Depeche Mode “Blasphemous Rumours” 1984. 12″ single, Mute Records. Today, July 23rd, is Martin Gore’s 60th birthday (b. 1961). Depeche Mode released “Blasphemous Rumours” and “Somebody” (both on their ‘84 LP Some Great Reward: “Somebody” sung by Martin Gore)  as a compromise double-sided single after religious groups were outraged by the lyrical content of “Blasphemous Rumours” – a girl tries to commit suicide, finds God and then is killed by a car. A priest from Depeche Mode’s hometown of Basildon went so far as to rebuke the band for suggesting that “God has a sick sense of humor.“ The double-single made it to #16 on the UK single charts. “Somebody” appears on this 12″ on Side B as a live track, along with “Two Minute Warning” and “Everything Counts” (from DM’s 1983 album Construction Time Again). “Ice Machine” goes back to the Vince Clark days of Speak & Spell where it is the B-side to “Dreaming of Me.” Depeche Mode recorded the live tracks at The Empire Theatre in Liverpool on September 29th, 1984.