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New Life (song)

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"New Life"
Single by Depeche Mode
from the album Speak & Spell
B-side"Shout!"
Released13 June 1981[1]
RecordedMay 1981
StudioBlackwing (London)
GenreSynth-pop[2][3]
Length
  • 3:43 (album version)
  • 3:58 (12″ remix)
LabelMute
Songwriter(s)Vince Clarke
Producer(s)
Depeche Mode singles chronology
"Dreaming of Me"
(1981) 		"New Life"
(1981) 		"Just Can't Get Enough"
(1981)
12" Single Cover
The cover of the 12" single (12MUTE014)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]

"New Life" is the second single by English electronic music band Depeche Mode from their debut studio album Speak & Spell, originally released on 13 June 1981.[1][a] It was the first Depeche Mode single to feature remixes, and was released only in Europe.

Background

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Vince Clarke wrote the song,[6] which was recorded at Blackwing Studios.[7] One of several album tracks written before the band officially went into the studio to record the album, "New Life" was the first Depeche Mode single released in the 12" format; the previous single, "Dreaming of Me", was originally only released on 7" vinyl.[8] It was the first single by the band to feature remixes, a staple of all later Depeche Mode single releases.[9] Both "New Life" and "Shout!"'s 12" mixes were done by the band themselves.[10] The cover of the UK 12" sleeve was based on a photo used in the scientific magazine Mind Alive in 1968; the same photo was the basis for the cover of the Black Sabbath album Born Again (1983).[9] In the UK, the single was given the catalogue number 7MUTE014 for the 7" single, 12MUTE014 for the 12" single, and in Germany the catalogue number was INT 111.800 (7") and INT 126.800 (12").[11]

The song's b-side was "Shout!", and its 12" remix was given the name "Rio Mix" only on the English release.[11]

Release

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The single became Depeche Mode's breakthrough hit in the UK, peaking at #11.[12][13] On 25 June 1981, the band performed "New Life" during their debut on the BBC's Top of the Pops.[7]

Track listing

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All tracks written by Vince Clarke

7″: Mute / 7Mute14 (UK)

  1. "New Life" – 3:43
  2. "Shout!" – 3:44

12″: Mute / 12Mute14 (UK)

  1. "New Life" (remix) – 3:58
  2. "Shout!" (Rio mix) – 7:31
  • Re-released in 2018 as a part of the Speak & Spell: The 12″ Singles box set

CD: Mute / Intercord / CDMute14 / INT 826.800 (West Germany) – released in 1988

  1. "New Life" (remix) – 3:58
  2. "Shout!" (Rio mix) – 7:31
  3. "New Life" (7″ version) – 3:43

CD: Mute / CDMute14 (UK) – released in 1991

  1. "New Life" (remix) – 3:58
  2. "Shout!" – 3:44
  3. "Shout!" (Rio mix) – 7:31

CD: Sire / 40290-2 (US) – released in 1991

  1. "New Life" (remix) – 3:58
  2. "Shout!" – 3:44
  3. "Shout!" (Rio mix) – 7:31

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for "New Life"
Chart (1981) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[14] 22
UK Singles (OCC)[15] 11
UK Indie (MRIB)[16] 1
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[17]
with "Shout!" 		29

Notes

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  1. ^ One source suggests it was released earlier, around 5 June 1981.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Burmeister & Lange 2017, pp. 22–26.
  2. ^ Freeman, John (4 March 2011). "A Question of Lust: Depeche Mode's Black Celebration Revisited". The Quietus. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  3. ^ Bradley, Larry (4 November 2014). "The 1980s: Depeche Mode - "New Life". The Alternative Jukebox. Cassell. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-84403-789-6.
  4. ^ Raggett, Ned. "New Life – Depeche Mode". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Music week" (PDF). p. 22.
  6. ^ Music, BBC Radio 6 (13 October 2014). BBC Radio 6 Music's Alternative Jukebox: 500 Extraordinary Tracks That Tell the Story of Alternative Music. Octopus. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-84403-814-5. Retrieved 29 May 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 22.
  8. ^ Burmeister & Lange 2017, pp. 21–24.
  9. ^ a b Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 24.
  10. ^ Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 350.
  11. ^ a b Burmeister & Lange 2017, p. 26.
  12. ^ Bernhardt, Tonia (21 November 2007). Depeche Mode: A Band, Its Music, and the Cult. GRIN Verlag. p. 3. ISBN 978-3-638-76757-6. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  13. ^ Christopher, Michael (28 December 2020). Depeche Mode FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World's Finest Synth-Pop Band. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-4930-5400-8. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  14. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Depeche Mode". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  15. ^ "Depeche Mode: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  16. ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). "Depeche Mode". Indie Hits 1980–1989: The Complete U.K. Independent Charts (Singles & Albums). Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-95172-069-4. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  17. ^ "Depeche Mode Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 May 2022.

Sources

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