On 17 March 1985, Depeche Mode released its fifth studio album Black Celebration through Mute Records. The album further cemented the darkening sound created by Alan Wilder. The album reached the fourth place on the UK Albums Chart, making it the group's highest-peaking album of the 1980s decade in their native country. Three years after its release, Spin ranked it at number 15 on its list of "The 25 Greatest Albums of All Time".

Four singles were taken from this album, ‘Stripped’, ‘A Question Of Lust’, ‘A Question Of Time’ and ‘But Not Tonight’ and released throughout the following year.

Upon its release Black Celebration received mixed critics in the British press. Melody Maker's Steve Sutherland brought the album down and wrote that Depeche Mode came off as "pussycats desperate to appear perverted as an escape from the superficiality of teen stardom”, also Sounds published a similar unsparing review criticizing chief songwriter Martin Gore's "adolescent fragments of despair". NME on the other hand praised Black Celebration's "perfectly constructed jigsaw melodies" and concluded "When the songs address topics other than the composer's state of mind – as on the evocative exploration of loneliness that is 'World Full of Nothing' – Depeche Mode sound like a lot more than just a high tech, low-life melodrama”…

Nevertheless the album entered the charts all over the world with some of its highest peaks in Switzerland (1st position, Swiss Hitparade), Germany (2nd of the Top 100), UK (4th of UK album) and Sweden (5th Swedish Top list). It also received Platinum in Germany (500.000 copies sold) and Gold in the US (500.000 copies sold).

But since then Black Celebration has been regularly reappraised in retrospective reviews. In 2007, when the album was re-released Rolling Stone magazine referred to the album as an "instant classic for the band's fans" that at the time of its release had seemingly been "utterly ignored by everybody else".

Depeche Mode (1986)

• Alan Wilder
• Andrew Fletcher
• David Gahan
• Martin Gore

Black Celebration LP (1986)

01. Black Celebration 4:55
02. Fly on the Windscreen – Final 5:18
03. A Question of Lust 4:20
04. Sometimes 1:53
05. It Doesn't Matter Two 2:50
06. A Question of Time 4:10
07. Stripped 4:16
08. Here Is the House 4:15
09. World Full of Nothing 2:50
10. Dressed in Black 2:32
11. New Dress 3:42

DISCOGS

On 16 March 1987, Siouxsie and the Banshees released their cover version of Iggy Pop's 'The Passenger', it was recorded for their 1987 all-cover-versions album Through the Looking Glass. The band revamped the song by adding brass arrangements. Released as the second single from that album, it peaked at number 41 in the UK singles charts.

Iggy Pop later praised their version and stated: "She sings it well and she threw a little note in when she sings it, that I wish I had thought of, it's kind of improved it [...]. Also the horn thing is good."

It was released as 7" and 12" vinyl by Polydor.

The Passenger - 7" - Tracklist

A. The Passenger 4:06
B. She's Cuckoo 4:16

The Passenger - 12 " - Tracklist

A. The Passenger (Llllloco-motion Mix) 8:00
B1. She's Cuckoo 4:15
B2. Something Blue 3:54

DISCOGS

Today, 36 years ago, Siousxie And The Banshees released the single Swimming Horses (16.03.1984) which was taken from the band's sixth studio album Hyaena. The song was co-written by Steven Severin and Robert Smith (The Cure)

The 7" B-side featured Let’s Go while the 12" version also feartured a third song called The Humming Wires.

Upon release Siousxie explained to British music magazine Melody Maker what events inspired her to write this song:

“This song is based on a programme I saw about a female version of Amnesty, called 'Les Sentinelles'. They rescue women who are trapped in certain religious climates in the Middle East, religions that view any kind of pre-marital sexual aspersion as punishable by death – either by the hand of the eldest brother in the family, or by public stoning. And there was this instance of a woman whose daughter had developed a tumour, and, of course, gossip abounded that she was pregnant. The doctor who removed the tumour allowed her to take it back to the village to prove that, no, it wasn't a baby – but they wouldn't believe her. The woman knew her daughter would have to be stoned to death so she poisoned her, out of kindness, to save her from a worse fate. Now this organization has all these escape routes for women like her, mainly through the elder brother who pretends to have killed them. But once they've been saved, they can never go back. So the song starts, "Kinder than with poison..." I also used the imagery of "He gives birth to swimming horses", from the fact that male sea horses give birth to the children, so they're the only species that have a maternal feel for the young. It was, I suppose, an abstract way of linking it all together without being sensationalist. I remember just being really moved by that programme, and wanting to get the sorrow out of me.“

