10 Best Alternative Rock Bands Of The 1980s

For as long as they have been around, Martin Gore has always stood by the fact that Depeche Mode remained a pop flavored band. You can't really argue with him on the early stuff either, especially when you have songs like Just Can't Get Enough sounding more sugary than anything else on MTV. As soon as they tasted that side of fame though, it was time for things to get a whole lot darker.

With every subsequent release they put out, Depeche Mode seemed to put a more morose spin on their signature brand of pop, which suited Dave Gahan's smoky baritone perfectly. Compared to the likes of Madonna on MTV, you really didn't have an accurate way of describing something like People Are People or Blasphemous Rumors, who's lyrics were much more gothic than before. These were still constructed as pop songs though, and the idea of teenage romance was still intact, with every song feeling like the end of the world.

It's that darkness that also led them to survive and thrive after the '80s wore off, as albums like Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion led to some of their most adventurous work once the '90s came into play. As much as they may have shunned the alternative label, you can still hear the traces of Depeche Mode in people like Nine Inch Nails today.