Canny marketing ploys aside, it’s an equally prodigious piece of songwriting, cemented via Flood’s reliably deft hand in the production department. The ad featured the words “Your own personal Jesus”, coupled with a telephone number that when dialled up led to a segment of the track. The concept of a personalised deity was a compelling image that clearly struck a chord with us all, initially introduced – rather cleverly – via an advert taken out in the personal columns of various regional newspapers. Yes, the lyrics probably aren’t going to change the world, but its naivety is part of the charm, and when it erupted halfway through with lead synth lines criss-crossing one another in some kind of Doctor Who cyber battle, it was impossible to ignore the potential of the fresh-faced fourpiece from Basildon.Īrguably the creation amidst Depeche’s catalogue that solidified the band as serious contenders on the world stage, this oblique treatise to the human condition, set to driving electronic rock of a slightly noir disposition, set a tone very much their own – and with a guitar at its epicentre, no less. Rewinding back to the very first steps of Depeche Mode’s career, this legendary tech-pop offering was the finest track from the equally iconic 1981 Some Bizzare compilation, and by some distance. 40 Photographic (Some Bizarre version) (1981) Want more from Classic Pop? Try a print or digital subscription for just 99p and access our exclusive perks and benefits. Here, we celebrate the darker sides of classic pop music, dipping into every one of the eras discussed above – and what a unique and incredible journey it has been. Somehow, they have managed to keep their momentum going while – for the most part, anyway – sticking the fingers up at pandering to commercial whims and chart success (only to get that success anyway). Reinvention appears to have come naturally to Depeche Mode.
As such, this is a group who have been dragged viciously through a particularly thorny hedge backwards, upside down and every which way besides in order to get to 2019: chronic substance addiction, losing vital members at vital moments – twice – in their history, yada yada yada… Plus, throughout all that, the Devil had – at various points – made himself very comfortable in the details of all of it. And their third that was, well, without Alan Wilder as their techno-whizz filter, yet still capably negating another imminent breakdown and carrying the Depeche torch stridently forward – still flame-on. The second, with a moodier, more determined Martin Gore seizing the songwriting reins and engaging Alan Wilder as their in-house techno-whizz filter, for a shadowy journey of open experimentation – and myriad electronics – that led to the occupation of the world stage. The first – their instantly successful early years as fresh-faced, Vince Clarke-led all-out synth-poppers, delivering hooks that still soundtrack many a disco to this day. Nonetheless, it’s our duty as Classic Pop to face the music – and choose.įrom the first wide-eyed bars of debut 45 Dreaming Of Me right up to the musically matured sounds and preaching-on-the-pedestal politics of 2017’s Spirit, Depeche Mode is a band of three recognisable eras. In our list of the top Depeche Mode songs we count down from 40 to 1, spanning a career that’s lasted more than four decades…Ī s evidenced by the vastly differing individual Top 10 favourite tracks offered up by our very own Classic Pop team, positioning Depeche Mode’s finest musical moments into a coherent order that might be accepted by the masses could be viewed as nothing short of impossible.
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