10 Greatest Ever Depeche Mode Songs
4. Barrel Of A Gun (1997)
Depeche Mode catapulted to worldwide superstardom following their holy trinity of albums: Music For The Masses (1987), Violator (1990) and Songs Of Faith And Devotion (1993). Standing tall as one of the biggest bands in the world, an intense period of touring left the foursome on the verge of self-destruction.
Dave Gahan succumbed to one of the most infamous drug addictions in music history, Martin Gore battled alcoholism, and Andy Fletcher suffered from depression. To compound matters, Alan Wilder, the only one who had managed to maintain a semblance of stability, announced his departure from the band.
With their demons exorcised, the band regrouped as a trio and made an unlikely comeback in 1997 with the album Ultra. Barrel Of A Gun is the album's monster lead single. Penned by Gore, the album plays up to the perception that Gahan had accumulated over the preceding years, highlighting his destructive personality with lines such as:"A vicious appetite / Visits me each night / And won't be satisfied / Won't be denied".
This is a band who had stared down the abyss further than most, and Barrel Of A Gun was the band beginning to come out the other side, not unscathed, but alive. It is one of their most harrowing songs, amplified further by their long term collaborator Anton Corbijn's distressing music video.