Strangelove (song)


"Strangelove" is the eighteenth UK single by Depeche Mode, released on 13 April 1987 as the lead single 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 Ireland, 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.
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", reaching this time 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".
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. "Agent Orange" later shows up as the first bonus track on the CD/Cassette version of Music for the Masses.
There are 3 different durations for "Pimpf":
  1. "Pimpf" 3.56: This version appears on the original vinyl releases
  2. "Pimpf" 4.55: This version appears on vinyl & compact disc versions and contains a hidden track, Interlude #1, which starts at 4.18
  3. "Pimpf" 4.34: This version appears on the "Strangelove" single release.

    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, 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 Videos 86>98+ DVD in 2002. This video is much simpler than the original, and features the band performing inside a city-scape location.

Track listings

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

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

    12": Mute / 12Bong13 (UK)

  3. "Strangelove " – 6:32
  4. "Strangelove " – 1:38
  5. "Fpmip" – 5:21

    12": Mute / L12Bong13 (UK)

  6. "Strangelove " – 6:31
  7. "Pimpf" – 4:33
  8. "Strangelove " – 7:19
  9. "Agent Orange" – 5:05

    12": Mute / DanceBong13 (UK)

  10. "Strangelove " – 6:31
  11. "Strangelove " – 8:14
  1. "Strangelove " – 6:32
  2. "Pimpf" – 4:33
  3. "Strangelove " – 1:38
  4. "Agent Orange" – 5:05
  5. "Strangelove" – 3:45
  1. "Strangelove" – 3:45
  2. "Pimpf" – 4:33
  3. "Strangelove " – 6:32
  4. "Agent Orange" – 5:05
  5. "Strangelove " – 6:31
  6. "Fpmip" – 5:21
  7. "Strangelove " – 7:19
  8. "Strangelove " – 1:38
  1. "Strangelove " – 6:32
  2. "Strangelove " – 1:38
  3. "Strangelove " – 6:10
  4. "Fpmip" – 5:21

    12" Sire / 0-20769 (US)

  5. "Strangelove" – 7:19
  6. "Strangelove" – 3:29
  7. "Agent Orange" – 5:05
All songs written by Martin Gore

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

  1. "Strangelove " – 3:52
  2. "Nothing " – 3:58

    7" Sire / 7-27777 (US)

  3. "Strangelove" – 3:44
  4. "Nothing" – 3:58
  1. "Strangelove " – 6:30
  2. "Strangelove " – 3:46
  3. "Nothing " – 7:06
  4. "Nothing " – 6:40

    CD Sire / PRO-CD-3213 (US)

  5. "Strangelove" – 3:46
  6. "Strangelove" – 3:44
  7. "Strangelove" – 3:57
  8. "Strangelove" – 6:30
The "Zip Hop Mix" of Nothing appeared on the rare fourth disc of Depeche Mode's remix compilation, Remixes 81-04 in 2004.