Does That Hurt?
"Does That Hurt?" was released by OLI, London-based singer/songwriter. The song features Dave Gahan on vocals.
Lyrics
Fall down and I'll know
I'll be back
'Cause I'm trying to speak
You're looking through me
You don't talk back
And I can see you think it's best
To leave this weighing on your chest
But you've got to lay it all to rest
'Cause lovers do and lovers don't
Always know what the other wants
Can't figure out where you're coming from
It's not over you can tell
Come away to the wishing well
It's not over you can tell
How can you know me when I don't know myself?
I don't know myself
I don't know myself
Over time we start to drift
Now I see the signs we missed (myself)
I don't think I really missed them all
Now we're both waiting on the fence
So we avoid the mess
Does that hurt?
It's not over you can tell
Come away to the wishing well (come away)
It's not over you can tell (I can't wait)
How can you know me when I don't know myself?
Drop in and I'll go
Fall down and I'll know
I'll be back
My Take
I've always loved the way Dave's voice sounds against solo female voices, so of course the release of this collaboration had me very excited. Olivia Masek (professionally known as OLI) is a burgeoning singer/songwriter, bursting into the music scene in 2020 when she was 23 years old with a pop single called "Happy," and she had plans even then to collaborate with Dave.1 She worked with legendary producer Benny D, who has also worked with Depeche Mode among with many other big-name artists, and she had met Dave through him. Much of her work is very modern and pop-oriented, so when she wrote this collaboration with Dave, it saw her venture more into the alt-rock realm.
This song is like a running dialogue between two lovers, running almost like a quarrel during a breakup, though the two parties seem to have very different feelings about the situation. I love how even the music reflects the contrasting feelings of the girl and guy, with the girl's part sounding light and mostly in the major key. Even in the way she sings, the girl sounds quite calm and accepting of the situation. Contrast that to the guy's (Dave's) part being in the minor key and from the angsty way he sings, he sounds more distraught than she is about the situation. He clearly does not want to let go, and the question he asks, "How can you know me when I don't know myself?" sounds like someone who is very insecure on the surface, though he probably just feels robbed of being given a fair chance and/or having his views heard, a consequence that could've been the fault of both parties.
Music Video
There is no music video for this song.