Broken

"Broken" is the seventh track on Delta Machine.

Lyrics

Dave's Take

"The lyrics of 'Broken' are probably based on a friend who's been struggling for a while with his own demons. I see myself in him, and you can't make somebody change."¹

My Take

So, is it just me, or have the synthesizers on later Depeche Mode works gotten less...interesting? I hate to start on such a negative-sounding note, as I think this song is actually pretty good, but hear me out...I know they can come up with interesting and beautiful riffs on other instruments like guitar and piano as I think this is well-exemplified on other songs on this album like "Heaven" and "Goodbye," but if I go looking for similar qualities from the synths, I'm kind of left wanting. Why is that? Anyway, the things that I do like about this song are its warm vibe, and of course, Dave's vocals. Something that kind of hit me as I was listening to songs from this album, though, is that I really notice a stark difference in the way Dave sings for Depeche Mode and the way he sings for Soulsavers and his solo stuff. It's particularly noticeable on mellower numbers like this one. Not being learned in the vocal arts, I can't give it a precise, technical description, but it really sounds as if Dave is deliberately trying to sound a certain way on Depeche Mode songs; for instance here, his voice has a very deep and open quality to it that sounds like it does on earlier albums like "Black Celebration." In fact, the title song of that actually comes to mind where his voice sounds like it is calling out from the very depths of a vast echo chamber and I can't help but wonder if he is very much doing that on purpose on some songs such as this one. On his non-Depeche-Mode songs that have similar vibes like Kingdom, for example, he tends to sound more breathy and natural, and I must admit that I actually like his voice better in those. But I admit, the whole thing does puzzle me a little. Other than that, the sentiment in the lyrics here are very beautiful and sweet. I mean, how would you like Dave to be there to comfort you in your brokenness? Ha...How in the world someone could be broken "from the start," though, illustrates an interesting idea. That idea is quite similar to the one expressed in "Wrong" which was written by Martin Gore- particularly the refrain of "I was born with the wrong sign / In the wrong house / With the wrong ascendancy." Dave and Martin share a lot more in common than we think, sometimes!

Music Video

The video simply shows the band performing this song live in a studio. It features Dave on lead vocals, Martin Gore on backing vocals and guitar, Andy Fletcher on keyboards, and Kurt Uenala on keyboards.

My Take

This rendition of the song is simply superior to the album version, in my opinion. Everything sounds so warm and organic, and it sounds like Dave is singing more naturally here, which I guess are all obvious side effects from being live and unprocessed. But that's my point; these guys are such good musicians that they don't need any post-processing. What I would give to see videos of the band performing every single song in their back catalogue in this setting!

References

1. "Depeche Mode: Brits wouldn't show our set so we said 'f*** them'", The Sun (March 22, 2013)