It's No Good

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It's No Good
Song	It's No Good
By	Depeche Mode
Songwriter	Martin L. Gore
Produced by	Depeche Mode Tim Simenon
Recorded at	Abbey Road Eastcote Westside Strongroom RAK (London) Larrabee West (Los Angeles)
Length (mm:ss)	5:58 (album version) 4:06 (radio edit)
Tempo	99 BPM
Time signature	4 4
Key	B♭ Minor
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
Vocal coach	Evelyn Halus
Art direction	Anton Corbijn
Colour prints	Brian Dowling
Sleeve design	Area
Recorded	January, 1996 - February 1997
Originally released	31 March 1997
Live performances as Depeche Mode	442 times *
Total live performances	442 times *

"It's No Good" is a song from the 1997 album Ultra by Depeche Mode. It was released as a single on 31 March 1997.

Notes

Martin Gore in Bong issue no. 37, 1998: "This is the one that sounded most like Depeche Mode on [Ultra], but I still really like it, because it's again, just on that right side of commerciality. I think it's really good when we achieve that balance."

Dave Gahan told MTV in 1997: "It was the most Depeche Mode sounding song that we've put out for a long time. The title itself is pretty funny, Depeche Mode's new single, 'It's No Good.' I like that."

According to Tim Simenon in the 2019-08-01 Depeche Mode special by Classic Pop magazine, "It's No Good" was written by Martin Gore during the three-month break between mid-May 1996 and mid-August 1996. He continued: "'It's No Good' came together instantly. The demo sounded like a Depeche song and it wrote itself in terms of the production."

Gore described having felt initially hesitant to record 'It's No Good' at the demo stage due to its apparent mainstream pop-like qualities in a 2016 interview with Rob Bell:

I specifically remember [It's No Good], and one of my friends will be very pleased that you asked about that one, because, there's a friend of mine [named] Denise D'Sylva, who lives in Australia, and I don't see her very often at all, but when I wrote that song, I thought that maybe it was a little on the "poppy" side. We always have this kind of like, line that we draw in the sand, and if a song crosses over too much, then it's like, "Ohhh, we're not sure, what are we gonna do?" If we do it, we're gonna have to really change it or something. So I didn't think, 'Oh, this is an amazing song, this is a great hit', I was [like], "I'm not sure about it", and I actually remember playing it to Denise D'Sylva on a guitar, and she said: [tries an Australian accent] 'No Martin, that's it. You gotta do that. That's a hit.'

Lyrics

It's No Good

I'm going to take my time

I have all the time in the world

To make you mine

It is written in the stars above

The gods decree

You'll be right here by my side

Right next to me

You can run, but you cannot hide

Don't say you want me

Don't say you need me

Don't say you love me

It's understood

Don't say you're happy

Out there without me

I know you can't be

'Cause it's no good

I'll be fine

I'll be waiting patiently

Till you see the signs

And come running to my open arms

When will you realise

Do we have to wait till our worlds collide

Open up your eyes

You can't turn back the tide

Don't say you want me

Don't say you need me

Don't say you love me

It's understood

Don't say you're happy

Out there without me

I know you can't be

'Cause it's no good

I'm going to take my time

I have all the time in the world

To make you mine

It is written in the stars above

Don't say you want me

Don't say you need me

Don't say you love me

It's understood

Don't say you're happy

Out there without me

I know you can't be

'Cause it's no good

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 "It's No Good"

Main article: List of dates where "It's No Good" 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