"Personal Jesus" | ||||
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Single by Depeche Mode | ||||
from the album Violator | ||||
B-side | "Dangerous" | |||
Released | 29 August 1989 [1] | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Mute | |||
Songwriter(s) | Martin L. Gore | |||
Producer(s) |
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Depeche Mode singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Personal Jesus" on YouTube |
"Personal Jesus" is a song by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released as the lead single from their seventh studio album, Violator (1990), in 1989. It reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The single was their first to enter the US top 40 since 1984's "People Are People" and was their first gold-certified single in the US. [7] In Germany, "Personal Jesus" is one of the band's longest-charting songs, staying on the West German Singles Chart for 23 weeks.
In 2004, "Personal Jesus" was ranked No. 368 in Rolling Stone 's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", [8] and in September 2006 it was voted as one of the "100 Greatest Songs Ever" in Q magazine. "Personal Jesus" was rereleased as a single on 30 May 2011 for the Depeche Mode remix album Remixes 2: 81–11 , with the leading remix by the production team Stargate. The song has been covered by numerous artists, including Johnny Cash, Marilyn Manson, Def Leppard, and Iggy Pop.
In mid-1989, the band began recording in Milan with record producer Flood. The result of this session was the single "Personal Jesus", which featured a catchy bluesy riff and drum-based sound, radically different from anything the band had released thus far. Although not the first Depeche Mode song to feature guitar parts ("Behind the Wheel" and their cover of "Route 66" featured a guitar; "Love, in Itself" and "And Then..." from Construction Time Again and "Here is the House" from Black Celebration featured an acoustic guitar), it was the first time a guitar was used as a dominant instrument in a Depeche Mode song. The song was inspired by the book Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley. According to songwriter Martin Gore:
It's a song about being a Jesus for somebody else, someone to give you hope and care. It's about how Elvis Presley was her man and her mentor and how often that happens in love relationships; how everybody's heart is like a god in some way, and that's not a very balanced view of someone, is it? [9]
"Personal Jesus" is written in the key of F♯ minor with a tempo of 130 beats per minute in 12
8 time. [10]
Prior to its release, advertisements were placed in the personal columns of regional newspapers in the UK with the words "Your own personal Jesus." Later, the ads included a phone number one could dial to hear the song. [11] The ensuing controversy helped propel the single to No. 13 on the UK charts, becoming one of Depeche Mode's biggest sellers. The single was particularly successful commercially thanks to the fact that it was released six months prior to the album it would later appear on. Up to that point, it was the best selling 12" single in Warner Bros. history. [12]
"Personal Jesus" had a total of 6 remixes across all versions. François Kevorkian (who did the mixing for the Violator album, in general) mixed the single version, the "Holier Than Thou Approach", the "Pump Mix", and the lesser-known "Kazan Cathedral Mix" (which was not available on any of the singles), while producer Flood mixed the "Acoustic" version and the "Telephone Stomp Mix" as well as the single version and "Sensual Mix" of the single's B-side "Dangerous". The "Hazchemix" and "Hazchemix Edit" of "Dangerous" were mixed by Daniel Miller.
The back-cover of "Personal Jesus" features one of the band members and the back-side of a naked woman. The band member she is with depends on whether it is the 7" vinyl (Martin Gore), the 12" vinyl (Dave Gahan), the cassette (Andy Fletcher), or the original CD (Alan Wilder). On some copies she does not appear at all, such as the 2004 CD re-release, and on promo copies. On some limited releases, like the GBong17, all four photos are available plus one photo of the full group with Martin hugging the woman.
