Depeche Mode, Enjoy The Silence - Amy’s First Listen And Analysis
Added 2025-01-09 17:27:14 +0000 UTCWell, well, well! A piece of music telling us to enjoy the silence. Ironic? Actually, it works quite well, especially when viewed from the perspective of dance.
Comments
lol
Rea Lavi
2025-01-17 01:47:33 +0000 UTCI'd rather enjoy the silence.
marielblues
2025-01-16 00:30:46 +0000 UTCI have many thoughts after listening to the song and to Amy. I understand it is of a certain time, the 80's and most everyone used synths. Even ABBA. In the 80s I began to change as a person, turning 30 in 1982. I heard Amy use the term dance music a lot today. I am getting educated here. I always thought to this very moment that any song could be dance music. Slower, faster, medium, I have seen people do the Locomotion, The Mashed Potato, The Hustle, The Cha Cha, The Twist, etc. to many different types of music. Even though I know disco was made for dancing I often listened to it more than danced to it, i.e. Voulez-Vous, by ABBA, great dance music but I loved to just hear it. So when Amy is defining this as dance music I had to stop and think, well people did the Twist to the Beatles and I do not think they were known as a dance band (except for their very early days doing covers)? So calling this song dance music is confusing to me. I enjoyed listening to it. Unique voice to my ear and the sentiment of "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You", normal young love. So what exactly is dance music? You might know. I say all music can be dance music. No?????
TangoEliott
2025-01-13 13:20:57 +0000 UTCHi Amy. I wouldn't consider all "dance music" with a big beat to be music for dancing. For example, I wouldn't think of Portishead as dance music, although they have strong influences. On the other hand, remember, the Beatles were considered dance music in their day.
Jean-Carlos Ortiz
2025-01-10 23:33:35 +0000 UTCIf you watch them live, Dave is definitely a showman. And they do have a few rock songs - Personal Jesus, I feel you, In your room. And if you listen to more you will get a sense of Martin Gore's personality (guitarist and songwriter).
Mark Ventura
2025-01-10 03:21:52 +0000 UTCIt's a song from 2023 which shows that they are still making good music after over 40 years. Not sure if they play it as part of their live setlist though.
Graeme Frew
2025-01-10 02:12:34 +0000 UTCThanks for that, Graeme. I just saw them in concert on their most recent American tour, and I don't remember them playing that, it could be me, though.
George Brady
2025-01-10 02:06:38 +0000 UTCYes, very nice. Maybe "Personal Jesus" would have been a better first song for Amy.
George Brady
2025-01-10 01:58:18 +0000 UTCGuess Amy didn't connect with it which is fine. DM are one of my favourite bands which might be obvious from the number of comments I've made but everyone has their own, totally legitimate, perspective as to what they like. Maybe Amy would prefer something more orchestral like the following: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD9e_nZ4y_c
Graeme Frew
2025-01-10 01:50:51 +0000 UTC"Crystal"
George Brady
2025-01-10 01:45:12 +0000 UTCHmm. I guess it's danceable, but is it (dismissively) "dance music"? I'm surprised that your first reaction was to imagine who else should be performing this song [not them]. Saw this band just last year, they were terrific.
George Brady
2025-01-10 01:39:19 +0000 UTCI must admit I was a little bit taken aback by the notion that this song is fine to dance to but isn't something that you'd sit and listen to. My dancing days, at least in clubs, is a long way behind me but I can quite happily just sit and listen to Depeche Mode and enjoy it.
Graeme Frew
2025-01-10 01:33:04 +0000 UTCMy first thought was Dave Matthews. He’s my answer to everything.
TONY SURRATT
2025-01-10 00:35:42 +0000 UTCI'm not the dancing type and I love Depeche Mode, so I'm not personally on board with the dismissive label of "dance music". They cover a wide range of ideas and emotions, and as Evelyn said, they can be very hypnotic if you let yourself get into the groove. I saw them in concert in the late 80s (along with OMD!) and they are all very talented musicians, it's not fair or accurate when people say that synthesizers "do all the work for you" and aren't "real instruments".
