Neha Patil (Editor)

Strangelove (song)

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Length
  
4:55

Writer(s)
  
Martin Gore

B-side
  
"Pimpf", "Agent Orange"

Format
  
Vinyl record (7" and 12") CD

Label
  
Mute (catalogue number: BONG 13)

Producer(s)
  
Depeche Mode David Bascombe

"Strangelove" is a single by Depeche Mode from their sixth studio album Music for the Masses. It reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart, number 2 in West Germany and in South Africa, and was a Top 10 success in several other countries, including Sweden and Switzerland. In the US it reached number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the first of 9 number-ones on the US Dance charts, where it stayed for three weeks at the top.

Contents

The original version of "Strangelove" is a fast-paced pop track. Though successful, this did not seem to fit with Music for the Masses's darker style, so Daniel Miller made a slower version that became the album version. Alan Wilder, in the Q&A section of his Recoil website, writes that the band felt the single version was "too cluttered" and was the reason Miller's remix was commissioned. Miller expounded on this in the Music for the Masses re-master documentary DVD, stating he felt the original single version was too complicated and would benefit from being simplified.

It was remixed by production team Bomb the Bass and released again as a single in the US as "Strangelove '88", finally reaching number 50 on the Hot 100.

B-sides

There are two B-sides for "Strangelove", both instrumental. "Pimpf" is a dark instrumental that is mostly piano, named after a magazine of the Hitler Youth organizations. "Pimpf" later shows up as the final track on Music for the Masses. There is also a remix available on some "Strangelove" single releases called "Fpmip" ("Pimpf" backwards).

The second instrumental is "Agent Orange", named after the herbicide used in the Vietnam War. At the end of the song, you can hear some Morse code. Rumoured to mean "If anybody can hear this, please help me", it is actually just gibberish (LAXI ".-.. .- -..- ..", several times repeated). "Agent Orange" later shows up as the first bonus track on the CD/Cassette version of Music for the Masses.

Music videos

The music video for "Strangelove" was directed by Anton Corbijn and appears on the Strange video and The Videos 86>98. Shot on Super 8 and monochrome, the video sees the band in various Paris locations, hotel rooms and in a studio posing in front of a rolling backdrop. The live action is combined with short stop-frame animation sequences. The video also stars two models in underwear (one of whom was Anton Corbijn's partner), as well as passing pedestrians, featured in the closing 'out-takes' sequence of fast-edit shots. In the USA, MTV objected to some of the more revealing footage of the models and the video was edited to replace them with images of the band.

There was also a Corbijn-directed video for "Pimpf", exclusive to the Strange video, which features Dave Gahan, Andy Fletcher and Alan Wilder shouting at each other and syncing with the synthetic chanting, while Martin Gore plays the song on a piano. While Gore plays the piano in the video, it is Wilder who plays the piano on all piano-instrumentals by the band from 1987–1990 as well as "Somebody".

In 1988, another video for "Strangelove" was released for the album version. It was directed by Martyn Atkins, who did photography for earlier DM albums. It was not publicly released on any videocassettes or DVDs until the The Videos 86>98+ DVD in 2002. This video is much simpler than the original, and features the band performing inside a city-scape location (Senate House, the federal headquarters of the University of London).

7": Mute / Bong13 (UK) & 7": Sire / 7-28366 (US)

  1. "Strangelove" – 3:45
  2. "Pimpf" – 4:33

12": Mute / 12Bong13 (UK)

  1. "Strangelove (Maxi Mix)" – 6:32
  2. "Strangelove (Midi Mix)" – 1:38
  3. "Fpmip" – 5:21

12": Mute / L12Bong13 (UK)

  1. "Strangelove (Blind Mix)" – 6:31
  2. "Pimpf" – 4:33
  3. "Strangelove (Pain Mix)" – 7:19 (remixed by Phil Harding)
  4. "Agent Orange" – 5:05

12": Mute / DanceBong13 (UK)

  1. "Strangelove (Blind Mix)" – 6:31
  2. "Strangelove (The Fresh Ground Mix)" – 8:14 (remixed by Phil Harding)
  • Very rare promo release, with a white label, though some bootlegs are available.