David Giles from Music Week wrote: "Their first release for over two years, and hardly a radical style departure. Stark and foreboding, and still employing the distinctive technique of vocal harmonies an octave apart. Strong enough to go top five, but fast losing ground to the Belgium beat experimentalists." [13]
In 2011, Slant Magazine listed the song at number 81 in their ranking of "The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s", writing: "Depeche Mode's gimmick is one that, after years of repetition, seems ingeniously flimsy, bundling angst and spiritual frustration with sex and pouty gloom. 'Personal Jesus' has escaped the mustiness that has enveloped most of the band's material not by flouting these tactics, but by embodying them so well. Bolstered by Dave Gahan's repeated imprecation to 'reach out and touch faith', the vocals seem perched on a neutral point between the completely earnest and the bitterly sarcastic, turning what could have been another flat religious diatribe into a thinly dual-tiered assessment of devotion and self-absorption." [14] In 2017, Billboard ranked "Personal Jesus" second behind only "Enjoy the Silence" on a list of their "20 Best Depeche Mode Songs". [15]
Robert Smith of the Cure listed "Personal Jesus" as one of his 30 favourite songs from the 1980s. [16]
Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd singer John Lydon commented on the track: "it's a serious problem for me, all this technology. The people who've used it best would be Depeche Mode. 'Your own Personal Jesus!' Bloody 'ell mate, they got it! They were using the Casiotone effect and they wrapped a song around it, but they didn't let it dictate to the song. That's another tune I just absolutely love – I was so impressed with the bravery of attempting such a subject matter." [17]
Anton Corbijn directed the music video for "Personal Jesus", and it is his first Depeche Mode video in color. It features the band on a ranch (suggested to appear as a brothel), filmed in the Tabernas Desert of Almería, in Spain. MTV edited out some suggestive mouth movements of Martin Gore during the bridge and replaced it with some other footage from the video. The video appears on The Best of Depeche Mode Volume 1 (2006) and Video Singles Collection (2016).
"Personal Jesus" has appeared on every Depeche Mode compilations released since 1989: The Singles 86–98 (1998), Remixes 81–04 (2004), The Best of Depeche Mode Volume 1 (2006), and Remixes 2: 81–11 (2011). Live versions of the song performed in concert have appeared on Devotional (1993), One Night in Paris (2002), Touring the Angel: Live in Milan (2006), Tour of the Universe: Barcelona 20/21.11.09 (2010), Live in Berlin (2014) and Spirits in the Forest (2019).
All songs were written by Martin L. Gore.
UK 7-inch and cassette single; US cassette single [18] [19] [20]
UK 7-inch single—gatefold sleeve [21]
UK 12-inch and mini-CD single [22] [23]
UK limited-edition 12-inch and mini-CD single [24] [25]
US 12-inch single [26]
| US maxi-CD single [27]
US maxi-cassette single [28]
|
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|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [50] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI) [51] | Gold | 300,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [52] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
Portugal (AFP) [53] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [54] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [55] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [56] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"Personal Jesus 2011" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Depeche Mode | ||||
from the album Remixes 2: 81–11 | ||||
Released | 18 April 2011 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:56 | |||
Label | Mute | |||
Songwriter(s) | Martin L. Gore | |||
Producer(s) | Stargate | |||
Depeche Mode singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Personal Jesus 2011" on YouTube |
"Personal Jesus 2011" is the preceding single to the remix compilation album Remixes 2: 81–11 . The digital single was released in the UK on 18 April 2011 and a day later in the US. It was released on CD and vinyl on 30 May 2011.
