Skip to main content

Depeche Mode "People Are People"

Depeche Mode 101

While "Personal Jesus" was the song that made me fall in love with Depeche Mode, in the Spring and Summer of 1984 little Michael heard a song that he liked called "People Are People."

Mind you, I was only 10 years old, so at that point I mostly listened to the pop stations on the radio, or whatever station my parents had playing, either at home or in the car. Agin, that was mostly pop if my mom was listening to anything, and oldies (most Motown) if my dad was playing music.

But even at such a young age this song made an impact on me. Enough so that when my friend, Matt, received 101 for Christman in 1989, I asked to borrow his tapes because I remembered liking "People Are People" back when I was a kid, a whole five years previous.

So while "Personal Jesus" is the song that grabbed a hold of me, and really, never let go, "People Are People" was the song that started my affinity for Depeche Mode, I just did not realize it when I was 10.

I know the band isn't keen on playing this live anymore, but it will always hold a special place in my heart.

I've included the live version from 101 as that's what pulled me back in. 

Enjoy!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Black Sabbath "War Pigs"

Sadly, just a bit ago, Ozzy Osbourne passed , having only recently staged his farewell concert with the other surviving members of Black Sabbath. While I admit that I am far from a metal-head, I certainly respect Ozzy's contribution to music in general, and metal in particular. They were the marred and tarnished flipside of the coin to their peers, Led Zeppelin, and yet, no one else was like them. No one else could be Black Sabbath, and certainly, no one else could have been Ozzy Osbourne. Rest in Peace, Ozzy. Note: I typically post links to music Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays, but made an exception this morning for a programming note to highlight Bandcamp Friday. Tomorrow I will continue posting links to music you can find there, but if anyone deserved to be part of an exception, it was definitely Ozzy.

Nine Inch Nails "Closer" (B Stage Remix w/Boys Noize)

At 30+ years old I think we can all agree that "Closer" was a hit that was about as perfect as it could have been, and has since become a classic.  But ever since I saw NIN in Detroit, and even before, thanks to YouTube, I have been obsessed with this remix of the track. I thought maybe that would fade, but here we are weeks later and I am still impressed with not only the audacity to rework such a well-known, iconic song, but I'm equally astounding as to how well it works. And now, with the Coachella lineup announced  (see above as well), it's obvious that this NIN/Boys Noize collaboration is going to continue as Nine Inch Noize. Personally, I love it, and am hopeful to get an official release of this version so I can buy it and listen to it to my heart's content. Welcome to Monday! Enjoy!

Nitzer Ebb "Getting Closer"

When I posted earlier today about Brian Wilson I didn't think that I would be making a second exception so soon, let alone just a few hours later. Sadness... We all have those songs that when we throw them on we instantly get pumped up. For me, "Getting Closer" is one of those seminal songs. I first heard of Nitzer Ebb when I saw them on the ticket that I purchased for my first concert: Depeche Mode at Pine Knob in 1990. I had no idea what "Nitzer Ebb" meant, but after talking to anyone who might have known I found out they were an EBM band from the UK, and were lablemates of Depeche Mode on Mute Records. They had just released their album Showtime and would be supporting DM on their "World Violation" tour that summer. This was in the decades well before streaming, so if you wanted to check a new band out you had to actually buy their album, or in my case, their CD. So, I did. 35 years later "Getting Closer," as well as "Fun To Be Had...