After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.
Movie: Modern Girls
Depeche Mode has always been that type of band that generates a strong disposition among the public. A good number of people seem to either love them or hate them. There’s even a band that wasn’t shy about their disdain for the synth pop act, calling themselves KMFDM. I’ll let you use your imagination to figure out what those initials stand for if you don’t know already. The haters may think of the band as too soft, but perhaps they haven’t heard “I Feel You” or “A Question Of Time”. Others think they’re all synth, no rock – and those critics probably never heard “Never Let Me Down Again” or “In Your Room”. Those who love the band have plenty of favorites – and “But Not Tonight” is often cited as one of their best. I know I think it is.
“But Not Tonight” wasn’t a hit. It wasn’t a single. It was a lowly b-side to the more well-known “Stripped”. But it was an anthem for the era. It’s a bit complicated. Its lyrics portray a sense of optimism and liberation found in solitude. The song may not be inherently upbeat, but it always seems to lift up its listeners because the fans are connecting with the poetic words of Martin Gore and baritone vocals of David Gahan. In recent years, Depeche Mode has been performing a stripped down version of this song on tour with Martin Gore on vocals. But I think I’ll always love the original recording. It’s vintage, unadulterated Depeche Mode.
“How good it feels to be alone tonight.”