Depeche Mode: Songs of Faith and Devotion Originally released in 1993, Depeche Mode's Songs of Faith and Devotion was unveiled to a stunned U.S. and U.K. audience. The band had undergone a transformation of truly Gothic proportions. Gone were the short crew cuts, the sole use of synthesizers, and the Gap image. In its place were long and flowing Jesus-like hair, distorted guitars and full drum sections, and a look that some described as the "heroine junky" mode. Much to the surprise of die-hard fans, the album was a commercial success, spawning a full length live album, 5 top twenty Billboard hits, and a relentless 18 month tour which ended abruptly when keyboardist Alan Wilder quit the band after 16 years. The content of Songs of Faith and Devotion came out of an era of confusion and redemption for the band, and namely from lead singer Dave Gahan's fight with heroine and cocaine addiction. After spending 3 years in seclusion after the release of Violater in 1989, the band reunited in early 1992 to begin recording a new album. The tone of the album would be so overtly religious that some fans were initially turned off by the constant references to God, holiness, redemption, suffering, and the like. The most glaring example of Depeche Mode's new-found religion is the song Walking in My Shoes. The song was written by Martin Gore in response to the public outrage regarding Dave Gahan's new "bad boy" image, with his constant public misbehaviour, his new adoration for religious tattoos, and his striking new resemblance to Jesus. The lyrics tell a tale of a man who's life has been turned upside down by trials and tribulations. Like Job before him, many of the problems that Dave Gahan had encountered were beyond his control. The creative tension between Martin Gore and Alan Wilder, the constant touring and public appearances, the death of his mother and father, and a long legal battle with Sire records had taken their toll on Dave's psyche...
