Enjoy the Silence

"Enjoy the Silence"
Single by Depeche Mode
from the album Violator
B-side
  • "Memphisto"
  • "Sibeling"
Released 16 January 1990[1]
Format
Recorded 1989 at Puk Studios (Denmark) and Logic Studios (Milan, Italy)[2]
Genre
Length 4:16
Label Mute
Songwriter(s) Martin Gore
Producer(s)
Depeche Mode singles chronology
"Personal Jesus"
(1989)		 "Enjoy the Silence"
(1990)		 "Policy of Truth"
(1990)
Music video
"Enjoy the Silence" on YouTube

"Enjoy the Silence" is a song by the English electronic band Depeche Mode, taken from their seventh studio album, Violator (1990). The song was recorded in 1989 and released on 16 January 1990 as the album's second single.

The single is Gold certificated in the US and Germany.[4] The song won Best British Single at the 1991 BRIT Awards.[5]

"Enjoy the Silence" was re-released as a single in 2004 for the Depeche Mode remix project Remixes 81–04, and was titled "Enjoy the Silence (Reinterpreted)" or, more simply, "Enjoy the Silence 04".

Background

Songwriter Martin Gore created a ballad-like first version of the song, which the band took into the studio in 1989. At band member Alan Wilder's insistence, the song was re-worked into the up-tempo version released on the album.[6] The "Harmonium" mix, released on the 12" single, is not the demo version, but rather a new version created to sound like the original demo.

B-sides

There are two instrumental B-sides to "Enjoy the Silence". "Sibeling" (the 12" B-side) is a soft piano-tune while "Memphisto" (the 7" B-side) is a darker, eerier track. The title of "Sibeling" refers to Finnish classical composer Jean Sibelius. According to Martin Gore, "Memphisto is the name of an imaginary film about Elvis as a Devil, that I created in my mind", and is a portmanteau of "Memphis" (where Elvis lived at Graceland) and "Mephisto".[7]

Music videos

Original versions

The Anton Corbijn-directed music video for "Enjoy the Silence" references the themes and storyline of the philosophical children's book The Little Prince from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Footage of Dave Gahan dressed as a stereotypical king wandering the hillsides of the Scottish Highlands, the coast of Algarve in Portugal and finally the Swiss Alps with a deck chair is intercut with black-and-white footage of the band posing. Brief flashes of a single rose (which is also on the album cover of Violator) appear throughout the scenes.

When Corbijn presented the concept of the video to the band, which at the time was simply "Dave dressed up as a king, walking around with a deck chair", they initially rejected it. They changed their minds, when he explained that the idea was that the King (Dave) represented "a man with everything in the world, just looking for a quiet place to sit"; a king of no kingdom. Andy Fletcher jokes that he favoured the video because "[he] only had to do about an hour's worth of work".

The video uses a slightly different mix of the album version of the song (the most notable difference being a new and extended introduction) that has not been released in any audio format. The final long shots of the king walking through the snow are not Gahan but rather the video's producer, Richard Bell. Gahan had left the set, tired of the cold in Switzerland (recounted by Gahan in the intro to The Videos (86-98) and to the DVD of The Best of Depeche Mode Volume 1).

There are two edited versions of the Corbijn-directed video. One version begins with Andy Fletcher looking towards his right as the song begins. Shots of Dave Gahan dressed as a king singing directly to the camera are intercut with scenes of his walking through the Scottish Highlands, the coast of Portugal and the Swiss Alps. The video ends with Gahan singing the last line, "Enjoy the silence.", then putting his finger in front of his lips as if to quiet the viewer.[8] This video is blocked in Canada, Japan, Mexico, United States.[9][10] The second version begins with Martin Gore looking to his right as the song begins. This version omits the shots of Gahan singing directly to the camera. In this version, the only lines Gahan is shown singing are "Words are very unnecessary/They can only do harm." The video ends with Gahan sitting on a deck chair in the snow while the last line, "Enjoy the silence.", is sung.[11] There are also differences in the group shots of the band standing together between the two versions.

