Personal Jesus


"Personal Jesus" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released as the lead single from their seventh studio album, Violator in 1989. It reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was their first to make the US Top 40 since 1984's "People Are People", and was their first gold-certified single in the US. In Germany, "Personal Jesus" is one of the band's longest-charting songs, staying on the singles chart for 23 weeks.
In 2004, "Personal Jesus" was ranked No. 368 in Rolling Stones list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and in September 2006 it was voted as one of the "100 Greatest Songs Ever" in Q magazine. "Personal Jesus" was rereleased as a single on 30 May 2011 for the Depeche Mode remix album , with the leading remix by the production team Stargate. The song has been covered by numerous artists, including Marilyn Manson, Johnny Cash and Gravity Kills. "I was never a huge fan of synth music in the Eighties," Hagar remarked, "but that song has a badass groove and a cool lyric."

Background and composition

In mid-1989, the band began recording in Milan with record producer Flood. The result of this session was the single "Personal Jesus", which featured a catchy bluesy riff and drum-based sound, radically different from anything the band had released thus far. Although not the first Depeche Mode song to feature guitar parts, it was the first time a guitar was used as a dominant instrument in a Depeche Mode song. The song was inspired by the book Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley. According to songwriter Martin Gore:
"Personal Jesus" is written in the key of F minor with a tempo of 194 beats per minute in time.

Promotion and release

Prior to its release, advertisements were placed in the personal columns of regional newspapers in the UK with the words "Your own personal Jesus." Later, the ads included a phone number one could dial to hear the song. The ensuing controversy helped propel the single to No. 13 on the UK charts, becoming one of Depeche Mode's biggest sellers. The single was particularly successful commercially thanks to the fact that it was released six months prior to the album it would later appear on. Up to that point, it was the best selling 12" single in Warner Bros. history.
"Personal Jesus" had a plethora of remixes, almost unprecedented for Depeche Mode at the time. While most other Depeche Mode singles prior to "Personal Jesus" usually had band-made extended mixes, Depeche Mode started to invite more DJs and mixers to the fold, which would become the mainstay for all future Depeche Mode singles. François Kevorkian mixed the single version, the "Holier Than Thou Approach", the "Pump Mix", and the lesser-known "Kazan Cathedral Mix", while producer Flood mixed the "Acoustic" version and the "Telephone Stomp Mix" as well as the single version and "Sensual Mix" of the single's B-side "Dangerous". The "Hazchemix" and "Hazchemix Edit" of "Dangerous" were mixed by Daniel Miller.
The back-cover of "Personal Jesus" features one of the band members and the back-side of a naked woman. The band member she is with depends on whether it is the 7" vinyl, the 12" vinyl, the cassette, or the original CD. On some copies she does not appear at all, such as the 2004 CD re-release, and on promo copies. On some limited releases, like the GBong17, all four photos are available plus one photo of the full group with Martin hugging the woman.

Music video

The Anton Corbijn directed the music video for "Personal Jesus" is his first Depeche Mode video in colour, and features the band in a ranch, placed in the Tabernas Desert of Almería, in Spain. MTV edited out some suggestive mouth movements of Martin Gore during the bridge and replaced it with some other footage from the video.

Track listings

All songs written by Martin Gore.
; 7", Cassette: Mute / Bong17, CBong17
  1. "Personal Jesus" – 3:44
  2. "Dangerous" – 4:20
; 7": Mute / GBong17
  1. "Personal Jesus" – 3:44
  2. "Dangerous " – 3:01
  3. "Personal Jesus " – 3:26
; 12", mini-CD: Mute / 12Bong17, CDBong17
  1. "Personal Jesus " – 5:51
  2. "Dangerous " – 5:24
  3. "Personal Jesus " – 3:26
; Limited 12", mini-CD: Mute / L12Bong17, LCDBong17
  1. "Personal Jesus " – 7:47
  2. "Personal Jesus " – 5:32
  3. "Dangerous " – 5:34
; CD: Mute / CDBong17X
  1. "Personal Jesus" – 3:44
  2. "Dangerous" – 4:20
  3. "Personal Jesus " – 3:26
  4. "Dangerous " – 3:01
  5. "Personal Jesus " – 5:51
  6. "Dangerous " – 5:24
  7. "Personal Jesus " – 7:47
  8. "Personal Jesus " – 5:32
  9. "Dangerous " – 5:34
; CD: Sire/Reprise / 21328-2
  1. "Personal Jesus" – 3:44
  2. "Personal Jesus " – 5:51
  3. "Dangerous " – 5:34
  4. "Personal Jesus " – 7:47
  5. "Personal Jesus " – 3:26
  6. "Dangerous " – 5:24
  7. "Personal Jesus " – 5:32
  8. "Dangerous" – 4:20
Francois Kevorkian
Flood
Daniel Miller

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
Australia 134

Chart Peak
position

Chart Peak
position

Certifications

"Personal Jesus 2011"

"Personal Jesus 2011" is the preceding single to the remix compilation album . The digital single was released in the UK on 18 April 2011 and a day later in the US. It was released on CD and vinyl on 30 May 2011.

Track listings

CD
  1. "Personal Jesus" – 3:57
  2. "Personal Jesus" – 5:57
  3. "Personal Jesus" – 7:26
  4. "Personal Jesus" – 5:24
  5. "Personal Jesus" – 6:25
12" vinyl
  1. "Personal Jesus" – 5:54
  2. "Personal Jesus" – 5:22
  3. "Personal Jesus" – 3:56
  4. "Personal Jesus" – 7:25
  5. "Personal Jesus" – 6:25
Digital Download
  1. "Personal Jesus" – 3:56
  2. "Personal Jesus" – 3:27
Beatport Exclusive Digital Download
  1. "Personal Jesus" – 7:26
  2. "Never Let Me Down Again" – 7:01
Promo CD
  1. "Personal Jesus" – 3:57
  2. "Personal Jesus" – 3:27
  3. "Personal Jesus" – 5:57
  4. "Personal Jesus" – 7:26
  5. "Personal Jesus" – 5:24
  6. "Personal Jesus" – 6:25
iTunes Store
  1. "Personal Jesus" – 5:57
  2. "Personal Jesus" – 7:26
  3. "Personal Jesus" – 5:24
  4. "Personal Jesus" – 5:56

    Charts

Johnny Cash cover

In 2002, American country singer Johnny Cash covered "Personal Jesus" for his album . The idea to cover the song was suggested by record producer Rick Rubin. Cash called it "probably the most evangelical gospel song I ever recorded".

Marilyn Manson cover

released their cover version of the track as the only previously unreleased recording included on their 2004 greatest hits album . The band's eponymous vocalist explained to MTV that he decided to cover "Personal Jesus" as: "I thought if I had to write a song, exactly what I would say.... I think it takes a little more of an ironic tone when you put it in context with what's going on today." He additionally described the original song and Depeche Mode's music in general as hypnotic, sexy and inspirational. Its music video was directed by Manson and Nathan Cox. The song won an award in the 'pop' category of the 2005 BMI Awards, while its music video received two nominations at the 2005 Music Video Production Awards.

Formats and track listings

  1. "Personal Jesus" – 4:06
  2. "Personal Jesus" – 5:50
  1. "Personal Jesus" – 4:06
  2. "This Is the New Shit" – 4:28
  1. "Personal Jesus" – 4:06
  2. "Mobscene Replet" – 4:35
  3. "Personal Jesus" – 5:50
  4. "Personal Jesus"
  1. "Personal Jesus" – 4:06
  2. "New Shit Invective" – 4:25
  3. "Mobscene Replet" – 4:35
  4. "Personal Jesus"

    Charts