"Stripped" is a song by the English
electronic music
Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
band
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
. It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album ''
Black Celebration
''Black Celebration'' is the fifth studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 17 March 1986 by Mute Records. The album's co-producer Daniel Miller devised "a plan to capture the essence of the dark works" that Marti ...
'' (1986) on 10 February 1986, through
Mute Records
Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure (duo), Erasure, Einstürze ...
. Written by the band's lead songwriter
Martin Gore
Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961) is an English musician and songwriter. He is one of the founding members of the electronic music band Depeche Mode and is the band's main songwriter. He is the band's guitarist and keyboardist, and occasiona ...
, "Stripped" introduces the more dark and sample oriented composition that featured on the ''Black Celebration'' album. It incorporates various
samples into its instrumental; most notably, the sound of an idling motorcycle engine was recorded, altered slightly, and inserted as a percussive element.
It was the band's sixth consecutive single to enter the UK Top 20, peaking at number 15. Elsewhere, it peaked at number 4 in Germany and reached the top 10 in Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. German
metal
A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
band
Rammstein
Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph ...
later covered the song for the 1998 Depeche Mode tribute album ''
For the Masses''.
Composition
John Freeman of ''
The Quietus
''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics.
Content
''The Quietu ...
'' described "Stripped" as an "ominous and intriguing
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
song" that is lyrically akin to other songs written by
Martin Gore
Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961) is an English musician and songwriter. He is one of the founding members of the electronic music band Depeche Mode and is the band's main songwriter. He is the band's guitarist and keyboardist, and occasiona ...
featuring sensual lyrics about the human body.
Parts of the song's instrumental are constructed from audio
samples. The beginning of the song samples the sound of the ignition of lead singer
Dave Gahan
David Gahan ( ; né Callcott; born 9 May 1962) is an English singer best known as the lead singer of electronic music band Depeche Mode since their formation in 1980. Noted for his commanding stage presence and unique baritone voice, Gahan was ...
's
Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...
automobile,
while the underlying beat is the sound of an idling motorcycle engine distorted and slowed. The ending also incorporates the sound of
fireworks
Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
.
Background
Andy Fletcher discussed in a 1986 issue of No.1 magazine. "The idea of 'Stripped' is to get away from technology and civilisation for a day and get back to basics in the country. It's about two people stripping down to their bare emotions. In the video we're seen demolishing a car and taking a TV apart... it's a bit, er, symbolic."
Dave Gahan
David Gahan ( ; né Callcott; born 9 May 1962) is an English singer best known as the lead singer of electronic music band Depeche Mode since their formation in 1980. Noted for his commanding stage presence and unique baritone voice, Gahan was ...
also stated: "It's not about sex. It's to do with having nothing except yourself. The people in the song could strip off if they wanted to though. The song is also a bit chancy. It doesn't capture you immediately. Some people hear it and say 'Is that it?' Others go 'Brilliant!'."
Release
The 7" B-side for "Stripped" is "But Not Tonight". The other two B-sides are "Breathing in Fumes" and "Black Day". "Breathing in Fumes" was a new song using samples from "Stripped", mixed by the band and Thomas Stiehler. "Black Day" is an acoustic, alternate version of "Black Celebration" sung by
Martin Gore
Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961) is an English musician and songwriter. He is one of the founding members of the electronic music band Depeche Mode and is the band's main songwriter. He is the band's guitarist and keyboardist, and occasiona ...
and co-written by him,
Alan Wilder
Alan Charles Wilder (born 1 June 1959) is an English musician, composer, arranger, record producer and member of the electronic band Depeche Mode from 1982 to 1995. After his departure from the band, the musical project Recoil became his pri ...
, and producer
Daniel Miller—the only Depeche Mode song for which Miller receives a writing credit.
"But Not Tonight" was included on the American release of ''
Black Celebration
''Black Celebration'' is the fifth studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 17 March 1986 by Mute Records. The album's co-producer Daniel Miller devised "a plan to capture the essence of the dark works" that Marti ...
'' as the 12th and final track on the album, following "New Dress"; the album's initial UK CD release also includes the extended remix of "But Not Tonight", along with "Black Day" and "Breathing in Fumes", as bonus tracks. "But Not Tonight," which was heard in the film ''
Modern Girls'', was released as the A-side of the "Stripped" single in the U.S. Martin Gore expressed his frustration with the American release in the 2007 documentary ''The Songs Aren't Good Enough, There Aren't Any Singles and It'll Never Get Played on the Radio'':
The worst thing, though, about "Stripped" was the Americans, who somehow decided to not release it at all and to put out the B-side, "But Not Tonight," because they got it into some dodgy film. or"Stripped", we took nine days mixing and God knows how long recording, and, you know, "But Not Tonight" I think we did in about three hours. And the Americans in their wisdom decided to release that instead.