Promo video

In 1990, a promotional video for "Enjoy the Silence" was shot by French TV (for the TV Show "Champs-Élysées" with Michel Drucker) featuring Depeche Mode lip-synching the song while standing atop the World Trade Center at the WTC rooftop World observatory, south Tower #2.[12]

Personnel

Track listing

7": Cassette: Mute / Bong18, CBong18 (UK)

  1. "Enjoy the Silence" – 4:15
  2. "Memphisto" – 4:02

12": Mute / 12Bong18 (UK)

  1. "Enjoy the Silence" – 4:15
  2. "Enjoy the Silence (Hands and Feet Mix)" – 7:18
  3. "Enjoy the Silence (Ecstatic Dub)" – 5:54
  4. "Sibeling" – 3:14

12": Mute / L12Bong18 (UK)

  1. "Enjoy the Silence (Bass Line)" – 7:40
  2. "Enjoy the Silence (Harmonium)" – 2:41
  3. "Enjoy the Silence (Ricki Tik Tik Mix)" – 5:27
  4. "Memphisto" – 4:05

12": Mute / XL12Bong18 (UK)

  1. "Enjoy the Silence (The Quad: Final Mix)" – 15:30

CD: Mute / CDBong18 (UK)

  1. "Enjoy the Silence" – 4:16
  2. "Enjoy the Silence (Hands and Feet Mix 3" Edit)" – 6:41
  3. "Enjoy the Silence (Ecstatic Dub Edit)" – 5:45
  4. "Sibeling" – 3:15
  • released as 3" CD, rereleases as 5" CD

CD: Mute / LCDBong18 (UK)

  1. "Enjoy the Silence (Bass Line)" – 7:40
  2. "Enjoy the Silence (Harmonium)" – 2:41
  3. "Enjoy the Silence (Ricki Tik Tik Mix)" – 5:27
  4. "Memphisto" – 4:05
  • released as 3" CD

CD: Mute / XLCDBong18 (UK)

  1. "Enjoy the Silence (The Quad: Final Mix)" – 15:27

Promo CD: Sire/Reprise / PRO-CD-3976 (US)

  1. "Enjoy the Silence" – 4:18
  2. "Enjoy the Silence (Hands and Feet Mix)" – 7:20
  3. "Enjoy the Silence (Bass Line)" – 7:40

CD: Mute / CDBong18X (EU)

  1. "Enjoy the Silence" – 4:15
  2. "Memphisto" – 4:02
  3. "Enjoy the Silence (Hands and Feet Mix 3" Edit)" – 6:41
  4. "Enjoy the Silence (Ecstatic Dub Edit)" – 5:45
  5. "Sibeling" – 3:15
  6. "Enjoy the Silence (Bass Line)" – 7:42
  7. "Enjoy the Silence (Harmonium)" – 2:41
  8. "Enjoy the Silence (Ricki Tik Tik Mix Promo Version)" – 5:59
  9. "Enjoy the Silence (The Quad: Final Mix)" – 15:30
  • This CD is the 2004 box set re-release

Promo 12": Mute / P12Bong18 (UK)

  1. "Enjoy the Silence (Bass Line)" – 7:40
  2. "Enjoy the Silence (Hands and Feet Mix 3" Edit)" – 6:41
  3. "Enjoy the Silence" – 4:15

Promo CD: Mute / CDBong18R (UK)

  1. "Enjoy the Silence" – 4:15
  2. "Memphisto" – 4:02

12"/Cassette: Sire/Reprise / 0-21490 / 4-21490 (US)

  1. "Enjoy the Silence (The Quad: Final Mix)" – 15:27
  2. "Enjoy the Silence (Ecstatic Dub)" – 5:54
  3. "Enjoy the Silence (Bass Line)" – 7:40
  4. "Enjoy the Silence (Hands and Feet Mix)" – 7:20
  5. "Memphisto" – 4:05

CD: Sire/Reprise / 21490-2 (US)

  1. "Enjoy the Silence" – 4:15
  2. "Enjoy the Silence (Hands and Feet Mix)" – 7:18
  3. "Sibeling" – 3:15
  4. "Enjoy the Silence (Bass Line)" – 7:40
  5. "Enjoy the Silence (Ecstatic Dub)" – 5:54
  6. "Memphisto" – 4:02
  7. "Enjoy the Silence (Ricki Tik Tik Mix)" – 5:27
  8. "Enjoy the Silence (Harmonium)" – 2:41

