#41 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown: "Never Let Me Down Again" by Depeche Mode (1987)

Bonjour!! Here we are again, and #41 of the countdown is...Never Let Me Down Again, by some true English synth-electronica gods..Depeche Mode. Depeche Mode (meaning 'hurried fashion' or 'fashion dispatch' in French) started out in 1980 in Basildon, Essex, UK, and presently consists of members David Gahan (lead vocals), Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, vocals, and chief songwriter after 1981), and Andrew Fletcher (keyboards). Depeche Mode originally began when Vince Clarke and Andrew Fletcher started a band by the name of No Romance In China, and a few others, then in 1980 the original band members that formed Depeche Mode would end up being Dave Gahan, Martin Gore,  Andrew Fletcher, and Vince Clarke. Vince Clarke left the band in 1981 following the release of their debut Speak & Spell album, and he was replaced by Alan Wilder who stayed with the band up until 1995 when he also left leaving the remaining trio what it is today. Depeche Mode are considered one of the most successful (if not the most) electronic band in music history as they have generated #1 albums in the UK, US, and Europe as well as charting 48 of their tracks on the UK Singles Chart. According to EMI they have sold over 100 million albums and singles worldwide, and apparently Q Magazine named them "the most popular electronic band the world has ever known." Now I originally was going to place their single "Enjoy the Silence" at #41, but then I realized that it was actually released in March of 1990 (recorded in 1989) making it just out of reach of being an 80's release, so maybe when I make a 90's countdown in the future and on a different blog I could include Enjoy the Silence, and just because its not 80's doesn't mean its not a great track!! Now, as for Never Let Me Down Again, it was first released on Depeche Mode's 6th studio album in 1987 titled Music for the Masses. It would peak at #22 in the UK, #2 in West Germany, and become a top 10 hit in various other European countries. Now, when listening to the lyrics one will find that the song is clearly about drug-use and the endless search for that fleeting high, only to be inevitably 'let down again.' Well, there it is peeps, #41, and this countdown seems to be a fluid entity, but as they say.. thems the breaks. Now the video is a live version, because once again youtube doesn't have an embeddable recorded version of the song so this is what we have to put up with.