Puneet Varma (Editor)

Condemnation (song)

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Released
  
13 September 1993

Length
  
3:22

B-side
  
"Death's Door (Jazz Mix)"

Format
  
Vinyl record 12", Cassette, CD

Recorded
  
January 1993; Madrid, Hamburg, London

Genre
  
Gospel, alternative rock, piano rock

"Condemnation" is a song by Depeche Mode, released as the group's twenty-ninth UK single on 13 September 1993 (14 September in the US), and the third single from their album Songs of Faith and Devotion. The song reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart.

Contents

"Condemnation" is a gospel-esque song with a rock twist. The 7" version is the "Paris Mix", with female backing vocals added and an emerging drum beat scheme. Band members indicated that this song normally would have been sung by Martin Gore, but Dave Gahan insisted on singing it instead. Gahan voted for "Condemnation" to be the first single for Songs of Faith and Devotion, but lost.

The B-sides are remixes of "Death's Door" and "Rush", and some live tracks from the Devotional Tour. "Death's Door" was a song from the 1991 Until the End of the World soundtrack. The original version is still exclusive to that CD, recorded only by Martin Gore and Alan Wilder after the World Violation Tour was over.

The music video for "Condemnation" was directed by Anton Corbijn and was shot in Hungary. For unknown reasons, it did not appear on The Videos 86-98 in 1998, replaced by the live version from Devotional. The original video eventually resurfaced on The Videos 86-98's 2002 re-release (The Videos 86-98+). Both videos appear on the Devotional DVD re-release in 2004 (although the "Condemnation Live" video was edited so that it wasn't identical to the one in the main Devotional movie).

South African band Absinthe covered the song on their album A Rendezvous at Nirvana.

7", Cassette: Mute / Bong23, CBong23 – UK

  1. "Condemnation (Paris Mix)" – 3:21 (remix by Alan Wilder & Steve Lyon)
  2. "Death's Door (Jazz Mix)" – 6:38 (remix by Depeche Mode & Steve Lyon)
  • 7" released as a promo only, not commercially released, hence why both songs appear on the 12" version.

    • 12": Mute / 12Bong23 – UK

    1. "Condemnation (Paris Mix)" – 3:21
    2. "Death's Door (Jazz Mix)" – 6:38
    3. "Rush (Spiritual Guidance Mix)" – 5:31 (remix by Jack Dangers)
    4. "Rush (Amylnitrate Mix – Instrumental)" – 7:43 (remix by Tony Garcia & Guido Osorio)
    5. "Rush (Wild Planet Mix – Vocal)" – 6:23 (remix by Tony Garcia & Guido Osorio)

    12": Mute / L12Bong23 – UK

    1. "Condemnation (Live)" – 4:10
    2. "Personal Jesus (Live)" – 6:00
    3. "Enjoy the Silence (Live)" – 6:46
    4. "Halo (Live)" – 4:54

    CD: Mute / CDBong23 – UK

    1. "Condemnation (Paris Mix)" – 3:21
    2. "Death's Door (Jazz Mix)" – 6:38
    3. "Rush (Spiritual Guidance Mix)" – 5:31 (remix by Jack Dangers)
    4. "Rush (Amylnitrate Mix – Instrumental)" – 7:43 (remix by Tony Garcia & Guido Osorio)

    CD: Mute / LCDBong23 – UK

    1. "Condemnation (Live)" – 4:10
    2. "Personal Jesus (Live)" – 6:00
    3. "Enjoy the Silence (Live)" – 6:46
    4. "Halo (Live)" – 4:54

    CD: Mute / CDBong23X – EU

    1. "Condemnation (Paris Mix)" – 3:21
    2. "Death's Door (Jazz Mix)" – 6:38
    3. "Rush (Spiritual Guidance Mix)" – 5:31
    4. "Rush (Amylnitrate Mix – Instrumental)" – 7:43
    5. "Rush (Wild Planet Mix – Vocal)" – 6:23
    6. "Condemnation (Live)" – 4:10
    7. "Personal Jesus (Live)" – 6:00
    8. "Enjoy the Silence (Live)" – 6:46
    9. "Halo (Live)" – 4:54
  • This CD is the 2004 re-release

    • Promo 12": Mute / P12Bong23 (UK)

    1. "Condemnation (Paris Mix )" - 3:22
    2. "Death's Door (Jazz Mix Mix)" - 6:38
    3. "Rush (Spiritual Guidance Mix)" - 5:31

    Promo 12": Mute / PL12Bong23R (UK)

    1. "Rush (Spiritual Guidance Mix)" - 5:31
    2. "Rush (Amylnitrate Mix (Instrumental))" - 7:41
    3. "Rush (Wild Planet Mix (Vocal))" - 6:23

    12": Sire/Reprise / 9 41058-0 – US

    1. "Condemnation (Live)" – 4:10
    2. "Enjoy the Silence (Live)" – 6:46
    3. "Halo (Live)" – 4:54
    4. "Death's Door (Jazz Mix)" – 6:38
    5. "Rush (Spiritual Guidance Mix)" – 5:31
    6. "Rush (Nitrate Mix)" – 7:43
    7. "Rush (Wild Planet Mix – Vocal)" – 6:23
    8. "Condemnation (Paris Mix)" – 3:21

    CD: Sire/Reprise / 9 41058-2 – US

    1. "Condemnation (Paris Mix)" – 3:21
    2. "Rush (Spiritual Guidance Mix)" – 5:31
    3. "Death's Door (Jazz Mix)" – 6:38
    4. "Rush (Nitrate Mix)" – 7:43
    5. "Enjoy the Silence (Live)" – 6:46
    6. "Halo (Live)" – 4:54
    7. "Condemnation (Live)" – 4:10
  • The "Nitrate Mix" of "Rush" and the "Amylnitrate Mix – Instrumental" of "Rush" are the same.
  • All live songs were recorded in Milan, Italy in 1993.
  • All songs written by Martin Gore.

    • References

    Condemnation (song) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA