New Life (song)

"New Life" is the second UK single by Depeche Mode from their debut album Speak & Spell recorded at Blackwing Studios in south London, originally released on 13 June 1981.[3] It was not commercially released in the United States.

For the song by Blind Melon, see Soup (Blind Melon album).

"New Life"
Single by Depeche Mode
from the album Speak & Spell
B-side"Shout!"
Released13 June 1981
RecordedMay 1981
StudioBlackwing (London)
GenreSynth-pop[1]
Length
  • 3:43 (album version)
  • 3:58 (12″ remix)
LabelMute
Songwriter(s)Vince Clarke
Producer(s)
Depeche Mode singles chronology
"Dreaming of Me"
(1981)		 "New Life"
(1981)		 "Just Can't Get Enough"
(1981)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

Background

Vince Clarke wrote the song.[4] There were two versions of the song available. The 7″ version would later become the "album version", as it would eventually appear on the UK version of Speak & Spell, released in October 1981, and a 12″ "remix", which differs from the album version, in that it has a different intro, intensely percussive and harder, and an added synth part in the "solo" vocal section in the middle of the song, which is not present on the 7″ mix. The "remix" would later appear on the US version of Speak & Spell.

The single became Depeche Mode's breakthrough hit in the UK, peaking at #11.[5][6] On 25 June 1981, the band performed "New Life" during their debut on the BBC's Top of the Pops. The band would perform the song twice more on the show, on 16 July and 30 July 1981.

The B-side, "Shout!", is the first Depeche Mode song to get a 12″ extended remix, called the "Rio Mix". This mix would later appear on the remix compilation Remixes 81–04, released in 2004. It is the earliest recorded song available on the compilation.

Formats and track listings

All songs written by Vince Clarke

7″: Mute / 7Mute14 (UK)

  1. "New Life" – 3:43
  2. "Shout!" – 3:44

12″: Mute / 12Mute14 (UK)

  1. "New Life" (remix) – 3:58
  2. "Shout!" (Rio mix) – 7:31
  • Re-released in 2018 as a part of the Speak & Spell: The 12″ Singles box set

CD: Mute / Intercord / CDMute14 / INT 826.800 (West Germany) – released in 1988

  1. "New Life" (remix) – 3:58
  2. "Shout!" (Rio mix) – 7:31
  3. "New Life" (7″ version) – 3:43

CD: Mute / CDMute14 (UK) – released in 1991

  1. "New Life" (remix) – 3:58
  2. "Shout!" – 3:44
  3. "Shout!" (Rio mix) – 7:31

CD: Sire / 40290-2 (US) – released in 1991

  1. "New Life" (remix) – 3:58
  2. "Shout!" – 3:44
  3. "Shout!" (Rio mix) – 7:31

Charts
Chart performance for "New Life"
Chart (1981) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[7] 22
UK Singles (OCC)[8] 11
UK Indie (MRIB)[9] 1
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[10]
with "Shout!"		 29

References
  1. Freeman, John (4 March 2011). "A Question of Lust: Depeche Mode's Black Celebration Revisited". The Quietus. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  2. Raggett, Ned. "New Life – Depeche Mode". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  3. Miller, Jonathan (5 November 2009). Stripped: Depeche Mode. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-026-7. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  4. Music, BBC Radio 6 (13 October 2014). BBC Radio 6 Music's Alternative Jukebox: 500 Extraordinary Tracks That Tell the Story of Alternative Music. Octopus. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-84403-814-5. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  5. Bernhardt, Tonia (21 November 2007). Depeche Mode: A Band, Its Music, and the Cult. GRIN Verlag. p. 3. ISBN 978-3-638-76757-6. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  6. Christopher, Michael (28 December 2020). Depeche Mode FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World's Finest Synth-Pop Band. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-4930-5400-8. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  7. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Depeche Mode". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  8. "Depeche Mode: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  9. Lazell, Barry (1997). "Depeche Mode". Indie Hits 1980–1989: The Complete U.K. Independent Charts (Singles & Albums). Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-95172-069-4. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  10. "Depeche Mode Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
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