Suffer Well
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3. Suffer Well List of Playing The Angel songs |
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Suffer Well
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| Song | Suffer Well |
|---|---|
| By | Depeche Mode |
| Songwriter | Dave Gahan Christian Eigner Andrew Phillpott |
| Produced by | Ben Hillier |
| Recorded at | Sound Design (Santa Barbara) |
| Length (mm:ss) | 3:49 |
| Tempo | 131 BPM |
| Time signature | 4 4 |
| Key | E Minor |
| Programmed by | Dave McCracken Richard Morris |
| Original programming | Christian Eigner Andrew Phillpott |
| Engineered by | Ben Hillier Richard Morris |
| Mixing assistance | Devin Workman Kt Rangnick |
| Mastered by | 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 | 27 March 2006 |
| Live performances as Depeche Mode | 124 times * |
| Total live performances | 124 times * |
"Suffer Well" is a song from the 2005 album Playing The Angel and is the first Depeche Mode single to have been written by Dave Gahan. It was released as a single on 27 March 2006.
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.
Music video
Live performances
- Main article: Available recordings of "Suffer Well"
- Main article: List of dates where "Suffer Well" was played
