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)
To Have and to Hold
Depeche Mode Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's time to make amends
For all of the fun
The damage is done
And I feel diseased
I'm down on my knees
I need forgiveness
Someone to bear witness
Beneath the sin
Although I may flirt
With all kinds of dirt
To the point of disease
Now I want release
From all this decay
Take it away
And somewhere
There's someone who cares
With a heart of gold
To have and to hold
The lyrics of Depeche Mode's song "To Have and to Hold" speak to the need for redemption and forgiveness from past mistakes. The singer acknowledges the damage they have caused by indulging in harmful behavior and feels diseased as a result. They seek someone to witness the goodness within them despite the sin they have committed. Though they may have flirted with "all kinds of dirt," they now want release from the decay that has overtaken them.
The lines "And somewhere/ There's someone who cares/ With a heart of gold/ To have and to hold" suggest that the singer is searching for someone to help them find redemption and healing. The phrase "to have and to hold" typically relates to a commitment between two people in a marriage ceremony, but in this context, it could represent the singer's desire for a deeper connection with someone who will support them in their quest for a better future. The song is a powerful reminder that we all make mistakes, but it's never too late to seek forgiveness and begin anew.
Line by Line Meaning
I need to be cleansed
I am burdened with guilt and shame and I yearn to be rid of it.
It's time to make amends
I realize that I have wronged others and it is time to make things right.
For all of the fun
I indulged in reckless behavior that was ultimately harmful.
The damage is done
My actions have caused harm and I cannot undo it.
And I feel diseased
My conscience is weighed down by my wrongdoing and it is eating away at me.
I'm down on my knees
I am humbled by my mistakes and I am begging for forgiveness.
I need forgiveness
I desperately seek absolution for my wrongdoings so that I can move forward.
Someone to bear witness
I need someone to acknowledge and empathize with the struggle I am facing.
To the goodness within
Despite my mistakes, I believe that there is still inherent goodness within me.
Beneath the sin
My mistakes do not define me and there is more to me than my wrongdoing.
Although I may flirt
I acknowledge that I have a tendency to engage in harmful behavior, even though I know it is wrong.
With all kinds of dirt
I am referring to immoral behavior that I have engaged in, which has contributed to my feelings of guilt and shame.
To the point of disease
My harmful behavior has left me feeling sick and burdened with guilt.
Now I want release
I desperately want to be able to move forward from my past mistakes and be free from the burden of guilt and shame.
From all this decay
I am referring to the physical and emotional harm that I have caused to others and myself through my actions.
Take it away
I am imploring for a solution to my problems and for the pain that comes from my regret to be taken away.
And somewhere
I believe that there is hope for me and that I can be absolved of my guilt and shame.
There's someone who cares
I believe that there is someone out there who can help me and who cares about helping me move forward.
With a heart of gold
I am referring to someone who is compassionate and understanding, and who will not judge me for my past mistakes.
To have and to hold
I am referring to someone who will stand by me and support me throughout my journey towards healing and redemption.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Martin Gore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind