In which I combine two of my favorite things...and split it in half, because I'm wordy like that.
1. Talking about music. 2. A Meme. In (Black) Celebration (see what I did there? That's an album title. I am oh so witty.) of the official end to Depeche Mode Month (not the listening, just the actual first 30 days), I did one of those 30 Days Of memes, only I do not have the stick-to-it to post 30 days in a row, and really now, who wants to read (or skip, that's cool too) me talking about the same band every day for a month? Exactly. So I'm just gonna tackle it all at once.. or twice. You know I never met a run-on sentence/thought/paragraph I didn't like, so I split it into two parts. One today, one... not today.
Day 1 - Your all-time favorite Depeche Mode song
You know me, I don't have one favorite song from any group. That's simply too much to ask. So, imagine a world in which this question was "Your three all-time favorite Depeche Mode songs". That I can answer. They are Barrel of A Gun, Behind The Wheel and World In My Eyes. No need to elaborate, they will all be coming up again later.
Day 2 - The first Depeche Mode song you remember hearing
I know I remember the song "People Are People" from back when I was a kid, so that would have to be it. It's one of those songs that, a month ago I would have known "People are people, so why should it be...somethingsomethingsomethingsomething.... whatevergoeshererhymeswithawfully" and that's it. But I knew it was a song, and it got a lot of airplay back in the day, but I was six and had no interest in crazy-haired bands from Britain.
Day 3 - Your favorite Depeche Mode video
"Barrel of a Gun" is probably the official video I watch most often (because I love the song), but I really feel like Martyr should be my answer. If someone said to me, "Explain Depeche Mode in 3:21 or less", this is the video I would use. Everything I love about the band is in this video. Baby Depeche, Leather Depeche, Let's Not Talk About that One Era Where Everyone Was Drunk or High Depeche, Getting Back on Track Depeche, Middle Age Dudes Rocking Out Depeche. Half-shirts, angel wings, bleached mullets, bondage gear, crazy dancing, glittery eyeshadow, white jeans, synthesizers, black vests and low-rise slacks. It's all there.
Day 4 - Your favorite song from the Speak And Spell era
Confession Time. 1981's "Speak & Spell is one of my favorite albums." It's a solid 3rd behind "Ultra" and "Playing The Angel". Track 8 (Big Muff) is an instrumental and Track 6 (What's Your Name?) is hilarious but there is nothing in there that I skip. I think my favorite is "Puppets". It's a classic case of "great beat, great vocals, wait, what did he just say?"
"Watch your action, close reaction/ And everything you`re thinking, babe,/Inside your head/Conversation, my creation/Nothing that you do, you do unless I said/And you don`t know the/consequences/Of the things you say/I`ll be your operator, baby/I`m in control."
Day 5 - A Depeche Mode song you don’t really like
Hmm. You know what I can live without? "Somebody". I don't know. It's one of those "I want a girlfriend, but having a girlfriend is kind of stupid" songs that usually make me go "High five!", but something about it just rubs me the wrong way. I don't like the lyrics (sorry Martin!) , I don't like the vocals (sorry Martin!). I just don't like the song. Thumbs down! No link.
Day 6 - Your favorite song from the Some Great Reward era
This meme is skipping records! Now where am I gonna talk about the songs I like from records that are not on the list? Not cool. Some Great Reward has Master and Servant. So good. But it also has "Lie To Me". See, now with that bass line, I may be able to get my friends to listen to this one without going, "What is this mess?" That's a randomly funky song, like when Queen made "Another One Bites The Dust" and everyone was like, "Hold on, what is that? That's Queen?". I can't remember which CD documentary it was in, but apparently, the fact that there were never band pics on the early LPs meant that no one knew what the band's image was and they were really big in the Black Detroit club scene.
"So lie to me/but do it with sincerity/Make me listen just for a minute/Make me think there's some truth in it"
Day 7 - Your favorite cover of a Depeche Mode song
The only one I know is Marilyn Manson's "Personal Jesus", so it wins by default, though listening to it now, it's just a pale imitation of the original. I did used to really rock out to it back in the day though.
Day 8 - Your favorite song featuring Martin on vocals
This is where my obsessive use of the "Grouping" field in iTunes comes in handy, as everything on which Martin sings lead is tagged ":Martin". (I am a genius!) except, checking the tag, the song that is my answer is not tagged. Smooth move. Anyway, the answer is Home. I absolutely adore this song. I have already referred to it as as "beautiful" once, don't make me do it again. Something about the place where the chorus swells and the simplicity of the vocals...I don't even know. I feel like it's one of those "go to church" songs, not in the sense of I'm gonna get up early on Sunday and put on a dress and praise whoever it is that people are praising when they are up early on Sunday wearing their good clothes and I am sleep, but you know how sometimes a song is just so good, it makes you wanna throw a hand up? This is that song.
