William's Song a Day Blog - est. September 2007

From: Black Celebration ; Year: 1986; Genre: Synthpop/Dark Wave The other day I learned that Depeche Mode founding member Andy Fletcher passed away at the young age of 60 years. It seems as if more and more of my favourite artists have been dying over the last few years; kinda sad, but I guess such is life....  Here's one from my favourite era of the band, which demonstrates their unique take of the synthpop/new wave electronic sound.   Hear A Question of Time on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Veins   My song pick 2 years ago today: Weather Report - The Moors   My song pick 3 years ago today: Stratovarius - S.O.S. My song pick 4 years ago today: Asia - Without You My song pick 5 years ago today: Bob Weir (The Grateful Dead) - One More Saturday Night My song pick 6 years ago today: Ronnie Milsap - Daydreams About Night Things My song pick 7 years ago today: George Duke - Reach For It My song pick 8 years ag...

From: Music for the Masses ; Year: 1987; Genre: New Wave/Synthpop Was it a day or so ago? I was enjoying listening to some Depeche Mode and they've been on my mind off and on ever since. Behind the Wheel is definitely a product of its time with that very danceable '80s synthpop sound, and a very interesting song to boot across the board. It is really fascinating for me personally, that back then, when this music was brand new I was more or less indifferent to it, but now, decades later, I'm really enjoying hearing the "soundtrack" of my life from that time period once again.   Hear Behind the Wheel on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Lynyrd Skynyrd - Travelin' Man   My song pick 2 years ago today: Camel - Highways of the Sun   My song pick 3 years ago today: The Guess Who - Three More Days My song pick 4 years ago today: Heart - White Lightning & Wine My song pick 5 years ago today: Audioslave - Nothing Left to Say But Goodbye My s...

From: Speak & Spell ; Year: 1981; Genre: New Wave/Synthpop Some more '80's synthpop for today on my blog; this time it's one from early Depeche Mode. This one too has a great melody done on synthesizers and moves along quite well.   Hear New Life on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Time and a Word My song pick 2 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Commercial Traveler My song pick 3 years ago today: Jefferson Starship - No Way Out My song pick 4 years ago today: Cybotron - Parameters of Consciousness My song pick 5 years ago today: The Jimmy Castor Bunch - You Better Be Good (Or the Devil Gon' Getcha) My song pick 6 years ago today: Yes - No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed My song pick 7 years ago today: Weather Report - Havona My song pick 8 years ago today: Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention - Who Are the Brain Police? My song pick 9 years ago today: Johann Strauss II - Op. 314 - An Der Schönen Blauen Donau , or ( ...

From: Violator ; Year: 1990; Genre: Synthpop Was thinking about choosing another song from Depeche Mode lately and I'm finally getting around to it so it appears. Anyway, this one's got a good helping of both the '80s sound and the emerging '90s sound to it, which really makes it an interesting song to my ears.   Hear World in my Eyes on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: The Allman Brothers Band - Firing Line   My song pick 2 years ago today: Gerry Rafferty - Island My song pick 3 years ago today: White Zombie - Black Sunshine My song pick 4 years ago today: The Headhunters - Actual Proof My song pick 5 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Old Ghosts My song pick 6 years ago today: Rush - The Wreckers My song pick 7 years ago today: Ian Anderson - After These Wars My song pick 8 years ago today: Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal My song pick 9 years ago today: Paper Lace - The Night Chicago Died My song pick 10 years ago today: Muse - St...

From: Music for the Masses ; Year: 1987; Genre: New Wave/Synthpop Strangelove is one that anybody who was around in the 1980s should immediately recognize; it was a decently big hit single. It's always fun to go back and revisit some great song from years past; it's hard to believe that it's over 30 years since its release, but it has aged exceptionally well. Hear Strangelove on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: Billy Joel - Uptown Girl My song pick two years ago today: Aerosmith - What it Takes My song pick three years ago today: Queen - Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy My song pick four years ago today: Rush - The Trees My song pick five years ago today: Jethro Tull - Orion My song pick six years ago today: Genesis - The Return of the Giant Hogweed My song pick seven years ago today: Rush - The Seeker My song pick eight years ago today: Queen - The Show Must Go On My song pick nine years ago today: Sammy Hagar - I Can't Drive 55   ...

From: Violator ; Year: 1990; Genre: Synthpop I had some music from Depeche Mode in my head this morning and, like usual, took it that I needed to pick one. This is one of their lead singles from the Violator album and a good piece of synthpop. Hear Enjoy the Silence on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Yes - Madrigal My song pick two years ago today: Rammstein - Vergiss Uns Nicht My song pick three years ago today: Nocturnal Rites - End of our Rope My song pick four years ago today: Jethro Tull - Velvet Green My song pick five years ago today: Rammstein - Das Alte Leid My song pick six years ago today: Savatage - The Piper Rap My song pick seven years ago today: The Steve Miller Band - Take The Money And Run

From: Violator ; Year: 1990 (1989); Genre: Synthpop/Electronic Rock Yesterday whilst out and about I happened to hear this song come on the radio at one of the places I went. I thought it felt like a solid pick for this Saturday, so I'm going ahead. It certainly does bring back memories, this song; very young and not quite a teen when it was released. It was quite popular back then and still is today despite its synth heavy sound; a great track Hear Personal Jesus on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Larry Graham and Graham Central Station - G.C.S. My song pick two years ago today: Rush - Big Money My song pick three years ago today: Jethro Tull - Lifebeats/Prelude/The Silver Cord/Re-Assuring Tune My song pick four years ago today: The Doors - When the Music's Over My song pick five years ago today: Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Tank My song pick six years ago today: Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Karn Evil 9 My song pick seven years ago today: Kenny ...

1508 Depeche Mode - Stripped From: Black Celebration , Year: 1986 Genre: Dark Wave/Pop/Synthpop I'm over 1500 song picks into my song-a-day blog and I haven't picked a single Depeche Mode song. It actually was a bit of a surprise; I thought I had picked a couple of their songs, but I guess I hadn't. I grew up hearing them quite a bit and I've always been a fan of their music; this is one of my favourites. Here is the music video on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Sammy Davis Jr. - Mr. Bojangles My song pick two years ago today: John Denver - Blues My Naughty My song pick three years ago today: Rush - Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres My song pick four years ago today: Rush - YYZ +

I had a dilemma today in picking this song, the song itself was not the problem, but who did it was. I chose the Rammstein cover of stripped over the Depeche Mode original version because I liked the overall feel of Rammstein's version better today. This song was released on the Sehnsucht album as a hidden track. What I really like about this is the message as well as the feel of the music. This song is about as, John Rauls would say, "taking you back to the first position," in essence back to who you are: a human. One of my favorite lyrics in this song is: "Let me hear you make decisions without your television, let me hear you speaking just for me." In other words you are speaking with someone else's voice and letting others (music, movies celebrities, the news, pop culture, and politicians) make your decisions for you. In my experience I have run into many people who are this way, they have no opinion of their own but the one that they get from watchin...