Suffer Well

Suffer Well
Song Artist Depeche Mode Album Playing The Angel Songwriter Dave Gahan Christian Eigner Andrew Phillpott Produced by Ben Hillier Recorded at Sound Design (Santa Barbara) Label Mute Records Length (mm:ss) 3:49 Tempo 131 BPM Time signature 4/4 Key E Minor Programming Dave McCracken Richard Morris Original programming Christian Eigner Andrew Phillpott Engineering Ben Hillier Richard Morris Mixing assistance Devin Workman Kt Rangnick Mastering Emily Lazar Mastering assistance Sarah Register Recording assistance Nick Sevilla Arjun Agerwala Rudyard Lee Cullers Devin Workman Kt Rangnick Art direction Anton Corbijn Design Anton Corbijn Four5one.com Photography Anton Corbijn Recorded January - July 2005 Originally released March 27, 2006 Played live 124 times * Total live plays 124 times *

Notes

Dave Gahan told The Wave Magazine in 2005:

"There's a song I wrote on the new album called 'Suffer Well'. When it started out, it was a much slower song and we just decided to go in a really pop way with it. Which is a contrast to what it’s saying lyrically, which is: Suffer well, because whatever it is you’re suffering, if you suffer well enough, you won’t have to suffer anymore. It’s something that was said to me a long time ago, which I did not understand. A guy who was sitting with me and had a lot more experience in life – an older gentleman – said, 'You know, David, suffer well.' And I was like, 'What the fuck are you talking about? Thanks a lot, man!' It came back to me a few years ago, what he was really saying: Suffer well, and if you suffer well enough, you can move on."

Dave Gahan told M6's TV show 'Focus Rock' in October 2007:

"I really like 'Suffer Well' actually, [the music video is] fun. And that was was quite a challenge to make, there. The song is about, in, what you believe to be suffering, is where you grow and learn about yourself. Sometimes it's difficult, if you really wanna grow. So once a friend of mine said to me years ago, when I was complaining about life or whatever, my life, he said to me very calmly, "You know David, just suffer well." And I was so angry, I was like... But years later, it made sense, it made a lot of sense."

When Ben Hillier was asked in 2017 how much 'Suffer Well' has been changed from the demo, he replied:

"From what I can remember, we sped it up a bit and put the drum groove on. I think Martin came up with guitar riff but it may have been on the demo and he also tweaked the chords in the chorus. Dave kept working on the vocals up to the last minute to get them just right."

Lyrics

Suffer Well

Where were you when I fell from grace

A frozen heart an empty space

Something's changed and it's in your eyes

Please don't speak you'll only lie

I found treasure not where I thought

Peace of mind can't be bought

Still I believe

Just hang on

Suffer well

Sometimes it's hard

It's hard to tell

An angel led me when I was blind

I said take me back I've changed my mind

Now I believe

From the blackest room I was torn

You called my name my love was born

So I believe

Just hang on

Suffer well

Sometimes it's hard

It's hard to tell

Songwriter: Dave Gahan / Christian Eigner / Andrew Phillpott
Publishing Information: ©2005 JJSR Productions Inc. / Universal Music Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dates with available recordings of Suffer Well

There are currently 99 recordings of Suffer Well available.