And I thank you for bringing me here/For showing me home/For singing these tears/Finally I've found that I belong here
Day 9 - Your guilty pleasure Depeche Mode song
I don't do "guilty pleasure" things. If I like it, I like it (except if Ma gets to discussing Jersey Shore in public, I will act like I have no idea what she is talking about, then I will get in the car and go on and on about how Vinny sucks, Snooki is the worst and Sitch is too good for those clowns.) I tried and tried to come up with one song that if someone walked in while I was playing it, I would turn down real quick or start talking loud to distract them... but there isn't one. If I am listening to it, it's because I want to. And you should hear it too, because it is clearly a song worth hearing. My game? No shame.
Day 10 - A song from the album you think is the most underrated
I don't know which record is underrated. Not Violator or Music for the Masses or Speak & Spell, I know that. You know what? Here is where I will cover Construction Time Again and A Broken Frame, since the 30 Day Depeche Mode Meme deemed them unworthy of discussion. My favorite from A Broken Frame is Leave In Silence. Everyone does love songs. Everyone. All the time. What there are not enough of is good "Enough with this foolishness!" songs. Sometimes you're just done and it's over and you want to go. This is even better because it's an angry song that you don't really know is angry until you stop and listen to it. If this was just playing in the background, you would not know that it was about a dude who was just fed up and was like, "Screw this noise, I am outta here! Maybe..."
We've being running round in circles all year/Doing this and that and getting nowhere/This will be the last time/I think I said that last time.
... and from "Construction Time Again" it's "Two Minute Warning", which I can't even tell you what the meaning is, but one day it got stuck in my head at work, and I was like, "What is that song, no something,no something, no something da-da-da-da-da-da-DA!" I almost had to hit Songtapper to figure it out. Very 80s. Very good. Though the fact that the lyric is printed as "to heat" bothers me, because it makes no sense.
No sex/no consequence/no sympathy/You're good enough to heat
Day 11 - Your favorite Depeche Mode lyric
What? One lyric? One? Get out! How about 12?
Stories of Old: Take a look at unselected cases/ You'll find love has been wrecked/ By both sides compromising/ Amounting to a disastrous effect (I feel like I should send this to like a dozen people I know, you know, for entertainment purposes only.)
Master and Servant: Domination's/ the name of the game/ In bed or in life/They're both just the same/ Except in one you're fulfilled/At the end of the day/Let's play/Master and Servant (It was when I first heard this line that I realized that this song was not all that I thought it was. Still dirty, but not just dirty.)
Nothing: Sitting target/ sitting praying/And God is saying nothing, nothing/Always/ knows the prospects/ Learn to expect/ nothing, nothing (I feel like I should send this to like a dozen people I know, but they would back away slowly, muttering under their breath that someone seek counseling.)
Personal Jesus: Take second best/Put me to the test/Things on your chest/You need to confess/I will deliver/You know I'm a forgiver (This really is the creepiest song and that's why I love it.)
Halo: You wear guilt/ like shackles on your feet/ Like a halo in reverse/I can feel/ the discomfort in your seat/ And in your head it's worse (I didn't pay attention to the song until I read this lyric somewhere, then I was like "What is that from and why haven't I heard it?")
The Mercy In You: When here in my mind/I feel inclined/ To wrongly treat you unkind/ I have faith, I will find/ The mercy in you (I feel like my lyric choices are painting an odd picture.. of maybe both me and the songwriter.)
Rush: Cry for you/ Seen the tears roll down from my eyes for you/ I heard my truth distorting to lies for you/ Watched my love becoming a prize for you/Seen the tears in my eyes/ Seen the tears in my eyes/ I'm not proud of what I do (As I will discuss later, I have issues with this album/era and something about this lyric just makes me go, "Oh." It really is a testament to the combination of singer and songwriter. Also, it brings me down.)
Freestate: Step out of your cage/ and onto the stage/ It's time to start/ playing your part/ Freedom awaits/ open the gates/ Open your mind/freedom's a state (It's like a corny, beautiful wordy Motivational poster.)
