Strangelove (song)

"Strangelove" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 13 April 1987[1] as the lead single from their sixth studio album, Music for the Masses (1987). It reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart,[2] number two in West Germany and South Africa, and the top 10 in several other countries, including Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland. In the United States, it reached number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100[3] and was the first of nine number ones on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it stayed for three weeks at the top.[4]

Not to be confused with Strange Love (song).

"Strangelove"
Single by Depeche Mode
from the album Music for the Masses
B-side
  • "Pimpf"
  • "Agent Orange"
Released13 April 1987
Length4:55
LabelMute
Songwriter(s)Martin L. Gore
Producer(s)
  • Depeche Mode
  • David Bascombe
Depeche Mode singles chronology
"But Not Tonight"
(1986)		 "Strangelove"
(1987)		 "Never Let Me Down Again"
(1987)
Music video
"Strangelove" on YouTube

The original version of "Strangelove" is a fast-paced pop track. Though successful, this did not seem to fit with Music for the Masses's darker style, so Daniel Miller produced a slower version that became the album version. Alan Wilder, in the Q&A section of his Recoil website, writes that the band felt the single version was "too cluttered" and was the reason Miller's remix was commissioned. Miller expounded on this in the Music for the Masses re-master documentary DVD, stating he felt the original single version was too complicated and would benefit from being simplified.

It was remixed by production team Bomb the Bass and released again as a single in the US as "Strangelove '88", reaching this time number 50 on the Hot 100.[3]

B-sides

There are two B-sides for "Strangelove", both instrumental. "Pimpf" is a dark instrumental that is mostly piano, named after a magazine of the Hitler Youth organisations. "Pimpf" later shows up as the final track on Music for the Masses. There is also a remix available on some "Strangelove" single releases called "Fpmip" ("Pimpf" backwards).

The second instrumental is "Agent Orange", named after the herbicide used in the Vietnam War. At the end of the song, you can hear some Morse code. Rumoured to mean "If anybody can hear this, please help me", it is actually just gibberish (LAXI ".-.. .- -..- ..", several times repeated). "Agent Orange" later shows up as the first bonus track on the CD/Cassette version of Music for the Masses.

Note: There are 3 different durations for "Pimpf":

  1. "Pimpf" 3.56: This version appears on the original vinyl releases
  2. "Pimpf" 4.55: This version appears on vinyl & compact disc versions and contains a hidden track, Interlude #1, which starts at 4.18 (20 seconds after "Pimpf" has ended)
  3. "Pimpf" 4.34: This version appears on the "Strangelove" single release.

Music videos

The music video for "Strangelove" was directed by Anton Corbijn and appears on the Strange video and The Videos 86>98. Shot on Super 8 and monochrome, the video sees the band in various Paris locations, hotel rooms and in a studio posing in front of a rolling backdrop. The live action is combined with short stop-frame animation sequences. The video also stars two models in underwear (one of whom was Anton Corbijn's partner), as well as passing pedestrians, featured in the closing 'out-takes' sequence of fast-edit shots. In the USA, MTV objected to some of the more revealing footage of the models and the video was edited to replace them with images of the band.

There was also a Corbijn-directed video for "Pimpf", exclusive to the Strange video, which features Dave Gahan, Andy Fletcher and Alan Wilder shouting at each other and syncing with the synthetic chanting, while Martin Gore plays the song on a piano. While Gore plays the piano in the video, it is Wilder who plays the piano on all piano-instrumentals by the band from 1987–1990 as well as "Somebody".

In 1988, another video for "Strangelove" was released for the album version. It was directed by Martyn Atkins, who did photography for earlier DM albums. It was not publicly released on any videocassettes or DVDs until The Videos 86>98+ DVD in 2002. This video is much simpler than the original, and features the band performing inside a city-scape location (Senate House, the federal headquarters of the University of London).

Track listings

All tracks are written by Martin L. Gore.

Charts

See also

References
  1. "DM Archives". depechemode.com. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  2. "Depeche Mode: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  3. "Depeche Mode Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 75.
  5. "Austriancharts.at – Depeche Mode – Strangelove" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  6. "Ultratop.be – Depeche Mode – Strangelove" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  7. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 8694." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  8. "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4 no. 24. 20 June 1987. p. 16. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  9. "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4 no. 22. 6 June 1987. p. 10. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  10. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  11. "Lescharts.com – Depeche Mode – Strangelove" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  12. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Strangelove". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  13. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Depeche Mode" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Depeche Mode – Strangelove" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  15. "Strangelove – Depeche Mode" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  16. "SA Charts 1965–1989 (As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion) – Acts D". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  17. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  18. "Swedishcharts.com – Depeche Mode – Strangelove". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  19. "Swisscharts.com – Depeche Mode – Strangelove". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  20. "Depeche Mode Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  21. "Depeche Mode Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  22. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending October 22, 1988". Cash Box. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Depeche Mode – Strangelove". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  24. "European Charts of the Year 1987 – Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4 no. 51/52. 26 December 1987. p. 34. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  25. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1987". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  26. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1987". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  27. "Dance Club Songs – Year-End 1987". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  28. "1987 The Year in Music & Video – Top Dance Sales 12-Inch Singles". Billboard. Vol. 99 no. 52. 26 December 1987. p. Y-30. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  29. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1987" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 19 December 2020.


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