Timing is everything, and there couldn’t be a more perfect time for “Where’s the Revolution?” the first and newest single from Depeche Mode’s upcoming 14th studio album, Spirit.
Directed by Anton Corbijn with a WWII era filter, the lyrics resonate with the political and cultural climate that’s been percolating since the early Bush years (“They manipulate and threaten / With terror as a weapon”) and are fully boiling over in the Trump era (“Scare you till you’re stupefied / Wear you down until you’re on their side”).
Atop a platform as flag-carrying soldiers do the Goose Step, David Gahan demands to know, “Where’s the revolution? / Come on people / You’re letting me down!” The single debuted last Friday and the audio-only version of the video has been gaining ground, with almost three million views.
Complacency and political apathy were quite commonplace before November 8th of last year or even before January 20th of this year, but it’s not now. Congress people are running scared out of town halls with police escorts as hundreds of constituents demand to be heard. Congress people are claiming that the thousands of calls and emails they’re receiving are from paid protesters, refusing to believe that we as American citizens, we actually give a shit about how the GOP is royally fucking up our country on a daily basis, at a higher rate of speed and intensity than they’ve done in recent history.
Depeche Mode is also taking User Generated Content to the next level, inviting Facebook “fans new and old” to to be in charge of the band’s Facebook page. Beginning February 24th a different fan will take over social media duties every day for the entire year. Apply at takeover.depechemode.com.
The Global Spirit Tour doesn’t start until May 5 in Stockholm and continues through Europe through the end of July. But given the release of Spirit is on March 17 (Venusnote/Columbia), this fan hopes they’ll make a return to SXSW where there are expected to be numerous revolutionary events taking place. For those of us that were lucky enough to be one of 800+ people to witnessed their Sx peformance in promotion of Delta Machine, it was truly magical.
Depeche Mode – Live at SXSW -2013 from Depeche Mode Archive on Vimeo.
Full lyrics for “Where’s the Revolution?”
You’ve been kept down
You’ve been pushed ’round
You’ve been lied to
You’ve been fed truths
Who’s making your decisions
You or your religion
Your government, your countries
You patriotic junkies
Where’s the revolution
Come on people
You’re letting me down
Where’s the revolution
Come on people
You’re letting me down
You’ve been pissed on
For too long
Your rights abused
Your views refused
They manipulate and threaten
With terror as a weapon
Scare you till you’re stupefied
Wear you down until you’re on their side
Where’s the revolution
Come on people
You’re letting me down
Where’s the revolution
Come on people
You’re letting me down
The train is coming
The train is coming
The train is coming
The train is coming
So get on board
Get on board
Get on board
Get on board
The engine’s humming
The engine’s humming
The engine’s humming
The engine’s humming
So get on board
Get on board
Get on board
Get on board
Where’s the revolution
Come on people
You’re letting me down
Where’s the revolution
Come on people
You’re letting me down