Reception

Pitchfork Media included the song at number 15 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.[13] In a review, Tim Di Gravina wrote that Enjoy the Silence is one of Depeche Mode's "greatest songs" with a "pristine and lush yet punishing musical environment" and "lyrics of violence and darkness".[14] Di Gravina wrote the song is a "love song" as the narrator seems unable to form loving relationships with anyone, and demands silence from the world as "words are meaningless and forgettable", clashing into his world.[14] The very act of communication where "words are meaningless and forgettable" causes the narrator so much pain, thus leading him to seek silence and to hide himself away as the only form of happiness he can find.[14] Another reviewer Stephen Gore noted the juxtaposition on Violator between "Enjoy the Silence" – where the narrator wants silence from the world as words are "like violence" – and the next song "Policy of Truth", which argues that a successful relationship can only be based on lies.[15]

Charts and certifications

Notable cover versions

Lacuna Coil version

"Enjoy the Silence"
Single by Lacuna Coil
from the album Karmacode
B-side "Virtual Environment"
Released 11 July 2006
Format
Recorded 2005
Genre Gothic metal
Label Century Media
Songwriter(s) Martin Gore
Producer(s) Waldemar Sorychta
Lacuna Coil singles chronology
"Our Truth"
(2006)		 "Enjoy the Silence"
(2006)		 "Within Me"
(2007)
Audio sample
"Enjoy the Silence" from Karmacode
  • file
  • help

"Enjoy the Silence" is the second single by Lacuna Coil from their album Karmacode. It made the New York Post's Top 100 Cover Songs list.[44]

Music video

There is a UK version of the video and an international one. Both videos, shot with "Closer" music video on 12 March 2006, came out on June 2006, include the band performing in a dark room, but aside from that the UK version shows live clips of the London Forum show, while the international one shows scenes of a city (Portland, Oregon), the countryside, and a bay.

Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[45] 41
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[46] 13
Italian Year-end Singles Charts[47] 1

Track listings

There are three "volumes" of the single.

References

  1. ↑ Malins, Steve (2001). Depeche Mode : A Biography. Andre Deutsch. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-233-99430-7.
  2. ↑ Cranna, Ian (April 1990), "Insidious", Q magazine: 77
  3. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (29 September 2003). "Depeche Mode - Violator". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Enjoy the Silence')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  5. ↑ "1991". BRIT Awards. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Malins, pp. 143–144
  7. ↑ "Info for the masses". Agent Orange > A Greek Depeche Mode site. Archived from the original on 2 January 2004. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  8. ↑ Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence (Official Music Video). YouTube. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Stats / Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence". Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  10. ↑ "YouTube Stats of Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence". kworb.net. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  11. ↑ Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence (Remastered Music Video). YouTube. 26 October 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  12. ↑ DEPECHE MODE Enjoy The Silence ► WTC Twin Towers full clip on YouTube
  13. ↑ "Staff Lists". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 Di Garavnia, Tim (12 September 2014). "Review of Enjoy the Silence". Allmusic. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  15. ↑ Gore, Stephen (3 January 2007). "Review of Violator". Sputnik Music. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  16. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  17. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  19. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  20. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  21. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Lescharts.com – Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence" (in French). Les classement single.
  23. ↑ "Musicline.de – Depeche Mode Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  24. ↑ Irish Charts Type 'Enjoy The Silence' into Search by Song Title. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  25. ↑ "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: D". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  26. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Depeche Mode" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  27. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  28. ↑ "Charts.nz – Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence". Top 40 Singles.
  29. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  30. 1 2 3 "Swedishcharts.com – Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence". Singles Top 100.
  31. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence". Swiss Singles Chart.
  32. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  33. 1 2 3 "Depeche Mode - Charts & Awards - Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  34. 1 2 "Danishcharts.com – Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence". Tracklisten.
  35. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence". Top Digital Download.
  36. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence" Canciones Top 50.
  37. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  38. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1990". Archived from the original on 6 July 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  39. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  40. ↑ "American single certifications – Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  41. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Depeche Mode; 'Enjoy the Silence')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  42. ↑ "British single certifications – Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Enjoy the Silence in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  43. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana.
  44. ↑ Huhn, Mary; Shen, Maxine (18 July 2007). "THEY'VE GOT IT COVERED - THE 100 BEST COVER SONGS OF ALL TIME". New York Post. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  45. ↑ "Official Charts Company". Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  46. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200635 into search. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  47. ↑ "Top 10 2006". MTV Classifiche. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
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