The "Highland Mix" of "Stripped" was mixed by
Flood
A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...
, who would later go on to produce Depeche Mode's most successful album, ''
Violator'', as well as ''
Songs of Faith and Devotion
''Songs of Faith and Devotion'' is the eighth studio album by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was first released on 22 March 1993 in the United Kingdom by Mute Records and a day later in the United States by Sire Records and ...
''.
Music videos
The music video for "Stripped" was the last Depeche Mode video to be directed by
Peter Care
Peter Alan Care (born 28 April 1953) is an English director of music videos, commercials and film. He has directed music videos for Cabaret Voltaire, R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen, Roy Orbison, Depeche Mode and New Order, amongst others.
Biograp ...
and was filmed outside Hansa Studios in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. A music video was also shot for the B-side "But Not Tonight" and was directed by
Tamra Davis
Tamra Davis (born January 22, 1962) is an American film, television and music video director.
Early life
Davis was born the second of four children in Studio City, California. She was exposed to the media industry at an early age by her grand ...
. Two differently cut versions of both "Stripped" and "But Not Tonight" are available on the band's ''
Video Singles Collection'' release. The video for "Stripped" also appears on ''
The Best of Depeche Mode Volume 1
''The Best of Depeche Mode Volume 1'' is a greatest hits album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 8 November 2006 by Mute Records. The album consists of select Depeche Mode singles from their then-25-year career, as wel ...
'' (2006) and ''
Video Singles Collection'' (2016).
Other releases
Versions of "Stripped" have appeared on compilations such as ''
Greatest Hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
'' (1987) and ''
The Singles 86–98
''The Singles 86>98'' is a greatest hits album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 28 September 1998 by Mute Records. It serves as a follow-up to the band's previous compilation, '' The Singles 81→85'', which was als ...
'' (1998). Live versions of the song appear on ''
101'' (1989), ''
Devotional'' (1993), releases of ''
Recording the Angel'' (2006) and ''
Recording the Universe'' (2010), and on ''
Spirits in the Forest'' (2019).
Track listings
7": Mute / 7Bong10 (UK)
# "Stripped" – 3:52
# "But Not Tonight" – 4:15
12": Mute / 12Bong10 (UK)
# "Stripped (Highland Mix)" – 6:42
# "But Not Tonight (Extended Remix)" – 5:13
# "Breathing in Fumes" – 6:07
# "Fly on the Windscreen (Quiet Mix)" – 4:24
# "Black Day" – 2:37
CD: Mute / CDBong10 (UK)
# "Stripped" – 3:52
# "But Not Tonight" – 4:15
# "Stripped (Highland Mix)" – 6:42
# "But Not Tonight (Extended Remix)" – 5:13
# "Breathing in Fumes" – 6:07
# "Fly on the Windscreen (Quiet Mix)" – 4:24
# "Black Day" – 2:37
The CD single was released in 1991 as part of the singles box set compilations.
7": Sire / 7-28564 (US)
# "But Not Tonight"
– 3:52
# "Stripped " – 3:59
12": Sire / 0-20578 (US)
# "But Not Tonight (Extended Mix)"
– 6:18
# "Breathing in Fumes" – 6:07
# "Stripped (Highland Mix)" – 6:42
# "Black Day" – 2:37
The 7" and 12" versions on the US "But Not Tonight" single are different versions than used on the UK singles – they were remixed by
Robert Margouleff. The 12" mix later appeared on the rare fourth disc of Depeche Mode's remix compilation, ''
Remixes 81–04
''Remixes 81–04'' is a remix album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 25 October 2004. It was the band's first release since Daniel Miller's independent label Mute Records was acquired by industry major EMI in 2002. ...
'', as the "Margouleff Dance Mix."
CD: Intercord / INT 826.835 (Germany)
# "Stripped (Highland Mix)" – 6:42
# "But Not Tonight (Extended Remix)" – 5:12
# "Breathing in Fumes" – 6:07
# "Fly on the Windscreen (Quiet Mix)" – 4:24
# "Black Day" – 2:37
This is the UK Extended 12" version.
The German CD was released in 1986
All songs written by
Martin Gore
Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961) is an English musician and songwriter. He is one of the founding members of the electronic music band Depeche Mode and is the band's main songwriter. He is the band's guitarist and keyboardist, and occasiona ...
except "Black Day" which is written by Gore,
Alan Wilder
Alan Charles Wilder (born 1 June 1959) is an English musician, composer, arranger, record producer and member of the electronic band Depeche Mode from 1982 to 1995. After his departure from the band, the musical project Recoil became his pri ...
