their vices
Love will be the death of
My lonely soul brothers
But their spirit shall live on in
The hearts of all lovers
@hayrettinyildiz8018
The very best secret song belongs to the DM lovers, unknown to the regular crowd. ULTRA album is a special gift for the DM'ers...
@Surge92
I agree. Disappointed by Alan Wilder's departure, I ignored this album for almost twenty years (aside from the singles). When I finally listened to it, I was surprised at how good it was. I wish I could have listened to it a whole lot sooner.
@hayrettinyildiz8018
@@Surge92 I bought this album at the day zero! I put in the CD player, then I surprised, and played quickly, and I totally shocked and disappointed. A few years after, I gave it another chance and this time, I think this is the best album of DM ;) This phenomena also happened to me, Le Rois est Mort, Vive Le Rois album of the Enigma...
@HOXHOXHOX
bence de 😁
@Ras_Mc
@@hayrettinyildiz8018 I also bought at the day zero and loved it since ;)
@rrios283s73
👍 💯
@maxdevotional8987
Dark masterpiece...Probably the most underrated song from Depeche Mode...
@fjew
my woman's chosen song
she says sad but beautiful
and i agree
@juanpabloghazalehaceves536
Great minds think a like. By far the most underrated song. A true mystery of a love song a puzzle waiting to be solved by our ears
@lishamarlar4597
I could really could dance to this