Dream On: There's no time for hesitating/ Pain is ready, pain is waiting/ Primed to do it's educating/Unwanted, uninvited kin/ It creeps beneath your crawling skin/ It lives without it lives within you/Feel the fever coming/ You're shaking and twitching/ You can scratch all over/But that won't stop you itching. (I really wish I'd had a space to link to the audio, because there's something in the vocal style of this song that just elevates what I already like about these lyrics.)
Suffer Well: Where were you when I fell from grace/A frozen heart, an empty space/Something's changing, it's in your eyes/ Please don't speak, you'll only lie (Dave says that he feels, on some level, he wrote this about Martin during the period when things were bad. I like the role reversal. This whole song is great.)
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 (For once the character that inhabits all of these songs kind of turns it around at the end. Kind of like "Mercy" with less "I am doing things to hurt you on purpose")
Corrupt: What are you trying/Don't even tempt me/ Soon you'll be crying/And wishing you dreamt me (Puppets --> Personal Jesus --> Corrupt. Flawless Victory. That is a Mortal Kombat reference used to say that this is a 28-year-spanning trifecta of oh-so-creepy greatness.)
Day 12 - Your favorite Depeche Mode instrumental
"Pimpf" from "Music for the Masses". It's pretty epic. Also, "pimpf" is a term used to describe a boy whose voice has yet to change. There's your random fact for the day.
Day 13 - Your favorite Depeche Mode B-Side
Easy. "Pleasure, Little Treasure" from 1987, the B-Side to "Never Let Me Down Again". Awesome 1-2 punch. I feel like I should be more into "Music for the Masses". That's the problem with buying 9 CDs in one day (and 4 the next week). It takes a while to get through things.
Day 14 - Your favorite song from the Black Celebration era
So, does this Era span from "Some Great Reward" through whatever record gets listed next? That's "Music for The Masses", so this covers... "Black Celebration". Oh. Well, that's "A Question of Time". The real video is un-embeddable, have a performance. It's a weird low-key kind of thing though, which is odd, because what I love about the song is that it's so high energy.
Day 15 - One of your favorite concert memories
I have never been to a concert, so I don't have one. Ask me again a few days after the next time they come anywhere even remotely close.(Side note: You will not have time to ask me, as I will be all over this joint going on and on and on. Consider yourself warned.) I will never get to see Zeppelin (or The Who or The Beatles), so the Emergency Zeppelin "I Will Spend All of the Money I Have To See Them" Concert Fund has now been diverted to the "New Depeche Album in 2012, Tour in 2013. They Don't Ever Come To NC, So We Will Hit The Road" Fund. Total current fund amount, $0, but I'm working on it. (Unless of course Zeppelin does tour, in which case, I will diversify my funds in an effort to cover both events).
Day 1 - Your all-time favorite Depeche Mode song
You know me, I don't have one favorite song from any group. That's simply too much to ask. So, imagine a world in which this question was "Your three all-time favorite Depeche Mode songs". That I can answer. They are Barrel of A Gun, Behind The Wheel and World In My Eyes. No need to elaborate, they will all be coming up again later.
Day 2 - The first Depeche Mode song you remember hearing
I know I remember the song "People Are People" from back when I was a kid, so that would have to be it. It's one of those songs that, a month ago I would have known "People are people, so why should it be...somethingsomethingsomethingsomething.... whatevergoeshererhymeswithawfully" and that's it. But I knew it was a song, and it got a lot of airplay back in the day, but I was six and had no interest in crazy-haired bands from Britain.
Day 3 - Your favorite Depeche Mode video
"Barrel of a Gun" is probably the official video I watch most often (because I love the song), but I really feel like Martyr should be my answer. If someone said to me, "Explain Depeche Mode in 3:21 or less", this is the video I would use. Everything I love about the band is in this video. Baby Depeche, Leather Depeche, Let's Not Talk About that One Era Where Everyone Was Drunk or High Depeche, Getting Back on Track Depeche, Middle Age Dudes Rocking Out Depeche. Half-shirts, angel wings, bleached mullets, bondage gear, crazy dancing, glittery eyeshadow, white jeans, synthesizers, black vests and low-rise slacks. It's all there.
Click to viewDay 4 - Your favorite song from the Speak And Spell era
Confession Time. 1981's "Speak & Spell is one of my favorite albums." It's a solid 3rd behind "Ultra" and "Playing The Angel". Track 8 (Big Muff) is an instrumental and Track 6 (What's Your Name?) is hilarious but there is nothing in there that I skip. I think my favorite is "Puppets". It's a classic case of "great beat, great vocals, wait, what did he just say?"