• 2005-11-03 St Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-05 The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Atlanta, GA, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-05 The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Atlanta, GA, USA/Source 2
• 2005-11-05 The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Atlanta, GA, USA/Source 3
• 2005-11-05 The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Atlanta, GA, USA/Source 4
• 2005-11-07 Toyota Center, Houston, TX, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-08 American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-09 SBC Center, San Antonio, TX, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-11 Magness Arena, Denver, CO, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-12 E Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-15 GM Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada/Source 1
• 2005-11-16 Key Arena, Seattle, WA, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-16 Key Arena, Seattle, WA, USA/Source 2
• 2005-11-18 HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-18 HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA, USA/Source 2
• 2005-11-19 iPayOne Center, San Diego, CA, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-21 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-21 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA/Source 2
• 2005-11-22 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-22 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA/Source 2
• 2005-11-23 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, CA, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-23 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, CA, USA/Source 2
• 2005-11-25 Glendale Arena, Phoenix, AZ, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-25 Glendale Arena, Phoenix, AZ, USA/Source 2
• 2005-11-25 Glendale Arena, Phoenix, AZ, USA/Source 3
• 2005-11-26 The Joint, Las Vegas, NV, USA/Source 1
• 2005-11-26 The Joint, Las Vegas, NV, USA/Source 2
• 2005-11-29 Allstate Arena, Chicago, IL, USA/Source 1
• 2005-12-01 Air Canada Center, Toronto, ON, Canada/Source 1
• 2005-12-03 Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ, USA/Source 1
• 2005-12-04 Bell Centre, Montréal, PQ, Canada/Source 1
• 2005-12-07 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY, USA/Source 1
• 2005-12-07 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY, USA/Source 2
• 2005-12-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY, USA/Source 1
• 2005-12-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY, USA/Source 2
• 2005-12-09 Patriot Centre, Washington, DC, USA/Source 1
• 2005-12-09 Patriot Centre, Washington, DC, USA/Source 2
• 2006-01-13 Messehalle, Dresden, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-01-13 Messehalle, Dresden, Germany/Source 2
• 2006-01-15 Color Line Arena, Hamburg, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-01-16 Color Line Arena, Hamburg, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-01-16 Color Line Arena, Hamburg, Germany/Source 2
• 2006-01-18 Velodrom, Berlin, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-01-20 LTU Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-01-21 LTU Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-01-21 LTU Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany/Source 2
• 2006-01-23 Sazka Arena, Prague, Czech Republic/Source 1
• 2006-01-24 Messehalle, Erfurt, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-01-26 Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-01-29 Sports Paleis, Antwerp, Belgium/Source 1
• 2006-01-31 Arena, Geneva, Switzerland/Source 1
• 2006-02-01 Le Dome, Marseille, France/Source 1
• 2006-02-04 Tony Garnier, Lyon, France/Source 1
• 2006-02-04 Tony Garnier, Lyon, France/Source 2
• 2006-02-06 Palacio Deportes, Madrid, Spain/Source 1
• 2006-02-07 Palacio Deportes, Madrid, Spain/Source 1
• 2006-02-08 Pavilhao Atlantico, Lisbon, Portugal/Source 1
• 2006-02-10 Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain/Source 1
• 2006-02-11 Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain/Source 1
• 2006-02-14 Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-02-15 Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-02-16 Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria/Source 1
• 2006-02-19 Forum, Milan, Italy/Source 1
• 2006-02-21 Bercy, Paris, France/Source 1
• 2006-02-21 Bercy, Paris, France/Source 2
• 2006-02-23 Bercy, Paris, France/Source 1
• 2006-02-25 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark/Source 1
• 2006-02-26 Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden/Source 1
• 2006-02-28 Spektrum, Oslo, Norway/Source 1
• 2006-03-01 Globe, Stockholm, Sweden/Source 1
• 2006-03-03 SKK, St. Petersburg, Russia/Source 1
• 2006-03-04 Luzhniki Sports Palace, Moscow, Russia/Source 1
• 2006-03-09 Schleyerhalle, Stuttgart, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-03-11 SAP Arena, Mannheim, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-03-14 Spodek, Katowice, Poland/Source 1
• 2006-03-16 Saku Arena, Tallinn, Estonia/Source 1
• 2006-03-17 Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia/Source 1
• 2006-03-18 Siemens Arena, Vilnius, Lithuania/Source 1
• 2006-03-21 Papp Laszlo Arena, Budapest, Hungary/Source 1
• 2006-03-24 Galaxie, Amneville, France/Source 1
• 2006-03-25 Gayant Expo, Douai, France/Source 1
• 2006-03-26 Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands/Source 1
• 2006-03-28 Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland/Source 1
• 2006-03-30 MEN Arena, Manchester, England, UK/Source 1
• 2006-03-31 NEC, Birmingham, England, UK/Source 1
• 2006-04-02 Wembley Arena, London, England, UK/Source 1
• 2006-04-02 Wembley Arena, London, England, UK/Source 2
• 2006-04-03 Wembley Arena, London, England, UK/Source 1
• 2006-04-27 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA, USA/Source 1
• 2006-05-14 PNC BankArts Center, Holmdel, NJ, USA/Source 1
• 2006-06-04 Rock Am Ring, Nurburgring, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-06-11 Inter-Bratislava Stadium, Bratislava, Slovakia/Source 1
• 2006-06-12 Puskas Ferenc Stadion, Budapest, Hungary/Source 1
• 2006-06-25 London Wireless Festival, London, England, UK/Source 1
• 2006-06-25 London Wireless Festival, London, England, UK/Source 2
• 2006-07-01 Eurockeennes Festival, Belfort, France/Source 1
• 2006-07-06 Quart Festival, Kristiansand, Norway/Source 1
• 2006-07-12 Waldbuhne, Berlin, Germany/Source 1
• 2006-07-23 Festival Internacional de Benicassim, Castellon, Spain/Source 1

