Hole To Feed

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Hole To Feed
Song	Hole To Feed
By	Depeche Mode
Songwriter	Dave Gahan Christian Eigner Andrew Phillpott
Produced by	Ben Hillier
Recorded at	Sound Design (Santa Barbara) Chung King (New York)
Length (mm:ss)	3:59 (album version) 3:27 (radio mix)
Tempo	110 BPM
Time signature	4 4
Key	D Major
Programmed by	Luke Smith
Original programming	Christian Eigner Andrew Phillpott
Engineered by	Ferg Peterkin
Engineering assistance	Josh Garcia Jesse Gladstone Anthony Palazzole
Pre-production assistance	Sie Medway-Smith
Mastered by	Stephen Marcussen
Drums	Christian Eigner
Art direction	Anton Corbijn
Design	ShaughnessyWorks Tea Design
Recorded	May - December, 2008
Originally released	7 December 2009
Live performances as Depeche Mode	103 times *
Total live performances	103 times *

"Hole To Feed" is a song written by Dave Gahan for the 2009 album Sounds Of The Universe by Depeche Mode. It was released as a double A-side single alongside "Fragile Tension" on 7 December 2009.

Notes

Dave Gahan told The Guardian in 2009:

"This is one of the songs I wrote on the album, a very cynical song about wanting to fill a gaping hole but not knowing what to fill it with. About sometimes the idea having a hole to feed all being a figment of my imagination when I'm actually fine."

He explained it in more detail in a syndicated interview by Steffen Rüth (translated from German):

"It is about the fact that I am always thinking that there is something else out there - a person, a relationship, a drug, an adventure, whatever - that can finally fulfill my needs. Well, then you give into this stuff or person, with which you were so obsessed - and then you're disappointed. That's how it always goes. No matter what it is, no matter how great I am doing or how happy I am: I will never get into the state that I want to reach. My cynical self will appear in such moments. And I actually don't like this part of my character anymore. But it simply cannot be turned off easily. But I am pressing the pause button more frequently than ever anyway."

Dave Gahan also told Interia.pl (translated from Polish):

"In the studio, when working on songs, there is a collective effort. The composition of 'Hole to Feed' has ended up becoming something more rhythmic and lyrically cynical than its original version. Once we had developed the rhythmic structure of this song, Martin played the guitar with some great parts, and the transition gave the song a completely different atmosphere. At the beginning of the recording, we worked on the arrangement of the song, and in a way we tore apart the demo version of the song, looking for its strengths. And sometimes the drive of a composition is hidden in the shadows, it's not necessarily the most obvious element. This song has become much more twisted and faster than the demo version. Originally, this track had a spatial atmosphere, but Ben [Hillier] decided to give it a rhythm and build the rest of the composition around it."

Lyrics

Hole To Feed

We are here

We can love

We share something

I'm sure that you mean the world to me

Your name was the one

That was always chosen

Your words and their kindness

Have set me free

Shame has a hold

That's kept us frozen

You opened my eyes to a world

That I could believe

Words can leave you

Broken inside

You'll have to decide

I'm hanging on to my pride

We are here

We can love

We share something

I'm sure that you mean the world to me

When you get what you need

There's no way of knowing

What you'll have

Is another hole to feed

The games that were played

Have left us hoping

The gift that we have - the life

That we breathe

This world can leave you

Broken inside

With nowhere to hide

I'm hanging on to my pride

We are here

We've been chosen

We've been blessed with a place

We need to find and then open

We are here

We can love

We share something

I'm sure that you mean the world to me

When you get what you need

There's no way of knowing

What you'll have

Is another hole to feed

Songwriter: Dave Gahan, Christian Eigner, Andrew Phillpott
Publishing Information: ©2009 Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd licensed by JJSR Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Live performances

Main article: Available recordings of "Hole To Feed"

Main article: List of dates where "Hole To Feed" 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