    • CD: Mute / CDBong13 (UK)

    1. "Strangelove (Maxi Mix)" – 6:32
    2. "Pimpf" – 4:33
    3. "Strangelove (Midi Mix)" – 1:38
    4. "Agent Orange" – 5:05
    5. "Strangelove" – 3:45
  • Originally released in Cardsleeve [1987] in two different versions [black labeled/red labeled disc]
  • Re-released as 5track CD Single in Slim Jewel Case in 1991.

    • CD: Mute / CDBong13 (UK)

    1. "Strangelove" – 3:45
    2. "Pimpf" – 4:33
    3. "Strangelove (Maxi Mix)" – 6:32
    4. "Agent Orange" – 5:05
    5. "Strangelove (Blind Mix)" – 6:31
    6. "Fpmip" – 5:21
    7. "Strangelove (Pain Mix)" – 7:19
    8. "Strangelove (Midi Mix)" – 1:38
  • The second CD is the 1992 re-release

    • 12" Sire / 0-20696 (US)

    1. "Strangelove (Maxi Mix)" – 6:32
    2. "Strangelove (Midi Mix)" – 1:38
    3. "Strangelove (Blind Mix Edit)" – 6:10
    4. "Fpmip" – 5:21

    12" Sire / 0-20769 (US)

    1. "Strangelove" (Pain Mix) – 7:19
    2. "Strangelove" (Pain Mix 7" Edit) – 3:29
    3. "Agent Orange" – 5:05
  • "Fpmip" is "Pimpf" with a different intro that sounds like the song played backwards.

    • All songs written by Martin Gore

    3"CD Sire/Reprise / 2-27777 (US)

    1. "Strangelove (Remix Edit)" – 3:52 (remixed by Tim Simenon & Mark Saunders)
    2. "Nothing (Remix Edit)" – 3:58 (remixed by Justin Strauss)

    7" Sire / 7-27777 (US)

    1. "Strangelove" (Album Version 7" Edit) – 3:44
    2. "Nothing" (Remix Edit) – 3:58
  • Also released on Cassette (Sire / 27991-4)

    • 12" Sire / 0-21022 (US)

    1. "Strangelove (Highjack Mix)" – 6:30 (remixed by Tim Simenon & Mark Saunders)
    2. "Strangelove (Remix Edit)" – 3:46
    3. "Nothing (Zip Hop Mix)" – 7:06 (remixed by Justin Strauss)
    4. "Nothing (Dub Mix)" – 6:40 (remixed by Justin Strauss)

    CD Sire / PRO-CD-3213 (US)

    1. "Strangelove" (Remix Edit) – 3:46
    2. "Strangelove" (Album Version 7" Edit) – 3:44
    3. "Strangelove" (Blind Mix 7" Edit) – 3:57
    4. "Strangelove" (Highjack Mix) – 6:30
  • US promo CD

    • The "Zip Hop Mix" of Nothing appeared on the rare fourth disc of Depeche Mode's remix compilation, Remixes 81-04 in 2004.

  • All songs written by Martin Gore

    • Charts

    1Remix

    Other appearances and versions

  • In 1988, along with the track "Nothing", a new mix of the song hit the American dance charts and on 7 September 1988 the band played "Strangelove" on the MTV Video Music Awards in the US.
  • "Strangelove" has been sampled in the songs "Life Ain't a Game" by Ja Rule, "I Won't Be Crying" by Infernal, "Fuck You Blind" by Kid Rock and "Point of View" by Samantha Mumba.
  • In 1994, Italian musician Savage covered the song for his album Strangelove.
  • "Strangelove" was covered by two bands for Gucci's new perfume Guilty advertising campaigns in 2010-11: Friendly Fires for Gucci's Guilty For Her in 2010 and Bat for Lashes for Gucci's Guilty For Him perfume advert, screened in 2011. Both songs were released as free mp3 downloads from Gucci's YouTube page and various blogs.
  • "Strangelove" was covered by English musician Bat For Lashes during her appearances in June 2011 at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall for the annual arts/entertainment/music festival 'Vivid Live'.
  • In 2011, the song was covered by DMK, a band featuring Colombian artist Dicken Schrader and his children Milah and Korben, playing toys and common utensils as musical instruments.
  • in May 2016, this song was covered by the Venezuelan electro/dance/rap singer D'viazzo

    • References

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