Soundtrack of Your Life: Depeche Mode - One Caress

DEPECHE MODE - ONE CARESS from their 1993 album, "Songs of Faith and Devotion"

I wrote in the Soundtrack of Your Life featuring "Enjoy The Silence" about the wonderful play in opposites that lead singer Dave Gahan and chief songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and singer Martin Gore's voices are in Depeche Mode. If "Enjoy The Silence" is Dave Gahan's consummate vocal showcase, then "One Caress," on their second official album of the 90's, "Songs of Faith and Devotion" is his.

"Songs of Faith and Devotion" saw DM going in a similar musical direction as their song "Personal Jesus" from 1990's "Violator," continuing to adapt to the raw rock sound that pervaded the top of the charts and incorporate electric guitars into their own electronic sound, as well as taking full advantage of Dave Gahan's raspy growl. Dave's aggressively unpretty voice was comfortably matched by the aggressive guitar arrangements, a 90's coup that catapulted its "I Feel You" and "Walking In My Shoes" to the top of singles charts in the U.S. and the U.K.

While I totally respect all of the above, it was "One Caress" that I looked forward to each time I popped "Songs" into my Walkman.

Martin Gore's "Counterfeit e.p." (1989) was a much-loved, much-discussed, much-passed around item with my black kohl eye makeup and fishnet-wearing cohorts. We yearned to hear more of Martin's clear-as-a-bell, sweet tenor. "One Caress" made our goth dreams come true. I'm also a weak one for string arrangements in pop and rock music, so I was all over this overwhelmingly romantic tune. It is radically different than anything else on "Songs of Faith and Devotion," and I love it.

Please enjoy the weird video (complete with snakes and bugs and whatnot) to this singular song:



Can we please, in the next racial draft, claim Martin Gore for African-Americans? He is half-black. For serious, he is!