Nothing

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Nothing
Song	Nothing
By	Depeche Mode
Songwriter	Martin L. Gore
Produced by	Depeche Mode Dave Bascombe Daniel Miller
Recorded at	Guillaume Tell (Paris) Konk (London)
Length (mm:ss)	4:18
Tempo	107 BPM
Time signature	4 4
Key	B Major
Recorded	February - July, 1987
Originally released	28 September 1987
Live performances as Depeche Mode	101 times *
Total live performances	101 times *

"Nothing" is a song from the 1987 album Music For The Masses by Depeche Mode.

Notes

Dave Gahan said in the commentary track on the DVD of '101' in 2003:

"When I hear the songs now, like this one especially, I really hear in Mart's words what a big influence Iggy Pop has on him. This song, 'Nothing', was like 'Dirt' from The Stooges or something."

Dave Bascombe told Super Deluxe Edition in July 2019:

"[...] We dug out a few of [Depeche Mode's] old samples and I brought a lot of mine as well, which were more in the vein of just regular snare drums and kicks, although I did use, there's one interesting sound which is used as a high hat on, I think 'Nothing', or maybe a few things, which is a pneumatic coach door shutting."

Martin Gore was also quoted in Bravo Magazine issue #44 in 1987 (translated from German):

"[...] The hydraulic door of our tourbus also proved to be very useful. We made a hi-hat from its hissing noise, and the noise from it closing also produced a kind of rattling drum."

When Depeche Mode was interviewed about the songs on the '101' CD for the April 1989 issue of French magazine 'Best', Andy Fletcher said (translated from French):

"At the end of the track, Dave asks the audience how they're doing. That what can be heard on the recording is pretty much everything that he said on stage. He never gives long speeches during the concert and that's good, I think. When I went to see Prince's last concert, I was disappointed, because he kept repeating that he loved London, that it was a fabulous place. I bet the next day he said the same thing in Amsterdam or Paris."

Lyrics

Nothing

Sitting target

Sitting waiting

Anticipating

Nothing

Nothing

Life

Is full of surprises

It advertises

Nothing

Nothing

What am I trying to do

What am I trying to say

I'm not trying to tell you anything

You didn't know

When you woke up today

Sitting target

Sitting praying

God is saying

Nothing

Nothing

Always

Knows the prospects

Learn to expect

Nothing

Nothing

What am I trying to do

What am I trying to say

I'm not trying to tell you anything

You didn't know

When you woke up today

Nothing

Nothing

Nothing, oh no

Nothing, oh no

Songwriter: Martin L. Gore
Publishing Information: ©1987 Grabbing Hands Music Ltd/EMI Music Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Live performances

Main article: Available recordings of "Nothing"

Main article: List of dates where "Nothing" was played