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Precious

From DM Live - the Depeche Mode live encyclopedia for the masses
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5. Precious
List of Playing The Angel songs
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Precious
Single-Precious.jpg
Song
Artist
 Depeche Mode
Album
Songwriter
Produced by
Recorded at
Sound Design (Santa Barbara)
Label
Length (mm:ss)
4:10
Tempo
 104 BPM
Time signature
4/4
Key
 D♭ Major
Programming
Dave McCracken
Richard Morris
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
Design
Anton Corbijn
Four5one.com
Photography
Recorded
January - July 2005
Originally released
October 3, 2005
Played live
518 times *
Total live plays
518 times *

'Precious' is a song from the 2005 album Playing The Angel by Depeche Mode. It was released as a lead single on October 3, 2005.

Notes

Martin Gore explained the meaning behind this song to netzeitung.de (translated from German):

"Well, my private life is pretty crappy. I'm about to divorce my wife, the situation has been going on for sixteen months. My life is certainly not a walk in the park. I also have three children. And 'Precious', the single, is a song that describes exactly this situation. But there are other divorce songs on 'Playing The Angel'. 'Precious' is about how my children cope with the divorce - which isn't very well. But the song ends with the verse "I know you learned to trust / keep faith in both of us". All of our songs, even the most depressive ones, contain hope."

Ben Hillier described the recording of song to HOME before it was released:

"The two [songs on 'Playing The Angel'] that are closest to the demos are 'Precious' and 'Macro'. Those two are pretty close to the demos. Apart from that, everything else kinda changed quite a lot really. I mean, both of those demos were absolutely excellent, especially 'Precious', I thought that was really good but it just needed to have a bit more dynamic and sort of drive to it."

Martin Gore told the November 2005 of Keyboard magazine:

"The main [piano] motif that goes throughout 'Precious' was on the demo, and remained intact for the version on the record."

Lyrics


Precious

Precious and fragile things

Need special handling

My God what have we done to you

We always tried to share

The tenderest of care

Now look what we have put you through


Things get damaged

Things get broken

I thought we'd manage

But words left unspoken

Left us so brittle

There was so little left to give


Angels with silver wings

Shouldn't know suffering

I wish I could take the pain for you

If God has a master plan

That only He understands

I hope it's your eyes He's seeing through


Things get damaged

Things get broken

I thought we'd manage

But words left unspoken

Left us so brittle

There was so little left to give


I pray you learn to trust

Have faith in both of us

And keep room in your hearts for two


Things get damaged

Things get broken

I thought we'd manage

But words left unspoken

Left us so brittle

There was so little left to give


Songwriter: Martin L. Gore
Publishing Information: ©2005 EMI Music Publishing Ltd., Assigned by Grabbing Hands Music Overseas Ltd. All rights reserved.

Music video

Dates with available recordings of Precious

There are currently 279 recordings of Precious available.

Dates where Precious was played

2005-2006 Touring The Angel

Precious was played 125 times during this tour.

2009-2010 Tour Of The Universe

Precious was played 103 times during this tour.

2013-2014 Delta Machine Tour

Precious was played 107 times during this tour.

2017-2018 Global Spirit Tour

Precious was played 68 times during this tour.


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
1992-1998: Faith Healer • Drifting • Stalker / Missing Piece
2000-2008: Strange Hours • Jezebel • Prey • Allelujah
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
1989-2003: Compulsion • Stardust • Loverman
2012-2015: Spock • Single Blip • Aftermaths • Europa Hymn • "Pinking" (Christoffer Berg Remix)
Official releases
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