"Watch your action, close reaction/ And everything you`re thinking, babe,/Inside your head/Conversation, my creation/Nothing that you do, you do unless I said/And you don`t know the/consequences/Of the things you say/I`ll be your operator, baby/I`m in control."
Day 5 - A Depeche Mode song you don’t really like
Hmm. You know what I can live without? "Somebody". I don't know. It's one of those "I want a girlfriend, but having a girlfriend is kind of stupid" songs that usually make me go "High five!", but something about it just rubs me the wrong way. I don't like the lyrics (sorry Martin!) , I don't like the vocals (sorry Martin!). I just don't like the song. Thumbs down! No link.
Day 6 - Your favorite song from the Some Great Reward era
This meme is skipping records! Now where am I gonna talk about the songs I like from records that are not on the list? Not cool. Some Great Reward has Master and Servant. So good. But it also has "Lie To Me". See, now with that bass line, I may be able to get my friends to listen to this one without going, "What is this mess?" That's a randomly funky song, like when Queen made "Another One Bites The Dust" and everyone was like, "Hold on, what is that? That's Queen?". I can't remember which CD documentary it was in, but apparently, the fact that there were never band pics on the early LPs meant that no one knew what the band's image was and they were really big in the Black Detroit club scene.
"So lie to me/but do it with sincerity/Make me listen just for a minute/Make me think there's some truth in it"
Day 7 - Your favorite cover of a Depeche Mode song
The only one I know is Marilyn Manson's "Personal Jesus", so it wins by default, though listening to it now, it's just a pale imitation of the original. I did used to really rock out to it back in the day though.
Day 8 - Your favorite song featuring Martin on vocals
This is where my obsessive use of the "Grouping" field in iTunes comes in handy, as everything on which Martin sings lead is tagged ":Martin". (I am a genius!) except, checking the tag, the song that is my answer is not tagged. Smooth move. Anyway, the answer is Home. I absolutely adore this song. I have already referred to it as as "beautiful" once, don't make me do it again. Something about the place where the chorus swells and the simplicity of the vocals...I don't even know. I feel like it's one of those "go to church" songs, not in the sense of I'm gonna get up early on Sunday and put on a dress and praise whoever it is that people are praising when they are up early on Sunday wearing their good clothes and I am sleep, but you know how sometimes a song is just so good, it makes you wanna throw a hand up? This is that song.
And I thank you for bringing me here/For showing me home/For singing these tears/Finally I've found that I belong here
Day 9 - Your guilty pleasure Depeche Mode song
I don't do "guilty pleasure" things. If I like it, I like it (except if Ma gets to discussing Jersey Shore in public, I will act like I have no idea what she is talking about, then I will get in the car and go on and on about how Vinny sucks, Snooki is the worst and Sitch is too good for those clowns.) I tried and tried to come up with one song that if someone walked in while I was playing it, I would turn down real quick or start talking loud to distract them... but there isn't one. If I am listening to it, it's because I want to. And you should hear it too, because it is clearly a song worth hearing. My game? No shame.
Day 10 - A song from the album you think is the most underrated
I don't know which record is underrated. Not Violator or Music for the Masses or Speak & Spell, I know that. You know what? Here is where I will cover Construction Time Again and A Broken Frame, since the 30 Day Depeche Mode Meme deemed them unworthy of discussion. My favorite from A Broken Frame is Leave In Silence. Everyone does love songs. Everyone. All the time. What there are not enough of is good "Enough with this foolishness!" songs. Sometimes you're just done and it's over and you want to go. This is even better because it's an angry song that you don't really know is angry until you stop and listen to it. If this was just playing in the background, you would not know that it was about a dude who was just fed up and was like, "Screw this noise, I am outta here! Maybe..."
We've being running round in circles all year/Doing this and that and getting nowhere/This will be the last time/I think I said that last time.
... and from "Construction Time Again" it's "Two Minute Warning", which I can't even tell you what the meaning is, but one day it got stuck in my head at work, and I was like, "What is that song, no something,no something, no something da-da-da-da-da-da-DA!" I almost had to hit Songtapper to figure it out. Very 80s. Very good. Though the fact that the lyric is printed as "to heat" bothers me, because it makes no sense.
No sex/no consequence/no sympathy/You're good enough to heat
Day 11 - Your favorite Depeche Mode lyric
What? One lyric? One? Get out! How about 12?
Stories of Old: Take a look at unselected cases/ You'll find love has been wrecked/ By both sides compromising/ Amounting to a disastrous effect (I feel like I should send this to like a dozen people I know, you know, for entertainment purposes only.)