, and
Daniel Miller
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
In Australia, "Stripped" missed the
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...
top 100 singles chart but was listed as one of the singles receiving significant sales reports beyond the top 100 for six non-consecutive weeks in May and June 1986, with its highest ranking being fourth on this list.
Rammstein cover
Neue Deutsche Härte
(; "New German Hardness", sometimes abbreviated as NDH), also known as dance-metal, is a crossover style drawing from Neue Deutsche Welle, alternative metal, groove metal, electro-industrial and techno. It developed in Germany and Austria d ...
band
Rammstein
Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph ...
recorded a cover of "Stripped" for the 1998 Depeche Mode
tribute album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...
''
For the Masses''. This version cut the line "Let me see you stripped down to the bone" to "Let me see you stripped" because of singer
Till Lindemann
Till Lindemann (; born 4 January 1963) is a German singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist of Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein and solo project Lindemann (band), Lindemann. Rammstein has sold over 25 million records worldw ...
's difficulty singing "down to the bone" in a manner that fit with the rest of the song
(the entire line is restored in the "Heavy Mental Mix" by
Charlie Clouser
Charles Alexander Clouser (born June 28, 1963) is an American keyboardist, composer, record producer, and remixer. He worked with Trent Reznor for Nine Inch Nails from 1994 to 2000, and is a composer for film and television; among his credits are ...
). Released as a single on 28 July 1998, it reached number 14 on the
German single charts.
The song also appears as the twelfth track on some special editions of the band's sophomore release, ''
Sehnsucht'' (1997). It was also the band's first song done entirely in English.
The video for the song incorporated footage from ''
Olympia'', a documentary film on the
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...
directed by
Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, Film producer, producer, screenwriter, Film editing, editor, photographer, and actress. She is considered one of the most controversial ...
. Following the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Riefenstahl was classified as a
Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
sympathizer by postwar authorities; the choice to use footage from a film by her led to threats against the band. Members of the band praised Riefenstahl's filmmaking abilities and aesthetic choices in a 2011 documentary of the making of the video, particularly the imagery of the athletes, while simultaneously disassociating themselves from Riefenstahl's political views. Members of Depeche Mode, especially
Dave Gahan
David Gahan ( ; né Callcott; born 9 May 1962) is an English singer best known as the lead singer of electronic music band Depeche Mode since their formation in 1980. Noted for his commanding stage presence and unique baritone voice, Gahan was ...
, responded positively to the cover, since it was so different from any other versions of Depeche Mode's work.
Track listing
# "Stripped" – 4:25
# "Stripped (Psilonaut Mix by
Johan Edlund-Tiamat)" – 4:28
# "Stripped (Heavy Mental Mix by
Charlie Clouser
Charles Alexander Clouser (born June 28, 1963) is an American keyboardist, composer, record producer, and remixer. He worked with Trent Reznor for Nine Inch Nails from 1994 to 2000, and is a composer for film and television; among his credits are ...
)" – 5:12
# "Stripped (Tribute to Düsseldorf Mix by Charlie Clouser)" – 5:10
# "Stripped (FKK Mix by
Günter Schulz
Günter Schulz (or Guenter Schulz) is a German musician, songwriter and former member of the industrial band KMFDM.
Biography
Schulz's first credited appearance (as Svetlana Ambrosius, or Svet Am) was on the band KMFDM's album '' Naïve'' in ...
-KMFDM)" – 4:35
# "Wollt ihr das bett in Flammen sehen? (Live Arena, Berlin '96)"
ideo
IDEO () is a design firm, design and consulting firm with offices in the U.S., England, and China. It was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1991. The company's 500 staff uses a design thinking approach to design products, services, environmen ...
– 5:01
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Other covers
Scooter covered the song on their 2004 album ''
Mind the Gap
"Mind the gap" or sometimes "watch the gap" is an audible or visual warning phrase issued to rail passengers to take caution while crossing the horizontal, and in some cases vertical, spatial gap between the train doorway and the station ...
''.
References
External links
Single information from the official Depeche Mode web siteAllMusic review
{{Authority control
1986 singles
1998 singles
Depeche Mode songs
Rammstein songs
Songs written by Martin Gore
Song recordings produced by Daniel Miller
Song recordings produced by Gareth Jones
Music videos directed by Peter Care
Music videos directed by Tamra Davis
Music videos shot in Germany
1986 songs
Mute Records singles
UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles