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Home
Song	Home
By	Depeche Mode
Songwriter	Martin L. Gore
Produced by	Depeche Mode Tim Simenon
Recorded at	Abbey Road Eastcote Westside Strongroom RAK (London) Electric Lady (New York City) Larrabee West (Los Angeles)
Length (mm:ss)	5:40 (album version) 5:45 (single version) 3:59 (radio edit)
Tempo	151 BPM
Time signature	4 4
Key	D♭ Major
Programmed by	Kerry Hopwood
Engineered by	Q
Engineering assistance	Paul Hicks Guy Massey Lee Fitzgerald Tom Rixton Gary Forde Lee Phillips Jamie Campbell Jim Greg Audie Chamberlain Robbie Kazandjian
Mixed by	Tim Simenon Q
Mastered by	Mike Marsh
Keyboards	Dave Clayton
String arrangements	Dave Clayton
Score, conducting	Richard Niles
String coordination	Graeme Perkins
Additional vocal engineering	Gareth Jones
Vocal coach	Evelyn Halus
Art direction	Anton Corbijn
Colour prints	Brian Dowling
Sleeve design	Area
Recorded	January 1996–February 1997
Originally released	16 June 1997
Live performances as Depeche Mode	572 times *
Total live performances	576 times *

"Home" is a song from the 1997 album Ultra by Depeche Mode. It was released as a single on 16 June 1997.

Notes

The string section of the song was recorded in one day in early June 1996 at Westside Studios, the same studio where a great portion of the album Black Celebration was recorded.

Martin Gore in Bong magazine issue no. 37, 1998: "It's got a great atmosphere and a great string arrangement."

Gore says in a Mexican magazine called Revolution in early 2010:

"To be honest that song was written at a pretty dark period in my life when I was recognising the amount that I was depending on alcohol to fill my daily existence. I saw that my whole lifestyle was being affected by that fact and I think the song was a way of recording my "resignation" at the situation."

During a 'TimesTalks' conference in March 2017, an audience member asked Martin Gore about this song:

Q: A very special song to me is 'Home'. Could you talk a little bit about how that came about, [and] what's behind it, the meaning?

Martin Gore: ... ehm...

Andy Fletcher: I know what he's gonna say.

Martin: Do you? Do you want- please!

Andy: Well I always thought it was about home, going home, etcetera etcetera, and then Martin said, "It's not about that, it's about death." Is that true?

Martin: Kind of, yeah. I mean, I was going through a very dark period at that time, and I had just imagined that I was heading for an early grave, and kind of accepting that at that point.

Live versions

This section provides an example of a live version of Home from each tour that it was played.

• Play 1997 "Ultra Parties": 1997-05-16 Shrine Exposition Hall, Los Angeles, CA, USA
• Play 1998 "The Singles" Tour: 1998-12-19 Forum, Inglewood, CA, USA
• Play 2001 "Exciter" Tour: 2001-10-11 Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
• Play 2003 "A Night With Martin L. Gore": 2003-05-06 Mayan Theater, Los Angeles, CA, USA
• Play 2005 - 2006 "Touring The Angel": 2006-06-04 Rock Am Ring, Nurburgring, Germany
• Play 2009 - 2010 "Tour Of The Universe" (Regular): 2009-11-23 Tony Garnier, Lyon, France
• Play 2009 - 2010 "Tour Of The Universe" (Additional live strings): 2010-02-17 Royal Albert Hall, London, England, UK
• Play 2013 - 2014 "Delta Machine" Tour: 2013-07-11 BBK Festival, Bilbao, Spain
• Play 2017 - 2018 "Global Spirit" Tour: 2017-03-26 BBC 6 Music Festival, Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Lyrics

Home

Here is a song

From the wrong side of town

Where I'm bound

To the ground

By the loneliest sound

That pounds from within

And is pinning me down

Here is a page

From the emptiest stage

A cage or the heaviest cross ever made

A gauge of the deadliest trap ever laid

And I thank you

For bringing me here

For showing me home

For singing these tears

Finally I've found

That I belong here

The heat and the sickliest

Sweet smelling sheets

That cling to the backs of my knees

And my feet

But I'm drowning in time

To a desperate beat

And I thank you

For bringing me here

For showing me home

For singing these tears

Finally I've found

That I belong

Feels like home

I should have known

From my first breath

God send the only true friend

I call mine

Pretend that I'll make amends

The next time

Befriend the glorious end of the line

And I thank you

For bringing me here

For showing me home

For singing these tears

Finally I've found

That I belong here

Songwriter: Martin L. Gore
Publishing Information: ©1997 Grabbing Hands Music Ltd/EMI Music Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Live performances

Main article: Available recordings of "Home"

Main article: List of dates where "Home" was played

Depeche Mode songs released as singles 1981-1985: Dreaming Of Me • New Life • Just Can't Get Enough • See You • The Meaning Of Love • Leave In Silence • Get The Balance Right • Everything Counts • Love In Itself • People Are People • Master And Servant • Blasphemous Rumours / Somebody • Shake The Disease • It's Called A Heart 1986-1989: Stripped • But Not Tonight • A Question Of Lust • A Question Of Time • Strangelove • Never Let Me Down Again • Behind The Wheel • Little 15 • Personal Jesus 1990-1998: Enjoy The Silence • Policy Of Truth • World In My Eyes • I Feel You • Walking In My Shoes • Condemnation • In Your Room • Barrel Of A Gun • It's No Good • Home • Useless • Only When I Lose Myself 2001-2009: Dream On • I Feel Loved • Freelove • Goodnight Lovers • Precious • A Pain That I'm Used To • Suffer Well • John The Revelator / Lilian • Martyr • Wrong • Peace • Fragile Tension / Hole To Feed 2013-2017: Heaven • Soothe My Soul • Should Be Higher • Where's The Revolution • Going Backwards • Cover Me 2023: Ghosts Again Recoil songs released as singles 1992-1998: Faith Healer • Drifting • Stalker / Missing Piece 2000-2008: Strange Hours • Jezebel • Prey • Allelujah Dave Gahan songs released as singles 2003-2008: Dirty Sticky Floors • I Need You • Bottle Living / Hold On • A Little Piece • Kingdom • Saw Something / Deeper And Deeper 2012-2015: Longest Day • Take Me Back Home • All Of This And Nothing • Shine Martin Gore solo songs released as singles 1989-2003: Compulsion • Stardust • Loverman 2012-2015: Spock • Single Blip • Aftermaths • Europa Hymn • "Pinking" (Christoffer Berg Remix) Official releases Studio albums • Live albums • Compilation albums • Video albums • Singles