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 Sinner In Me
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And keep him denied
How sweet life would be if I could be free
From the sinner in me
I'll never be a saint
That's not a picture that your memory paints
Not renowned for my patience
But you're always around
You can always be found
To pick me up when I'm on the ground
If I could just hide the sinner inside
And keep him denied
How sweet life would be if I could be free
From the sinner in me
I'm still recovering
Still getting over all the suffering
More known for my anger than for any other thing
But you've always tried
To be by my side
And catch my fall when I start to slide
If I could just hide the sinner inside
And keep him denied
How sweet life would be if I could be free
From the sinner in me
The lyrics of “The Sinner in Me” by Depeche Mode delve into the concept of internal struggle and the concept of self-betrayal. The artist wants to hide this darker side of himself, the sinner, in order to live a life of purity and bliss. The song tells of a person's attempts to keep their inner demons at bay, discovering that it's an uphill battle at times. The sin inside the artist has taken over from all the suffering, some caused by him and some not. He’s known to be struggling to keep control of his emotions and temper, but the one person who is always there to save him is his lover. Here the lover is the personification of hope and light in his life.
The song highlights the feeling of helplessness, and wanting to be free of one's darker nature but sensing that it is too late to do so. The writer appears to be acknowledging his faults and limitations, knowing that he can never become a saint. The song is a poignant reminder of the inner demons we all carry, how it affects us as people, and the need for people who care about us. This soulful song addresses the themes of embrace and acceptance of one's darker side and the unconditional love of those close to us which helps us to overcome them.
Line by Line Meaning
If I could just hide the sinner inside
I wish I could keep my sinful side a secret
And keep him denied
I want to pretend my sinfulness doesn't exist
How sweet life would be if I could be free
It would be wonderful to live without my sins controlling me
From the sinner in me
My inner self wants to commit sinful acts
I'll never be a saint
I know I am not a perfect person
That's not a picture that your memory paints
You don't see me as a flawless individual
Not renowned for my patience
I am not known for my ability to wait calmly
I'm not renowned for my restraint
I don't have a reputation for holding back
But you're always around
You are always there for me
You can always be found
I know I can count on you to be there when I need you
To pick me up when I'm on the ground
You help me when I am feeling down
I'm still recovering
I am still trying to heal from my past mistakes
Still getting over all the suffering
I am still trying to move on from the pain I caused
More known for my anger than for any other thing
People often associate me with being angry
But you've always tried
You always make an effort
To be by my side
You want to support me
And catch my fall when I start to slide
You are ready to help me when I stumble
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@esmonkeys
Lyrics
If I could just hide
The sinner inside
And keep him denied
How sweet life would be
If I could be free
From the sinner in me
I'll never be a saint
That's not a picture that your memory paints
Not renowned for my patience
I'm not renowned for my restraint
But you're always around
You can always be found
To pick me up when I'm on the ground
If I could just hide
The sinner inside
And keep him denied
How sweet life would be
If I could be free
From the sinner in me
I'm still recovering
Still getting over all the suffering
More known for my anger
Than for any other thing
But you've always tried
To be by my side
And catch my fall when I start to slide
If I could just hide
The sinner inside
And keep him denied
How sweet life would be
If I could be free
From the sinner in me
Songwriters: Martin Gore
@ufominfin5704
From Russia.
Хотел бы я скрыть,
Что грешник, не ныть,
И вовсе забыть!
Как мир бы расцвёл,
Если б не был осёл -
Не грех меня вёл!
Твоим святым не быть!
Картинкой в памяти
Иконой не всплыть!
Держусь, как за нитку,
Порвётся - к слову расшибись!
Но всегда Ты вокруг.
И найдёшь меня вдруг.
И поднимешь, шутя,
Из грязи, из нежитья!
Хотел бы я скрыть,
Что грешник, не ныть,
И вовсе забыть!
Как мир бы расцвёл,
Если б не был осёл -
Не грех меня вёл!
Я беззащитный весь!
Все беды падают
Сквозь глупую спесь!
И злюсь я почаще,
Чем молю, чтоб
Ты был здесь!
Но всегда Ты хватал,
Когда я пропадал!
Я в пропасть скользил,
А Ты тихо вносил
Ладонь Твоих сил...
Ах, спрятать бы мне
Всё грешное в тьме
И не доставать!
Как мир бы блистал,
Если б я не дристал
Говном, каким стал!
@hooktutur
My favorite Depeche Mode song ever. This tracks brings me places I’ve never been
@milanesadepollo7238
Playing the Angel is AMAZING ❤️😍
@user-gj7ge9yc6z
My favourite album
@awii1754
x2
@AB-wq2vy
Man this song is underrated
@b.c.o.
Definitely it is!
@billhall8625
My favourite on the album
@TylerHellums
Yup
@racquellhunt5870
Beautiful, dark & honest.
Another piece of brilliance. 💋🖤🖤🖤🖤
@heathers.911
God I love these guys. So freaking talented and never disappoints.