Depeche Mode “A Question of Time,” the third single from Black Celebration which was released 35 years ago today, March 17th, 1986. This 12″ single on Mute Records has the Extended Remix of “A Question of Time,” a longer, slightly faster version of the dark industrial dance synthpop track that appears on the Black Celebration. The 7″ single version (also faster than the album’s) went to #17 in the UK and to #34 on the US Dance chart. Side B has three live tracks, recorded on April 10th, 1986 at the Birmingham N.E.C., two from Black Celebration: “Black Celebration” and one of my favorites “Stripped,” plus “Something to Do” from their ‘84 album Some Great Reward.

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Let’s have a black celebration
Black celebration
Tonight

To celebrate the fact

That we’ve seen the back
Of another black day

I look to you
How you carry on
When all hope is gone
Can’t you see?
Your optimistic eyes
Seem like paradise
To someone like
Me

Black Celebration was Depeche Mode’s fifth studio LP. It went to #4 in the UK and #90 in the US. DM released three singles off the record: “Stripped” (#15 UK and one of the darkest, rawest love songs I’ve ever heard), “A Question of Lust” (sung by Martin Gore, #28 UK) and “A Question of Time” (#17 UK). I bought this copy very soon after its release in ‘86; I had most of the lyrics memorized by that May – I remember writing the lyrics to “New Dress” on the sidewalk in Houdini Plaza that month for a peace rally a bunch of us local teen punks held while we skipped school that day:

You can’t change the world
But you can change the facts
When you change the facts
You change points of view
When you change points of view

You may change a vote
And when you change a vote
You may change the world

My friend Carrie and I saw Depeche Mode while they were on tour for Black Celebration on June 22nd of ‘86 outside of Chicago at the Poplar Creek Music Theater. My dad and grandpa drove us there from Wisconsin in my grandpa’s motorhome and they hung out in the parking lot while Carrie and I went to the show (Book of Love opened). We bought a concert program as well as DM and Book of Love t-shirts, my Depeche Mode t-shirt taken by some boy or other later that summer.

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You can’t change the world
But you can change the facts
When you change the facts
You change points of view
When you change points of view

You may change a vote
And when you change a vote
You may change the world

My friend Carrie and I saw Depeche Mode while they were on tour for Black Celebration on June 22nd of ‘86 outside of Chicago at the Poplar Creek Music Theater. My dad and grandpa drove us there from Wisconsin in my grandpa’s motorhome and they hung out in the parking lot while Carrie and I went to the show (Book of Love opened). We bought a concert program (are those still a thing?) and both DM and Book of Love t-shirts, my Depeche Mode t-shirt taken by some boy or other later that summer, which I’m still kinda pissed about. But I wore The Book of Love shirt  until it disintegrated.

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