30 Little Known Facts We Bet You Didn't Know About Depeche Mode

26 January 2019, 2:39 pm EST By Ruby Karnick

Depeche Mode, formed in the year 1980 in Basildon, Essex, are an electronic band, with original members being Dave Gahan, Vince Clarke and Andy Fletcher. The current line-up includes Gahan, Fletcher along with Martin Gore. Here are some interesting facts about the English band:

Depeche Mode was named by the Billboard as the 10th most successful dance club artist of all time in December, 2016, while they were ranked at #98 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time."
With over 100 million records sold worldwide, 54 songs in the UK Singles Chart and 17 top 10 albums in the UK chart, they were included in the Q's list of the "50 Bands That Changed the World!"
The origins of the band dates back to 1977, when Clarke and Fletcher formed "No Romance," influenced heavily by Cure, an English rock band with Robert Smith as the principal vocalist and guitarist.
Before Depeche Mode, Clarke, Gore and Fletcher together formed "Composition of Sound," in March 1980, with Fletcher on bass, Clarke on vocals and guitar, and Gore on keyboards.
Clarke heard Gahan singing a rendition of David Bowie's "Heroes," at a local Scout hut jam session, which led to Gahan joining the band and the birth of Depeche Mode.
Gahan decided the name of their band to be Dépêche Mode, just a few minutes before a gig, when he was asked for the name by his organiser, over the phone.
He actually came up with the name, as he was looking at a copy of the now defunct French magazine Dépêche Mode.
The first time the group played together as Depeche Mode, was for a school gig in May 1980. Commemorating the gig, there is a plaque at the James Hornsby School in Basildon, where Fletcher and Gore were pupils.
The video of their hit single "Heaven," released in the year 2013, was actually inspired by the Terence Malick's 2011 movie "The Tree of Life," starring Brad Pitt.
It is said that in their early days, from 1977 to 1980, they were refused by several record labels because of the heavy synth presence and a disinterest in their major influence, Kraftwerk.

The band is said to have personally delivered their demo tape to record companies and demand them to play it, claiming it to be their only one tape left.
Their first single "Dreaming of Me," was a result of their verbal contract with Daniel Miller, founder of Mute Records, who approached them for recording a single for his burgeoning label, after watching them play a live gig at the Bridge House in Canning Town.
Encouraged by the success of "Dreaming of Me," which reached number 57 in the UK charts, Depeche Mode recorded their second most famous single "New Life," which went to #11 in the UK charts, along with an appearance on the Top of the Pops.
Their 1983 single "Everything Counts" from the album "Construction Time Again," is the transition in lyrical content for the group, which specifically addresses the issue of corporate greed and corruption in Britain.
Their debut album "Speak & Spell," released in October 1981, peaked at number 10 on the UK album charts, though had mixed critical reviews, especially with Rolling Stone calling the album "PG-rated fluff."
Their third single "Just Can't Get Enough, which is the band's first UK top ten hit, is the only one of the band's videos to feature Clarke, as in November 1981, he publicly announced his departure from the band.
The inspiration for the title of one of their biggest hits "Personal Jesus," is said to have come from Martin Gore, who had been reading an Elvis biography at the time in which Pricilla Presley called Elvis her own "Personal Jesus."
In the year 1988, the band ended their 'Music for the Masses' tour, with their last event selling out the Pasadena Rose Bowl, which contains more than 60,000 seats, in spite of the album made only making it to the #35 on the chart.
Following the departure of Clarke, the band placed an anonymous job ad in Melody Maker, with the particular specification of a man under the age of 21. Alan Wilder, though was 22, lied and appeared for two auditions, getting hired in early 1982, for trail basis as a touring member.
Despite the white lie, he later became the "Musical Director" of the band, responsible for the band's sound until his departure in 1995.

Their first hit single in the US "People are People," which was their 10th UK single released in the year 1984, was used as the theme to West German TV’s coverage of the 1984 Olympics.
Gahan became addicted to drugs in the early 1990s, and in the year 1995, even slit his wrist in a hotel room in LA, feeling less important that Gore. The next year, he had an overdose and was even declared dead for a minute. Yet, today, he is approaching retirement, still looking good and healthy.
The B side of the single "Behind the Wheel," "Route 66" is said to be inspired both thematically and musically by the old R&B hit originally recorded in the year 1946.
In March 1990, a crowd of 20,000 fans waiting during a promo day in Beverly Hills, degenerated into a semi-riot, leading to windows of the record shop that was hosting the band, being smashed. Police Helicopters had to be called in order to evacuate the group.
Depeche Mode's accountant, at the time of the ban becoming a big news, did a tax plan for them to last only three years in limelight. However, they have outlasted that by nearly 10 times now.
The 1989 single "Personal Jesus," before its release, was reportedly teased in the classified sections of the U.K newspapers, with a phone number attached, in which people calling could hear the song.
With their regular No.1 hits in around 15-25 countries, their label Mute, sent pre-release promotional copies to press and radio under fake band names, in an effort to prevent leaks. For their "Playing The Angel" album, the fake name was Black Swarm, for "Sounds of the Universe," it was "Tea And Biscuits."
The band's most popular single "Policy of Truth," is the only single in their entire career to chart higher in the US at #15, in comparison to their homeland where it charted at #16.
It is reported that the four symbols on the cover of their famous single "I Feel You," is actually a hidden reference to the members' birthdays, and that it is possible to crack the code, only after knowing their birth dates.
Their most popular single "People are People," which is often used as a celebration song at LGBTQ rallies and pride festivals, was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll” list in the year 2011.