Swimming Horses - Lyrics

Falling in your, falling in your arms
Fish on a line, learns to live on dry land
Thrown back again to drown
Kinder with poison

Than pushed down a well - or a face burnt to hell
Feel the cruel stones breaking her bones
Dead before born
Words fall in ruins - but no sound

She's dying of your shame - she maimed by your paw
He gives birth to swimming horses

Fish on a line, walking on dry land
But, back in the water to drown we drown
Floating in sky

He gives birth to swimming horses
Take a ride on the tide with the assassin at your side
The weightlessness under water -- forgets in slow motion
And washes pointless tortures

He gives birth to swimming horses
Floating in sky like fishes can fly through your arms

Songwriters: Robert Smith / Siouxsie Sioux / Steven Severin

DISCOGS

Born in Serbia and raised in Greece, Jana Teovano’s sultry Trip-Hop Nu-Jazz style is influenced by an array of musicians. Inspired by the vocals of Amy Winehouse, the rhythm of Jason Mraz and the strength of P!nk, Jana embellishes people’s expectations of the present R&B scene. As a newcomer to Canada, Jana quickly began to be known to play acoustic sets at events like Kensington Market Jazz Festival, Winterfolk Festival, Pride London, and in all the usual suspects of Toronto venues like The Supermarket, The Smiling Buddha, and Cameron House.

Jana's musical background is not only international, but has also been a life-long commitment. Through experiences like their participation in Honey Jam, graduating from Seneca College for Independent Music Production, and a multitude of years in Music Education, those who have had a chance to hear Jana, simply fall in love at first note. Learning to play classical violin since the age of 5 and piano since the age of 10, later increased their repertoire to include singing, playing guitar, and drums.

Jana also began writing songs in 2010. Jana and Producer re/Pulse have arranged a sound that is an authentic “open book and totally enigmatic”- Michael ___ (Michael’s A.M. Podcast - Hamilton Ontario). Honest and shame-less, raw and focused; Jana's art is relatable, inspirational and compelling. Jana Teovano is currently planning a summer tour for her debut self-titled EP which is now out on all streaming platforms

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3wlAtwjyB0SvkNVbhwIQvX

https://play.google.com/music/preview/Bgyrp2pn5oj7wkgbztypsbkcbve?u=0

https://www.deezer.com/us/album/129459092?autoplay=true

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjEMcKcJeJQ&list=OLAK5uy_lRPoDBKIO15MJpBIPiLP9FluFWdCqC9H8

On 14 March 1984 the English synth pop band Depeche Mode presented their brand new single ‘People Are People’ which was only released two days before (12 March 1984) on the German Top-pop TV show Flashlights.
Six weeks later the single reached the first place in the German single charts and stayed on this number one position for 3 weeks. In West Germany, it was used as the theme to West German TV's coverage of the 1984 Olympics, alluding to East Germany's participation in the Soviet-led boycott of the games.

The single was taken from the album ‘Some Great Reward’ which made it to the 3rd position in the German pop album charts. The album also became gold record with over 150,000 copies sold.

It also became their first hit-single in the US where the single would eventually peak at no. 13. In the UK, the single reached number 4, which was at the time the band's highest singles chart position in their homeland.

In 2011 the song was included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll"

People are People (Lyrics)

People are people so why should it be
You and I should get along so awfully
So we're different colours
And we're different creeds
And different people have different needs
It's obvious you hate me
Though I've done nothing wrong
I never even met you
So what could I have done

I can't understand
What makes a man
Hate another man
Help me understand

People are people so why should it be
You and I should get along so awfully
Help me understand
Now you're punching and you're kicking
And you're shouting at me
I'm relying on your common decency
So far it hasn't surfaced
But I'm sure it exists
It just takes a while to travel
From your head to your fist

I can't understand
What makes a man
Hate another man
Help me understand

Songwriter: Martin Gore
© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC