Strangelove (song)

"Strangelove"
Single by Depeche Mode
from the album Music for the Masses
B-side	"Pimpf", "Agent Orange"
Released	April 13, 1987
Format	Vinyl record (7" and 12"), CD
Recorded	1987
Genre	Alternative dance, New Wave
Length	3:44 (7"/single version) 6:32 (12" version) 4:55 (album version)
Label	Mute - BONG 13
Writer(s)	Martin Gore
Producer	Depeche Mode and David Bascombe
Depeche Mode singles chronology
"A Question of Time" (1986) "Strangelove" (1987) "Never Let Me Down Again" (1987)

"Strangelove" is Depeche Mode's eighteenth UK single, released on April 13, 1987, and the first single for the then upcoming album Music for the Masses. It reached #16 in the UK charts (Depeche Mode would fail to make the Top 10 of the UK singles chart throughout the second half of the 1980s), but hit #2 in West Germany and in South Africa, and was a Top 10 success in several other countries (Sweden, Switzerland, etc.).

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. It was released as a single itself in the USA as "Strangelove '88". 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.

B-sides

There are two B-Sides for "Strangelove", both instrumental. "Pimpf" is a dark instrumental that is mostly piano, named after the members of one of the Hitler Youth organizations. "Pimpf" later shows up as the final track on Music for the Masses.

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 in black and white, the video sees the band in various Paris locations, hotel rooms and in a studio posing in front of a rolling backdrop. At 0:24, the video shows an image of Senate House of University of London with the words "Strange Love" projected on it. The live action is combined with short stop-frame animation sequences. The video also stars two underwear models (one of who became Anton Corbijn's partner) as well as random 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 David Gahan, Alan Wilder and Andrew Fletcher 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 until the The Videos 86>98+ DVD in 2002. This video is much simpler than the original, and features the band performing inside a castle-like location.

Other appearances

On September 7, 1988, the band played "Strangelove" on the MTV Video Music Awards in the US. You can view it on the official Depeche Mode website

"Strangelove" has been sampled in the songs "Life Ain't a Game" by Ja Rule, "I Won't Be Crying" by Infernal and "Point of View" by Samantha Mumba.

Strangelove was covered by two bands for Gucci's new perfume Guilty advertising campaigns in 2010-11: Friendly Fires for Gucci Guilty For Her' in 2010 and Bat for Lashes for Gucci 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 appearance on the 3rd and 4 June 2011 at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall for the annual arts/entertainment/music festival 'Vivid Live'.

Track listings

7": Mute / 7Bong13 (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 L. 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 L. Gore

Trivia

• In 2011 the song was covered by Colombian artist Dicken Schrader featuring his daughter Milah and his son Korben playing common utensils as musical instruments.

External links

• Strangelove information from the official Depeche Mode web site
• Strangelove '88 information from the official Depeche Mode web site

Preceded by "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by Whitney Houston

Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single August 1, 1987 - August 15, 1987

Succeeded by "Tina Cherry" by Georgio