Depeche Mode's Songs of Faith and Devotion
Originally released in 1993, Depeche Mode's Songs of Faith and Devotion was
unveiled to a stunned U.S. and U.K. audience. The band had undergone a transformation
of truly Gothic proportions. Gone were the short crew cuts, the sole use of synthesizers,
and the Gap image. In its place were long and flowing Jesus-like hair, distorted guitars
and full drum sections, and a look that some described as the "heroine junky" mode.
Much to the surprise of die-hard fans, the album was a commercial success, spawning a
full length live album, 5 top twenty Billboard hits, and a relentless 18 month tour which
ended abruptly when keyboardist Alan Wilder quit the band after 16 years.
The content of Songs of Faith and Devotion came out of an era of confusion and
redemption for the band, and namely from lead singer Dave Gahan's fight with heroine
and cocaine addiction. After spending 3 years in seclusion after the release of Violater in
1989, the band reunited in early 1992 to begin recording a new album. The tone of the
album would be so overtly religious that some fans were initially turned off by the
constant references to God, holiness, redemption, suffering, and the like. The most
glaring example of Depeche Mode's new-found religion is the song Walking in My
Shoes. The song was written by Martin Gore in response to the public outrage regarding
Dave Gahan's new "bad boy" image, with his constant public misbehaviour, his new
adoration for religious tattoos, and his striking new resemblance to Jesus. The lyrics tell a
tale of a man who's life has been turned upside down by trials and tribulations.
Like Job before him, many of the problems that Dave Gahan had encountered
were beyond his control. The creative tension between Martin Gore and Alan Wilder, the
constant touring and public appearances, the death of his mother and father, and a long
legal battle with Sire records had taken their toll on Dave's psyche. Martin Gore was
always the first to confront Dave, but in this case it was through music that he would best
serve the purpose of bringing Dave back from the brink of despair.
The first verse of the song introduces us to the characters point of view, with an
emphasis on things that are done to him, rather than what he has done to himself
I would tell you about the things they put me through
perfect background for PSA's. Maybe, afterall, there was more to this band than sex and drugs.
The resolution in the story becomes apparent once Dave realizes that he can communicate with his daughter if he just lets her be
The opening stanza sets the tone for the entire poem. Updike uses symbolism to portray the sad, disappointing life Flick ...
They were making music at the same time as other extremely successful musicians like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, and Pink Floyd.
and end on Monday, August 18. The promoters had printed up 60,000 tickets to be sold making it the biggest concert event of it’s time. There was very little promotion of it
The story is concerned with the conflict between his conception of himself and the reality.
Music is regarded as a method of passing a message. Though some songs do not intend to do that, the message in them is still perceived. The song, “Get up, ...
ending where he decides to leave his house when everyone is asleep. Dave is also mad how everyone is treating him, and how all he ever gets do is work all the time and has never been given anything in his life. Dave is even mad at his family, especially his mother for ratting him out. He did not want to sell the gun and give the money to Mr. Hawkins as his father instructed him to do. He wanted to keep the gun because he wanted to ow...
The second stanza starts off saying much the same thing. It expands upon the idea of wanting the Lord to mold his heart an...
When they first came to the United States they supported Vanilla Fudge. They also played in clubs to start their American popularity. After they played in the clubs they got their first headlining tour and toured again that. They were playing their fifth tour by the March of 1970. Led Zeppelin the record was released by the Atlantic Records in 1969. Shortly after the record was released it was number eight and stayed in the top twenty for six weeks. When the Led Zeppelin II was released, it was Atlantic Records’ fastest selling album at 100,000 copies a week. They broke their own record in 1975 when “Physical Graffiti” that sold 500 copies an hour. All of their albums have gone platinum.
1993 was a very busy year. They got a contract from Trent Reznor's new own label Nothing and got a spot on NIN's 94 tour. The making of their first album, "Portrait of an American Family", was underway. Trent Reznor was the producer of the album.
addiction that he had spent all of his young life trying to relieve himself from. But why
The story begins with Dave telling the reader a little about himself and his old job as a bouncer at a nightclub. He appears to be your average 40-year-old; he talks about providing for his family, playing with his kids, drinking with his buddies, and watching Fraiser. However, throughout the story, the reader gets a more and more in depth look into the mind of Dave.
Then audience members who were perfect strangers who were screaming loudest would turn to each other with knowing glances and smile because they were sharing the same excitement and connecting with one another over their love of this man’s music. There was no pushing or shoving to get closer to the stage – it wasn’t that kind of crowd. Instead, there was mutual respect for one another’s space within the confines of the too-small venue. Nobody wanted to be the person who ruined it for someone else. It was this respect that made the audience members’ connections with one another that much stronger – we were all here to listen to this wonderful man’s music and see his performance – and, of course, we were here to enjoy it.