Chester Beals
2025-01-10 00:15:15 +0000 UTCWOW! So nice you’re getting to know electronic music! You should definitely listen to Kraftwerk then, which originates stylistically in rock and pioneered the electronic music! Other great electronic artists who also immediately come to mind are a great electronic composer Tomita, Mogg synthesiser precursor Wendy Carlos, Gary Numan, and from the more contemporary artists Moby! P. S. And I guess you already listened to an electronic artist before, which is the Tangerine Dream.
Antoni Damięcki
2025-01-09 21:34:31 +0000 UTCHa! I never did either Except Simon would never sing those lyrics, since he believed that silence and lack of communication was at the core of society’s ills
Evelyn
2025-01-09 21:09:46 +0000 UTCDEFINITELY more than dance music. I’m actually sorry that that label was put on them. I’ve never really thought of them in that way.
Evelyn
2025-01-09 21:07:27 +0000 UTCWell, speaking of other artists who would do a great job with this song, David Bowie comes to Mind. And yes, definitely agree about Freddie. There would be allot more dynamics of course. More energy. But I’ve always thought of Depeche Mode as having influenced the genre of trip-hop, and there’s allot of that feel here; kind of hypnotic ….the voice deliberately stays in one dynamic to add to that atmosphere. Had I been young in 1990 and clubbing, I could definitely see getting lost in that vibe on the dance floor.
Evelyn
2025-01-09 20:57:42 +0000 UTCFully Agree with New Order, not just "Blue Monday" but the likes of "True Faith" and "Bizarre Love Triangle" as well.
Graeme Frew
2025-01-09 19:42:55 +0000 UTCI do back to the 50s and whatever was used at the time to make electronic music. If for nothing else at the time, that it was different. I care if I like the sound and not so much the source.
Paul D. Hoffmaster III
2025-01-09 19:39:11 +0000 UTCVlad, could I recommend New Order’s “Blue Monday” when the urge to explore electronic dance music comes up again? Amy, the 80s was a really different decade for popular music, really creative, especially the “New Wave” genre, which Depeche Mode was a part of. They definitely have more to them than dance music.
Kristina Mathesen
2025-01-09 19:36:46 +0000 UTCThere are a lot of covers of this song. Two I like are by Lacuna, an Italian metal band, and Tori Amos. Very different to each other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx58hXh4pVA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gZzkGvyqzc
Graeme Frew
2025-01-09 19:18:30 +0000 UTCEnjoyed that Funny I never thought Depeche Mode as dance music. They were part of my commute music. This song did sound like it was made for Freddie. I think Paul Simon could pull off a rendition.
TONY SURRATT
2025-01-09 19:06:08 +0000 UTCThe singer, Dave Gahan, is actually a pretty charismatic frontman although not as flamboyant as Freddie. This can be seen on their Letterman set which I've attached a couple of links to below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9WtBo9b3WI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2GEOcEcRtY
Graeme Frew
2025-01-09 19:04:43 +0000 UTCWhen I was in college in the 90s, my best friend was a Depeche Mode fan and me a Queen fan. I used to tease him so much about it as I wasn’t a big fan of them, but I have grown to like them a bit more since. So when I heard your comments about Freddie and Queen doing their song better , I did LOL.
Siôn Hewitt
2025-01-09 19:03:53 +0000 UTCElectronic music. I've said before that I always liked it since I was a child. I think I'm more entuned to it than you Amy. I can listen to this song anytime. I don't care what makes a musical sound, I can like or dislike it just the same. :) For me I hear Duran Duran in this song, which I like too. Good review Amy. I've added this song to my like list.
Paul D. Hoffmaster III
2025-01-09 18:39:49 +0000 UTCYou heard Tangerine Dream "Rubycon", I think. One of the fathers of electronic music.
Pedro Macedo
2025-01-09 18:28:16 +0000 UTCBeautiful song. I enjoy Depeche Mode. It's my dance side who likes it. Thank you for this reaction Amy.
Pedro Macedo
2025-01-09 18:25:43 +0000 UTCI imagine if the Beatles could have covered this, John would be singing and he'd make it about wanting silence in the morning so he could sleep in.
Robert Allen
2025-01-09 17:46:40 +0000 UTCThere are some pretty good covers of this piece, in various genres. I'm sure Vlad can recommend some of them.
MR
2025-01-09 17:41:19 +0000 UTC
