I say an old friend this week and she said she always thought of Depeche Mode when she sees me as I took her to their gig in Helsinki. The reason for this weeks choice.
Their original name was Composition Of Sound. “Depeche Mode” was the title of a French magazine (translated, it means “fast fashion”) that went out of print in 2001. It was chosen because it sounded cool.
In this song, the singer is in a relationship where thoughts and feelings are all that matter. He feels words are unnecessary and can even be harmful, so he prefers to enjoy the relationship in silence. The song was written by the group’s primary songwriter, Martin Gore, with lead vocals by Dave Gahan.
At first, this was a ballad played on an organ. Alan Wilder got the idea to speed up the song. The other members didn’t like the idea, but after some time became convinced. Martin Gore recalled to Mojo magazine September 2012: “The original demo of Enjoy the Silence was very slow and minimal, just me and a harmonium, and Alan (Wilder) had this idea of putting a beat to it. We added the choir chords and (producer) Flood and Alan said, ‘Why don’t you play some guitar over the top?’ That’s when I came up with the riff. I think that’s the only time in our history when we all looked at each other and said, ‘I think this might be a hit.'” (Song Facts)
What I like very much about the song is the lyrics, They are quite dark, but they’re made stronger because, nowadays, noise is everywhere. We need silence. Silence is healing.”
Words like violence
Break the silence
Come crashing in
Into my little world
Painful to me
Pierce right through me
Can’t you understand?
Oh, my little girl
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
Vows are spoken
To be broken
Feelings are intense
Words are trivial
Pleasures remain
So does the pain
Words are meaningless
And forgettable
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
Lepis is hosting Saturday Classics, you can add your own link here Saturday Classics
On Her page she writes: This blog is back with hosting the Classics after few years break. This time we’ll be playing on Saturdays and you can link straight here on this own page. Rules: There are no rules, as long as the song you play is a classic in your mind. Linking open 8 am and closes 12 pm.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography 
Hiljaisuus on jotain tosi ihanaa ja tarpeellista hyvinkin usein. Mitä vanhemmaksi tulee sitä vähemmän kaipaa taustamelua.
Depeche Mode on jäänyt aika vieraaksi bändiksi, en ole juurikaan kuunnellut. Ihanaa, kun yleisö laulaa täysillä mukana, parhautta!
Tunnelma on videolla upea
Ei kauhean tuttu orkesteri miule mutta tämä biisi on tuttu. Ja pirun hyvä. Yleisö käy kuumana kun lauteilta moista löylyä paiskataan. Aivan loistava veto, varsinkin liveksi.
We do, indeed, need silence at times….
Tää on aina yhtä kuuma!
Lovely light in that shot, Ritva. I need quiet time and don’t really enjoy lots of noise. Sometimes I’m somewhere that I have to put up with it to see/get what I want but I prefer to get back to less noise.
Silence, I used to have music on in the background all the time but lately I’ve been enjoying the silence. My own thoughts also I am much happier being on my own. COVID speeded the process I’m sure.