“Stripped” by Depeche Mode

This is a song which criticizes certain aspects of modern society. However, it does not do so directly. Rather the singer expresses a desire to take his love’s interest – even if only briefly – away from such a setting to see her “stripped down to the bone”. And although this statement definitely has a carnal ringing to it, within the overall context of this song, it is not tantamount to a desire to see said lady without any clothes on. Rather it is a yearning to be with her without both internal and external products of contemporary living.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Depeche Mode's Stripped at Lyrics.org.

So he does want to “lay on the grass” with her but in the name of “com(ing) back to the land”. He can “taste” the “fumes” she is “breathing in”, as in air pollution, when they “kiss”, so he wants to get her away from the “metropolis” for a while. And he also desires for her to “make decisions” without being under the influence of the “television”, so logically he would want her to refrain from partaking in that also. All of this is in the name of, once again, seeing her “stripped down to” to her bones, which in light of what was previously said is not a desire to seduce her but rather a longing to become more familiar with her natural self.

Lyrics of "Stripped"

Facts about “Stripped”

  • Band member and lead songwriter, Martin Gore composed this pop tune all by himself.
  • Gore together with his colleague group members was assisted by British music producers, Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones on the production of “Stripped”.
  • This track can be found on numerous compilation albums of Depeche Mode. They include Depeche Mode Greatest Hits of 1987 and The Singles 86-98, which was released in 1998.
  • Popular music video director, Peter Care solely directed the music visual for this pop song. The video was shot in the German capital of Berlin.

Chart Performance

“Stripped” peaked at #15 in the UK.  It also performed brilliantly in the charts of several European territories, such as Sweden, Germany, and Finland.

Covers/Remixes of “Stripped”

A notable cover version of this pop single includes the 1998 version that was recorded and performed by the German rock band, Rammstein.

Other prominent cover versions have also been released. Some of them include the versions performed by the following artists:

  • Scooter (in 2004)
  • Belljar (in 2005)
  • Drist (in 2006)

In 1986, noted British musician, Flood released a remix of this classic.

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