Depeche Mode “Strangelove” 1987. Bong13. US 12″ single on Sire. Today, May 9th, is Depeche Mode singer/songwriter Dave Gahan’s birthday (b. 1962). From dM’s sixth studio album Music For the Masses, “Strangelove” reached #16 in the UK. The 12″ single has three versions of “Strangelove” – the Maxi-Mix, the Midi-Mix and the Blind Mix, remixed by Daniel Miller and Rico Conning.

The Maxi-Mix is, as the title suggests, longer than the single by about double. The Midi-Mix is almost childlike: it sounds like the keyboards are a kid’s toy mixed with the innocent tapping of multicolored xylophones, muted and tiny in arrangement and length (just 1:38 with no vocals). The Blind Mix has a more industrial-meets-techno beat as compared to the original. “Fpmip,“ a remix of “Pimpf” which also appears on Music For the Masses, is a dark piano instrumental with eery church like chanting at the intro.

There are an almost shocking number of versions of “Strangelove” out there, on CD and vinyl in sizes 3″ CD, 7″ and 12″ vinyl. Depending on the UK or US origin and label, the mixes and B-side tracks vary widely, and I will spin another version at some point in the future.