Shake the Disease

"Shake the Disease" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. Recorded at the Hansa Mischraum in Berlin, it was released as a single on 29 April 1985. "Shake the Disease" was one of two new songs on the 1985 compilation albums The Singles 81→85 and Catching Up with Depeche Mode, along with the band's subsequent single "It's Called a Heart".

"Shake the Disease"
Single by Depeche Mode
from the album The Singles 81→85
B-side"Flexible"
Released29 April 1985
FormatVinyl record (7" and 12")
CD (1991 box set)
RecordedMarch 1985
StudioHansa Mischraum, Berlin
GenreSynth-pop, dark wave
Length4:48 (7"/single/album version)
3:59 (fade)
8:45 (12" version)
LabelMute Records
Songwriter(s)Martin Gore
Producer(s)Depeche Mode, Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones
Depeche Mode singles chronology
"Blasphemous Rumours / Somebody"
(1984)		 "Shake the Disease"
(1985)		 "It's Called a Heart"
(1985)

Song information

Band member Alan Wilder felt this song captured the essence of the band, saying that "there's a certain edge to what we do that can make people think twice about things. If we've got a choice between calling a song 'Understand Me' or 'Shake the Disease', we'll call it 'Shake the Disease'. There's a lot of perversity and innuendo in our lyrics, but nothing direct."[1]

Music video

The music video is the first Depeche Mode video directed by Peter Care, and features an innovative camera trick to make it appear as though the band members are falling. It was shot in the town of Hounslow in London.

Chart performance

The track reached the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in November 1985. It reached number 18 in the UK singles chart but did better in several other countries, entering the Top 10 in Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland,[2] and it reached the number 1 spot in Poland,[3] where the band was very popular at that time. In France, "Shake the Disease" peaked at number 13, remaining in the top 50 for six months.[4]

It reached #1 on the influential KROQ Top 106.7 Countdown of 1985.[5]

Formats and track listings

7": Mute / 7Bong8 (UK)
  1. "Shake the Disease" – 4:48
  2. "Flexible" – 3:11

7": Sire / 7-28835 (US)
  1. "Shake the Disease (Fade)" – 3:59
  2. "Flexible" – 3:11

12": Mute / 12Bong8 (UK)
  1. "Shake the Disease (Remixed Extended Version)" – 8:45 (engineered by Flood)
  2. "Flexible (Remixed Extended Version)" – 6:13 (engineered by Flood)

12": Mute / L12Bong8 (UK) / Vogue (France)
  1. "Shake the Disease (Edit the Shake)" – 7:10
  2. "Master and Servant (Live)" – 5:38
  3. "Flexible (Pre-Deportation Mix)" – 4:40 (remixed by Bert Bevans)
  4. "Something to Do (Metal Mix)" – 7:25 (remixed by Gareth Jones)
  • "Master and Servant" was recorded at the Basel, Switzerland show on 30 November 1984.

CD: Mute / CDBong8 (UK)
  1. "Shake the Disease" – 4:48
  2. "Flexible" – 3:11
  3. "Shake the Disease (Remixed Extended Version)" – 8:43
  4. "Flexible (Remixed Extended Version)" – 6:15
  5. "Shake the Disease (Edit the Shake)" – 7:11
  6. "Something to Do (Metal Mix)" – 7:26
  • The UK CD single was released in 1991 as part of the Singles box set compilations

CD: Intercord / INT 826.829 / CDL12Bong8 (Germany)
  1. "Shake the Disease (Edit the Shake)" – 7:10
  2. "Master and Servant (Live)" – 5:38
  3. "Flexible (Pre-Deportation Mix)" – 4:40 (remixed by Bert Bevans)
  4. "Something to Do (Metal Mix)" – 7:25 (remixed by Gareth Jones)

CD: Virgin / 30135 (France)
  1. "Shake the Disease (Edit the Shake)" – 7:10
  2. "Master and Servant (Live)" – 5:38
  3. "Flexible (Pre-Deportation Mix)" – 4:40 (remixed by Bert Bevans)
  4. "Something to Do (Metal Mix)" – 7:25 (remixed by Gareth Jones)
  5. "Shake the Disease" (7" mix) – 4:48
  • The German and French CD singles were released in 1985.

All songs written by Martin Gore.

Notable cover versions
  • The song was covered by the Belgian band Hooverphonic for the 1998 tribute album For the Masses.
  • The song was covered in 2017 by American electronica project Color Theory (musician). [6]
  • The song was covered in 2017 by the American technical death metal band The Faceless for the album In Becoming a Ghost.

References
  1. Doole, Kerry (July 1989), "The Class of 101", Music Express magazine, 13 (138): 40–44
  2. "Hit Parade: Depeche Mode "Shake the Disease"". Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  3. ""Shake the Disease" (Polish)". Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  4. "Depeche Mode - Shake the Disease (single) (French)". Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  5. "List of KROQ Top 106.7 Countdowns". RadioHitlist.
  6. "Shake the Disease, by Color Theory". Color Theory. Retrieved 12 October 2017.

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