Leave in Silence
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"Leave in Silence" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode.[1][2] It was released as the third single from their second studio album, A Broken Frame (1982), on 16 August 1982.[3] Recorded at Blackwing Studios, the single became the band's fifth UK Top 20 hit, peaking at number 18. It was the first Depeche Mode single in the UK to use the "Bong" catalogue number system, which they used until "Heaven" in 2013. Three versions of the track were released on the 7″ and 12″ singles, while a fourth cut, running at four minutes and fifty-one seconds, was released on A Broken Frame.
Background and recording
"Leave in Silence" was written to be more experimental than the pop songs that had preceded it for the band.[4] Singer Dave Gahan said of the song, "it kind of summed up the whole of the second album. Rather than continue to do these lightweight poppy songs, we decided to experiment. Martin can write pop songs, but we wanted to try something totally different, just to see if we could."[4]
Critical reception
In 2017, Billboard magazine writer Andrew Unterberger stated that the song "stands today as their most regrettably overlooked classic", describing it as "A shimmering and simmering synth-pop mini-epic whose brilliance comes in its relative restraint — keys sparkle and then dissipate, built-up tension dissolves into instrumental negative space, the title is practically whispered as the chorus climax. It’s the rare breakup ballad that attempts to tiptoe out the back door rather than loudly storm out the front, having already had enough of all the drama".[5] In a 1986 band biography, the song was described as an "absolute departure" from the then-established "Depeche Mode sound".[4] Gahan said "There were a couple of other things [tracks] we could have released which could have gone straight into the charts and been really successful, but it just didn't seem right. You can't just carry on releasing stuff every few months and having hits with something catchy."[4]
Music video
The music video for "Leave in Silence" was directed by Julien Temple, and features the band breaking things on a conveyor belt and talking to each other while wearing face paint. The band disliked the video and did not include it on the Some Great Videos compilation album.
Track listing
All tracks written by Martin L. Gore
7″: Mute / 7Bong1 (UK)
- "Leave in Silence" – 4:00
- "Excerpt From: My Secret Garden" – 3:16
12″: Mute / 12Bong1 (UK)
- "Leave in Silence" (longer) – 6:32
- "Further Excerpts From: My Secret Garden" – 4:23
- "Leave in Silence" (quieter) – 3:42
CD: Mute / CDBong1 (UK) – released in 1991
- "Leave in Silence" – 4:00
- "Excerpt From: My Secret Garden" – 3:16
- "Leave in Silence" (longer) – 6:32
- "Further Excerpts From: My Secret Garden" – 4:23
- "Leave in Silence" (quieter) – 3:42
CD: Sire / 40294-2 (US) – released in 1991
- "Leave in Silence" – 4:00
- "Excerpt From: My Secret Garden" – 3:16
- "Leave in Silence" (longer) – 6:32
- "Further Excerpts From: My Secret Garden" – 4:23
- "Leave in Silence" (quieter) – 3:42
Charts
Template:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chartTemplate:Single chart| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie (MRIB)[6] | 1 |
References
External links
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