CD (Bong43)
12" vinyl
Digital download
Beatport Exclusive digital download
Promo CD (PCDBong43)
iTunes Store
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [59] | 73 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders Dance) [60] | 32 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [61] | 43 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia Dance) [62] | 43 |
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100) [63] | 62 |
Hungary (Single Top 40) [64] | 5 |
Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [65] | 27 |
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100) [66] | 71 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [67] | 73 |
UK Singles (OCC) [68] | 119 |
In 2002, American country singer Johnny Cash covered "Personal Jesus" for his album American IV: The Man Comes Around . [69] The idea to cover the song was suggested by record producer Rick Rubin. [70] Cash called it "probably the most evangelical gospel song I ever recorded". [70]
"Personal Jesus" | ||||
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Single by Marilyn Manson | ||||
from the album Lest We Forget: The Best Of | ||||
Released | 28 September 2004 [71] | |||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Gore | |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Marilyn Manson singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
"Personal Jesus" |
Marilyn Manson released their cover version of the track as the only previously unreleased recording included on their 2004 greatest hits album Lest We Forget: The Best Of . [73] The band's eponymous vocalist explained to MTV that he decided to cover "Personal Jesus" as: "I thought if I had to write a song, [the lyrics of 'Personal Jesus' are] exactly what I would say. ... I think it takes a little more of an ironic tone when you put it in context with what's going on today." [74] He additionally described the original song and Depeche Mode's music in general as hypnotic, sexy and inspirational. [75] Its music video was directed by Manson and Nathan Cox. [76] The song won an award in the 'pop' category of the 2005 BMI Awards, [77] while its music video received two nominations at the 2005 Music Video Production Awards. [78] As of 2020, the track has sold over 78,000 physical and digital copies in the United Kingdom, where it was also streamed over 4 million times. [79]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
British singer Jamelia used a sample from the song for her 2006 single "Beware of the Dog". Also American singer and actress Hilary Duff used a "Personal Jesus" sample as the basis of her 2008 single "Reach Out". [109]
In 2013, former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar covered the song on his twelfth studio album Sammy Hagar & Friends . Hagar commented at the time: "I've gotta tell you, as I studied that lick I went 'That is a blues fricken' lick.' For an electronic band, some bizarre alternative electronic band, that's a badass blues lick. And I played it on guitar and said, 'This is it.' And Neal Schon, the intro on that thing, the licks Neal's playing, it's in high gear. I can't wait till the Depeche Mode guys hear it. I think when they hear it they're going to say, 'Sammy Hagar, that (expletive) rock and roll freak?' Haha. They've gotta like it. It's a blues song and it's a great lyric, a great deep, dark lyric. I can't write lyrics like that. It's too dark for me." [110]
In 2018, British rock band Def Leppard released their own version of the song. Guitarist Phil Collen said: "Depeche Mode [started out] really poppy like a lot of bands that disappeared, then all of a sudden they started doing things like 'Personal Jesus' – and it was like 'woah' … It has an element of cool that was different from the earlier Depeche Mode stuff. I found it really inspiring how this article that said Depeche Mode sold out more than Bieber or Taylor Swift. We [felt] a tear of pride and joy for them – the fact that they carried on, never stopped … and it's sort of the way we see ourselves." [111]
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 also reissued in the same year. The compilation covers the band's seven-inch single releases spanning five studio albums, while including the new song "Only When I Lose Myself". It also includes "Little 15" and the live version of "Everything Counts", which was released as a single in 1989. All tracks on The Singles 86>98 were newly remastered, as was the case with the re-release of The Singles 81→85.
"New Life" is the second single by English electronic music band Depeche Mode from their debut studio album Speak & Spell, originally released on 5 June 1981. It was not commercially released in the United States.
"Never Let Me Down Again" is a song by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released as the second single from their sixth studio album, Music for the Masses (1987), on 24 August 1987. It reached No. 22 in the UK, No. 2 in West Germany, and the top-10 in several other European countries such as Sweden and Switzerland, topping the Danish charts. In the US, it entered the Billboard Hot 100. The cover art features fragments of a Soviet map of Russia and Europe, with different fragments used for the different editions of the single.
"Enjoy the Silence" is a song by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode. Recorded in 1989, it was released as the second single from their seventh studio album, Violator (1990), on 5 February 1990. The song is certified Gold in the US and Germany. The song won Best British Single at the Brit Awards 1991.
"Policy of Truth" is a song by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 7 May 1990 as the third single from their seventh studio album Violator (1990). It is the only Depeche Mode single to chart higher on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart than on the UK Singles Chart, and it became the band's second chart-topper on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"World in My Eyes" is a song by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released on 17 September 1990 as the fourth and final single from their seventh studio album, Violator (1990). The song peaked at number two in Denmark and Spain, number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"I Feel You" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 15 February 1993 by Mute as the first single from their eighth studio album, Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993). The song peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and also made number one and number three on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It is one of the band's highest-charting singles worldwide. The accompanying music video was directed by Anton Corbijn.