Master and Servant: Domination's/ the name of the game/ In bed or in life/They're both just the same/ Except in one you're fulfilled/At the end of the day/Let's play/Master and Servant (It was when I first heard this line that I realized that this song was not all that I thought it was. Still dirty, but not just dirty.)
Nothing: Sitting target/ sitting praying/And God is saying nothing, nothing/Always/ knows the prospects/ Learn to expect/ nothing, nothing (I feel like I should send this to like a dozen people I know, but they would back away slowly, muttering under their breath that someone seek counseling.)
Personal Jesus: Take second best/Put me to the test/Things on your chest/You need to confess/I will deliver/You know I'm a forgiver (This really is the creepiest song and that's why I love it.)
Halo: You wear guilt/ like shackles on your feet/ Like a halo in reverse/I can feel/ the discomfort in your seat/ And in your head it's worse (I didn't pay attention to the song until I read this lyric somewhere, then I was like "What is that from and why haven't I heard it?")
The Mercy In You: When here in my mind/I feel inclined/ To wrongly treat you unkind/ I have faith, I will find/ The mercy in you (I feel like my lyric choices are painting an odd picture.. of maybe both me and the songwriter.)
Rush: Cry for you/ Seen the tears roll down from my eyes for you/ I heard my truth distorting to lies for you/ Watched my love becoming a prize for you/Seen the tears in my eyes/ Seen the tears in my eyes/ I'm not proud of what I do (As I will discuss later, I have issues with this album/era and something about this lyric just makes me go, "Oh." It really is a testament to the combination of singer and songwriter. Also, it brings me down.)
Freestate: Step out of your cage/ and onto the stage/ It's time to start/ playing your part/ Freedom awaits/ open the gates/ Open your mind/freedom's a state (It's like a corny, beautiful wordy Motivational poster.)
Dream On: There's no time for hesitating/ Pain is ready, pain is waiting/ Primed to do it's educating/Unwanted, uninvited kin/ It creeps beneath your crawling skin/ It lives without it lives within you/Feel the fever coming/ You're shaking and twitching/ You can scratch all over/But that won't stop you itching. (I really wish I'd had a space to link to the audio, because there's something in the vocal style of this song that just elevates what I already like about these lyrics.)
Suffer Well: Where were you when I fell from grace/A frozen heart, an empty space/Something's changing, it's in your eyes/ Please don't speak, you'll only lie (Dave says that he feels, on some level, he wrote this about Martin during the period when things were bad. I like the role reversal. This whole song is great.)
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 (For once the character that inhabits all of these songs kind of turns it around at the end. Kind of like "Mercy" with less "I am doing things to hurt you on purpose")
Corrupt: What are you trying/Don't even tempt me/ Soon you'll be crying/And wishing you dreamt me (Puppets --> Personal Jesus --> Corrupt. Flawless Victory. That is a Mortal Kombat reference used to say that this is a 28-year-spanning trifecta of oh-so-creepy greatness.)
Day 12 - Your favorite Depeche Mode instrumental
"Pimpf" from "Music for the Masses". It's pretty epic. Also, "pimpf" is a term used to describe a boy whose voice has yet to change. There's your random fact for the day.
Day 13 - Your favorite Depeche Mode B-Side
Easy. "Pleasure, Little Treasure" from 1987, the B-Side to "Never Let Me Down Again". Awesome 1-2 punch. I feel like I should be more into "Music for the Masses". That's the problem with buying 9 CDs in one day (and 4 the next week). It takes a while to get through things.
Day 14 - Your favorite song from the Black Celebration era
So, does this Era span from "Some Great Reward" through whatever record gets listed next? That's "Music for The Masses", so this covers... "Black Celebration". Oh. Well, that's "A Question of Time". The real video is un-embeddable, have a performance. It's a weird low-key kind of thing though, which is odd, because what I love about the song is that it's so high energy.
Day 15 - One of your favorite concert memories
I have never been to a concert, so I don't have one. Ask me again a few days after the next time they come anywhere even remotely close.(Side note: You will not have time to ask me, as I will be all over this joint going on and on and on. Consider yourself warned.) I will never get to see Zeppelin (or The Who or The Beatles), so the Emergency Zeppelin "I Will Spend All of the Money I Have To See Them" Concert Fund has now been diverted to the "New Depeche Album in 2012, Tour in 2013. They Don't Ever Come To NC, So We Will Hit The Road" Fund. Total current fund amount, $0, but I'm working on it. (Unless of course Zeppelin does tour, in which case, I will diversify my funds in an effort to cover both events).