DEPECHE MODE: 40 years ago – “Construction Time Again” (Part 3)

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

“…that the world is a whole.” (Martin Gore)

In the first two parts of our “Construction Time Again” special on Depeche Mode ‘s 40th anniversary, we talked about the circumstances surrounding the recordings themselves, the videos and what the title and album cover are all about. You can read the first part here.

The songs:

1. “Love, in Itself” – The third single release reached number 21 in the UK charts. The message of the song: Love is not enough.

2. “More than a Party” – The thought-provoking text was written by Martin Gore.

3. “Pipeline” – Consists entirely of samples recorded during a walk down Brick Lane in London’s East End. Even the vocals were recorded in a railroad arch. A passing train can be clearly heard.

4. “Everything Counts” – Martin Gore played the melodica for the second single release not only for the studio, but also live during the concerts. He found inspiration during the concert tour in Thailand, where he was touched by the misery of the people and saw that many women were forced to live from prostitution. The working title was “Grabbing Hands Music” as an allusion to the few rich and powerful people who rule the world.

5. “Two Minute Warning” – Originates from Alan Wilder. It is about nuclear armament during the Cold War, which was in full swing in the 1980s.

6. “Shame” – In September 1983, Martin Gore told the NME the story of how the album came about, which can be traced back to an impressive visit to Thailand “When you go there, all the hotels are full of business people and they treat people as if they were nothing. All they care about is their business. That’s what I hate about big companies, people just don’t seem to matter. Just money.”

7. “The Landscape Is Changing” – Also written by Alan. Wilder was inspired by a documentary about acid rain.

8. “Told You So” – A particularly critical song from the pen of Martin Gore. It is speculated that this is about religion and social policy, for example that the blind are guided by the blind.

9. “And Then…” – Talking about a “revolution” here reflects Depeche Mode’s awareness of the world as a whole: “Yes, we were getting a bit older and had already seen more of the world. We’d even been to Asia. We realized more clearly that the world is something whole,” said Martin Gore.

Daniel Miller remarked in the same documentary on the occasion of the CD/DVD edition of “Construction Time Again”: “I don’t want to say it was Martin’s first real album as a songwriter, but it was the first fully formed one.”

Fancy Depeche Mode live?

Here are the dates:
17.02.2024 Hamburg, Barclays Arena, Germany
22.02.2024 Prague, O2 Arena, Czech Republic
24.02.2024 Prague, O2 Arena, Czech Republic
27.02.2024 Lodz, Atlas Arena, Poland
29.02.2024 Lodz, Atlas Arena, Poland
03.03.2024 Paris, Accor-Arena, France
05.03.2024 Paris, Accor-Arena, France
07.03.2024 Munich, Olympiahalle, Germany
12.03.2024 Madrid, WiZink Center, Spain
14.03.2024 Madrid, WiZink-Center Spain
16.03.2024 Barcelona, Palau Sant Jordi, Spain
19.03.2024 Lisbon, Altice Arena, Portugal
21.03.2024 Bilbao, BEC Exhibition Center, Spain
23.03.2024 Turin, Pala Alpitour, Italy
26.03.2024 Budapest, MVM Dome, Hungary
28.03.2024 Milan, Mediolanum Forum, Italy
30.03.2024 Milan, Mediolanum Forum, Italy
03.04.2024 Cologne, Lanxess Arena, Germany
05.04.2024 Cologne, Lanxess Arena, Germany