Music For the Masses went to #10 in the UK and to #35 in the US. Depeche Mode released the first single, “Strangelove,” a few months before the album, in April ‘87. It hit #16 in the UK and a more uptempo version (“Strangelove ‘88″) made it to #50 in the US. “Never Let Me Down Again,” which was released as a single in August ‘87, hit #63 in the US and #22 in the UK. It was then and remains now one of my favorite Depeche Mode songs ever: it’s danceable and dramatic, atmospheric, and gorgeous with odd emphases and lyrical punctuations. “Behind the Wheel” was the third single, a track that at one point in the 80’s Spin ranked at #30 in their Greatest Singles of Alltime. I love it and while it’s not on the LP version, the extended “Route 66” mashup makes it even better; the “Route 66” version went to #61 on the US singles chart and to #3 on the Dance chart. “Nothing” is another favorite, full of darkness and nihilism, and the stark desperation of “I Want You Now” is heart-wrenching. “Little 15,” the album’s final single, pretty much freaked me out with its dense, creepy funhouse synths and menacing lyrics.

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I still really really love Music For the Masses. It is moody, introspective, spacious  yet still danceable. The single “Strangelove” was released months before the album, in April ‘87, hitting #16 in the UK and a more uptempo version (“Strangelove ‘88″) made it to #50 in the US. I was, and still am, enamored with “Never Let Me Down Again,” which was released as a single in August ‘87, hitting #63 in the US and  #22 in the UK. It is dramatic and atmospheric, with odd emphases and lyrical punctuations (”We’re flying high/We’re watching the world pass us by/Never want to come down/Never want to put my feet back down on the ground”). “Nothing” is another favorite, full of darkness and nihilism, and the stark desperation of “I Want You Now” is heart-wrenching. “Little 15″ pretty much freaked me out – the dense and creepy funhouse synths, the menacing lyrics – and it still does.

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“Music For the Masses” is Depeche Mode’s 6th studio album, its title purposely misleading as the band did not intend the record to be commercially accessible; instead making a more minimal, introspective and moody synth (un)pop album. Despite this, it reached #10 on the UK charts and #35 in the US and was supported by a massively successful  world tour. The single “Strangelove” was released months before the album, in April ‘87, hitting #16 in the UK and a more uptempo version (“Strangelove ‘88″) made it to #50 in the US. “Never Let Me Down Again,” one of my favorite tracks on “Music For the Masses,” came out in August ‘87. “Nothing” is another favorite, so very very dark and the stark desperation of “I Want You Now” is heart-wrenching. “Little 15″ pretty much freaked me out – and it still does.

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