Dates where Suffer Well was played

2005-2006 Touring The Angel

Suffer Well was played 124 times during this tour.

• 2005-10-28 Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY, USA
• 2005-11-03 St Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL, USA
• 2005-11-05 The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
• 2005-11-07 Toyota Center, Houston, TX, USA
• 2005-11-08 American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX, USA
• 2005-11-09 SBC Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
• 2005-11-11 Magness Arena, Denver, CO, USA
• 2005-11-12 E Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
• 2005-11-15 GM Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada
• 2005-11-16 Key Arena, Seattle, WA, USA
• 2005-11-18 HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA, USA
• 2005-11-19 iPayOne Center, San Diego, CA, USA
• 2005-11-21 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
• 2005-11-22 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
• 2005-11-23 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, CA, USA
• 2005-11-25 Glendale Arena, Phoenix, AZ, USA
• 2005-11-26 The Joint, Las Vegas, NV, USA
• 2005-11-29 Allstate Arena, Chicago, IL, USA
• 2005-11-30 Palace, Detroit, MI, USA
• 2005-12-01 Air Canada Center, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2005-12-03 Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ, USA
• 2005-12-04 Bell Centre, Montréal, PQ, Canada
• 2005-12-07 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY, USA
• 2005-12-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY, USA
• 2005-12-09 Patriot Centre, Washington, DC, USA
• 2006-01-13 Messehalle, Dresden, Germany
• 2006-01-15 Color Line Arena, Hamburg, Germany
• 2006-01-16 Color Line Arena, Hamburg, Germany
• 2006-01-18 Velodrom, Berlin, Germany
• 2006-01-20 LTU Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany
• 2006-01-21 LTU Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany
• 2006-01-23 Sazka Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
• 2006-01-24 Messehalle, Erfurt, Germany
• 2006-01-26 Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
• 2006-01-29 Sports Paleis, Antwerp, Belgium
• 2006-01-31 Arena, Geneva, Switzerland
• 2006-02-01 Le Dome, Marseille, France
• 2006-02-03 Zenith, Toulouse, France
• 2006-02-04 Tony Garnier, Lyon, France
• 2006-02-06 Palacio Deportes, Madrid, Spain
• 2006-02-07 Palacio Deportes, Madrid, Spain
• 2006-02-08 Pavilhao Atlantico, Lisbon, Portugal
• 2006-02-10 Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain
• 2006-02-11 Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain
• 2006-02-14 Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
• 2006-02-15 Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
• 2006-02-16 Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria
• 2006-02-18 Forum, Milan, Italy
• 2006-02-19 Forum, Milan, Italy
• 2006-02-21 Bercy, Paris, France
• 2006-02-22 Bercy, Paris, France
• 2006-02-23 Bercy, Paris, France
• 2006-02-25 Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
• 2006-02-26 Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden
• 2006-02-28 Spektrum, Oslo, Norway
• 2006-03-01 Globe, Stockholm, Sweden
• 2006-03-03 SKK, St. Petersburg, Russia
• 2006-03-04 Luzhniki Sports Palace, Moscow, Russia
• 2006-03-06 Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland
• 2006-03-09 Schleyerhalle, Stuttgart, Germany
• 2006-03-10 Messehalle, Friedrichshafen, Germany
• 2006-03-11 SAP Arena, Mannheim, Germany
• 2006-03-13 Stadthalle, Graz, Austria