"Walking in My Shoes" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released on 26 April 1993 by Mute and Sire as the second single from their eighth studio album, Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993). The song reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and matched the success of the previous single "I Feel You" on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, where it reached one. The B-side is "My Joy", the only exclusive B-side from the Songs of Faith and Devotion album, and is a rock track in the vein of "I Feel You".
"Condemnation" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 13 September 1993 by Mute Records as the third single from the band eighth studio album, Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993). The song reached No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 3 in Sweden, and No. 1 in Portugal. Its music video was directed by Anton Corbijn.
"In Your Room" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 10 January 1994 as the fourth and final single from their eighth studio album, Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993). The song reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number two in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. It is the last single to feature Alan Wilder as a member before his departure in 1995.
"Barrel of a Gun" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released as the first single from their ninth studio album, Ultra (1997), on 3 February 1997. The song reached number one in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain and Sweden while reaching the top 10 in several other countries, including Finland, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom. In North America, the song reached number 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Canadian Singles Chart.
"It's No Good" a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 31 March 1997 by Mute and Reprise Records as the second single from their ninth studio album, Ultra (1997). It was written by Martin L. Gore and produced by Tim Simenon, and was commercially successful, reaching number one in Denmark, Spain, Sweden and on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single also entered the top 10 in Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, and the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number five.
"Home" is a song by English electronic music group Depeche Mode, released on 16 June 1997 as the third single from their ninth album, Ultra (1997). The song is sung by guitarist Martin Gore, rather than the band's main singer, Dave Gahan.
"Useless" is a song by English electronic music group Depeche Mode, released on 20 October 1997 as the fourth and final single from their ninth studio album, Ultra (1997). It was released with "Home" as a double A-side in the United States due to "Useless" getting airplay on US radio stations before "Home" was announced. "Useless" features a bass contribution performed by bassist Doug Wimbish, known for his session work and as a member of Living Color.
"Only When I Lose Myself" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was made exclusively for their 1998 compilation The Singles 86>98 and released as a single on 7 September 1998. It is the first non-album studio single since "It's Called a Heart" in 1985 and is also one of the rare singles to have two limited editions.
"Dream On" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released in the United States on 17 April 2001 and in the United Kingdom on 23 April 2001 as the first single from the band's tenth studio album, Exciter (2001). The song topped the charts of Denmark, Germany, Italy and Spain and reached the top 10 in Austria, Canada, Finland, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Wallonia. The song's music video was directed by Stéphane Sednaoui.
"I Feel Loved" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 30 July 2001 as the second single from the band's tenth studio album, Exciter (2001). In 2002, the song was nominated for two Grammy Awards: one for Best Dance Recording and another for the Danny Tenaglia remix for Best Remixed Recording.
"Freelove" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 5 November 2001 as the third single from the band's tenth studio album, Exciter (2001). "Freelove" reached No. 19 on the UK Singles Chart. The single version, which was produced by Flood, is different than the album version, with a shorter running time and an additional drum track. The B-side is an instrumental called "Zenstation". There is also a DVD release of "Freelove", a first for Depeche Mode. It contains video footage of "Freelove" from the Philadelphia concert in 2001, audio of other songs performed at the concert, and four bonus 30-second videos of the band. The videos were directed by Anton Corbijn.
"John the Revelator" / "Lilian" is the second double A-side single released by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, issued on 5 June 2006. Both songs are included on the band's eleventh studio album, Playing the Angel (2005), and served as the fourth single from the album. The single became another UK top-20 hit for the band, reaching number 18. "John the Revelator" was edited down several seconds for the single, while "Lilian" was slightly remixed and the introduction was shortened.
"Arma-goddamn-motherfuckin-geddon" is a song by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released as the second single from their seventh studio album The High End of Low. It has been remixed by the Teddybears. The song was released for download on May 5, 2009, along with the pre-order of The High End of Low. The song was included in the game Saints Row: The Third on one of the in-vehicle radio stations.
Given that, by now. Depeche Mode had become a stadium phenomenon in the States. Violator seemed an oddly introspective way to sell six million units (the synth-rock single "Personal Jesus" was the exception to the rule).
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