Recorded 2005 Label Mute – BONG39 | Genre Synthrock | |
Released 30 October 2006 (2006-10-30) Format CD
Maxi-CD
DVD
digital download Length 3:23 (album/single version)
3:07 (radio version) | ||
"Martyr" is the 45th UK single by Depeche Mode. It was released as a non-album single intended to promote the new compilation, The Best Of, Volume 1, that was released on 13 November 2006. The single was released on 30 October 2006 in three formats: CD single, CD maxi and DVD single. There was also a limited edition double-12" single (L12BONG39) featuring four remixes of previous Depeche Mode tracks.
Contents
The song, originally titled "Martyr for Love", is a well-known missing track from the Playing the Angel sessions. The song was mentioned on one of the FletchCam videos (where it can faintly be heard playing in the background), and was mentioned in interviews. Playing the Angel programmer Dave McCracken has said that it was considered by the band as the first single from Playing the Angel but it did not make the album due to its poppier sound, when compared with other album tracks.
The single became Depeche Mode's 35th to hit the UK Top 20.
Music video
A video was being directed by Andreas Nilsson, who was reportedly hired because Dave Gahan was impressed by his video for The Knife's "Silent Shout". The video was made in Gothenburg, Sweden, and members of the group do not appear in it. The band subsequently rejected this video, which was replaced with a video montage released on 8 October 2006 and directed by Robert Chandler, in which Dave Gahan seemingly sings the song, this being achieved by the succession of short clips of Depeche Mode's videos in which Dave either says the words featured in the lyrics of "Martyr", or he lip-syncs the lyrics, meaning that his lips move in a similar fashion of that when the words in the lyrics are being said. It does not appear on their Best Of DVD compilation.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Martyr":
- "Martyr" – 3.23
- "Never Let Me Down Again (Digitalism Remix)" – 4.36
- "Martyr (Booka Shade Dub)" – 8.17
- "Martyr (Dreher & S.M. Art B.N. Reload Remix)" – 5.17
- "Martyr (Alex Smoke Gravel Remix)" – 6.39