• 2006-03-14 Spodek, Katowice, Poland
• 2006-03-16 Saku Arena, Tallinn, Estonia
• 2006-03-17 Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia
• 2006-03-18 Siemens Arena, Vilnius, Lithuania
• 2006-03-21 Papp Laszlo Arena, Budapest, Hungary
• 2006-03-22 Dom Sportova 1, Zagreb, Croatia
• 2006-03-24 Galaxie, Amneville, France
• 2006-03-25 Gayant Expo, Douai, France
• 2006-03-26 Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• 2006-03-28 Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
• 2006-03-30 MEN Arena, Manchester, England, UK
• 2006-03-31 NEC, Birmingham, England, UK
• 2006-04-02 Wembley Arena, London, England, UK
• 2006-04-03 Wembley Arena, London, England, UK
• 2006-04-26 Rehearsal, Concord Pavilion, Concord, CA, USA
• 2006-04-27 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA, USA
• 2006-04-29 Coachella, Indio, CA, USA
• 2006-04-30 Theater Under the Stars, Las Vegas, NV, USA
• 2006-05-04 Foro Sol Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico
• 2006-05-05 Foro Sol Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico
• 2006-05-07 Arena, Monterrey, Mexico
• 2006-05-10 Starlight Amphitheater, Kansas City, MO, USA
• 2006-05-13 Jones Beach Amphitheater, Wantagh, NY, USA
• 2006-05-14 PNC BankArts Center, Holmdel, NJ, USA
• 2006-05-17 Bell Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
• 2006-05-18 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2006-05-20 Borgata, Atlantic City, NJ, USA
• 2006-05-21 Nissan Pavilion, Washington, DC, USA
• 2006-06-02 Rock im Park, Nuremberg, Germany
• 2006-06-04 Rock Am Ring, Nurburgring, Germany
• 2006-06-05 Weser Stadion, Bremen, Germany
• 2006-06-07 Atletion Stadium, Aarhus, Denmark
• 2006-06-09 Legia Stadium, Warsaw, Poland
• 2006-06-11 Inter-Bratislava Stadium, Bratislava, Slovakia
• 2006-06-12 Puskas Ferenc Stadium, Budapest, Hungary
• 2006-06-14 Central Bezigrad Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• 2006-06-16 Heikeken Jamming Festival, Imola, Italy
• 2006-06-17 Greenfield Festival, Interlaken, Switzerland
• 2006-06-21 Locomotive Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria
• 2006-06-23 National Stadium, Bucharest, Romania
• 2006-06-25 London Wireless Festival, London, England, UK
• 2006-06-26 The Point, Dublin, Ireland
• 2006-06-28 Waldbuhne, Berlin, Germany
• 2006-06-29 Arras City Square, Arras, France
• 2006-07-01 Eurockeennes Festival, Belfort, France
• 2006-07-02 Werchter Festival, Werchter, Belgium
• 2006-07-06 Quart Festival, Kristiansand, Norway
• 2006-07-07 Stockholm Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden
• 2006-07-10 Moon & Stars, Locarno, Switzerland
• 2006-07-12 Waldbuhne, Berlin, Germany
• 2006-07-13 Waldbuhne, Berlin, Germany
• 2006-07-15 Festwiese, Leipzig, Germany
• 2006-07-17 Curva Olympico, Rome, Italy
• 2006-07-19 Paleo Festival, Nyon, Switzerland
• 2006-07-20 Antic Arena, Nimes, France
• 2006-07-22 Estadio Anoeta, San Sebastian, Spain
• 2006-07-23 Festival Internacional de Benicassim, Castellon, Spain
• 2006-07-25 Parque Antonio Soria, Torrevieja, Spain
• 2006-07-26 Plaza de Toros, Granada, Spain
• 2006-07-30 Kurucesme Arena, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2006-08-01 Terra Vibe, Athens, Greece

2009-2010 Tour Of The Universe

• Suffer Well was not played during this tour.

2013-2014 Delta Machine Tour

• Suffer Well was not played during this tour.

2017-2018 Global Spirit Tour

• Suffer Well was not played during this tour.

← 2. John The Revelator

3. Suffer Well List of Playing The Angel songs

4. The Sinner In Me →