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)
shout
Depeche Mode Lyrics
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Always knowing when to say
Wishing for a moment so that they could see
Staring in the night
A picture in my room
And I think that she knew her lines
I wanna hold your hand
We've got to get it right
We've got to understand
Careful, watching, waiting
As I stood upon the back streets and we start to play
I was screaming louder as the curtains fall between us in a twisted way
Staring in the night
A picture in my room
And I think that she knew her lines
Break away tonight
I wanna hold your hand
We've got to get it right
We've got to understand
Placing all the questions in the minutes of a game we won so long ago
Dangerous and beautiful
The radio transmission that I have to know
You could never run
You could never stay
And I think you belong to me
Break away tonight
I wanna hold your hand
We've got to get it right
We've got to understand
Break away tonight
I wanna hold your hand
We've got to get it right
We've got to understand
"Shout" is a song that uses the common theme of unrequited love. The song is about a boy who has fallen for a girl who seems to be perfect in every aspect, but she is only a figment of his imagination. The girl he has fallen for is a product of television, someone he wants to emulate, and although he can see her, she cannot see him. The line "She was silent, trying to be like the girl who acted on the tv," is an indication of the boy's desperation to be recognized by this girl.
The second verse of the song talks about the boy's frustration with the situation. He is "screaming louder as the curtains fall between us in a twisted way," indicating that he has given up on the idea of ever communicating with the girl he has fallen for. The line "Placing all the questions in the minutes of a game we won so long ago" highlights the fact that the boy is trying to rediscover a time when things were easier and relationships were not as complicated.
The chorus of the song "Break away tonight, I wanna hold your hand, we've got to get it right, we've got to understand" is a plea from the boy to the girl to break away from her television world and take a chance on him, and for them to work together to make their relationship work.
Line by Line Meaning
She was silent, trying to be like the girl who acted on the tv
She was quiet, attempting to imitate the persona of a girl on television
Always knowing when to say
That girl on TV always knew what to say
Wishing for a moment so that they could see
Desiring for an opportunity to be seen by others
Staring in the night
Gazing into the darkness
A picture in my room
An image displayed within my living space
And I think that she knew her lines
And I believe that girl in the picture knew what to say
Break away tonight
Escape tonight
I wanna hold your hand
I want to hold your hand
We've got to get it right
We must accomplish this task with accuracy
We've got to understand
We must comprehend this situation
Careful, watching, waiting
Being cautious, observing, anticipating
As I stood upon the back streets and we start to play
As I was standing on the back roads and we began to engage in an activity
I was screaming louder as the curtains fall between us in a twisted way
I was shouting more intensely as a strange barrier appeared to separate us
Placing all the questions in the minutes of a game we won so long ago
Putting all the uncertainties into the memories of a game we had emerged victorious from many years prior
Dangerous and beautiful
Risky yet attractive
The radio transmission that I have to know
The radio message that I must become aware of
You could never run
You were never able to flee
You could never stay
You could never remain
And I think you belong to me
And I believe that you are mine
Break away tonight
Escape tonight
I wanna hold your hand
I want to hold your hand
We've got to get it right
We must accomplish this task with accuracy
We've got to understand
We must comprehend this situation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Vince Clarke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind