Walking In My Shoes
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2. Walking In My Shoes List of Songs of Faith and Devotion songs |
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Walking In My Shoes
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| Song | Walking In My Shoes |
|---|---|
| By | Depeche Mode |
| Songwriter | Martin L. Gore |
| Produced by | Depeche Mode Flood |
| Recorded at | Madrid, Spain Chateau du Pape, Hamburg, Germany |
| Length (mm:ss) | 5:35 (album version) 4:59 (single version) |
| Tempo | 93 BPM |
| Time signature | 4 4 |
| Key | D Minor |
| Design | Anton Corbijn Area |
| Recorded | February 1992 – January 1993 |
| Originally released | 26 April 1993 |
| Live performances as Depeche Mode | 900 times * |
| Total live performances | 986 times * |
"Walking In My Shoes" is a song from the 1993 album Songs Of Faith And Devotion by Depeche Mode. It was released as a single on 26 April 1993.
Notes
Martin Gore in Bong issue no. 37, 1998:
If I really had to stick my neck out and choose my all time favourite song, it would probably be "Walking In My Shoes". I think it has a great melody—the words and the subject matter really complement each other perfectly. The instrumentation is also interesting.
As part of a programme of talks and films at the Mute Short Circuit event in May 2011, producer Flood delivered a presentation discussing the production of several Depeche Mode tracks, including "Walking In My Shoes":
[If] I'm being honest, the track that I was most disappointed by—I mean, I say "most disappointed"—but it was "Walking In My Shoes", because I never felt that the recorded version lived up to the way I imagined the song could be. I know I'm probably the only person in the universe who thinks like that, but I felt that the original demo—the potential wasn't realized, so.[1]
Q&A from Alan Wilder's Shunt:
Xavi Martí: I'm fascinated with the darker-pretty-magical-elegant-emotive-cleanest-perfect sound of the DM song 'Walking In My Shoes'. What was the process you used to construct this song?
A: It was constructed using an unusual method for us, i.e. jamming together. Martin played the guitar, I played bass and we ran a rhythm machine—this was just to get the basic feel for the track—and after much trial and error, the chorus bass line and guitar pattern fell into place. From that point onwards, Flood and I began to construct the various drum loops, the string arrangements, the main riff (which combined a piano and harpsichord through a distorted guitar amp) and all the other bits and pieces. By contrast, the bass line for the verses was much more problematic and in fact didn't get written until the very last moment.
Alan Wilder said in the May 1993 issue of Keyboard magazine:
"The piano part at the beginning of 'Walking In My Shoes' was put through a guitar processor, which distorted it and made it more edgy. We added a harpsichord sample on top of that."
Live versions
This section provides an example of a live version of Walking In My Shoes from each tour that it was played.
- Play 1993 Devotional Tour: 1993-07-31 Crystal Palace Sports Ground, London, England, UK
- Play 1994 Exotic Tour: 1994-05-14 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountainview, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Play 1998 The Singles Tour: 1998-12-12 KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Play 2001 Exciter Tour: 2001-10-11 Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
- Play 2003 A Night With Martin L. Gore: 2003-05-06 Mayan Theater, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Play 2003 Paper Monsters Tour: 2003-06-12 Hultsfred Festival, Hultsfred, Sweden
- Play 2005-2006 Touring The Angel (Regular): 2006-06-04 Rock Am Ring, Nurburgring, Germany
- Play 2005-2006 Touring The Angel (Acoustic): 2005-12-11 KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas, Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, CA, USA
- Play 2009-2010 Tour Of The Universe: 2009-04-xx Tour Of The Universe Tour Rehearsals
- Play 2013-2014 Delta Machine Tour: 2013-10-11 Austin City Limits Festival, Austin, TX, USA
- Play 2015 Angels and Ghosts Tour: 2015-10-19 The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Play 2017-2018 Global Spirit Tour: 2018-06-26 Volt Festival, Sopron, Hungary
- Play 2023-2024 Memento Mori Tour (Regular): 2023-04-14 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA
- Play 2023-2024 Memento Mori Tour (Orchestral): 2023-02-16 BBC Radio 2's Piano Room, BBC Maida Vale Studios, London, England, UK
Lyrics
Walking In My Shoes
I would tell you about the things they put me through
The pain I've been subjected to
But the Lord himself would blush
The countless feasts laid at my feet
Forbidden fruits for me to eat
But I think your pulse would start to rush
Now I'm not looking for absolution
Forgiveness for the things I do
But before you come to any conclusions
Try walking in my shoes
Try walking in my shoes
You'll stumble in my footsteps
Keep the same appointments I kept
If you try walking in my shoes
If you try walking in my shoes
Morality would frown upon
Decency look down upon
The scapegoat fate's made of me
But I promise now, my judge and jurors
My intentions couldn't have been purer
My case is easy to see
I'm not looking for a clearer conscience
Peace of mind after what I've been through
And before we talk of any repentance
Try walking in my shoes
Try walking in my shoes
You'll stumble in my footsteps
Keep the same appointments I kept
If you try walking in my shoes
If you try walking in my shoes
Try walking in my shoes
Now I'm not looking for absolution
Forgiveness for the things I do
But before you come to any conclusions
Try walking in my shoes
Try walking in my shoes
You'll stumble in my footsteps
Keep the same appointments I kept
If you try walking in my shoes
You'll stumble in my footsteps
Keep the same appointments I kept
If you try walking in my shoes
Try walking in my shoes
If you try walking in my shoes
Try walking in my shoes
Songwriter: Martin L. Gore
Publishing Information: ©1992 Grabbing Hands Music Overseas/EMI Music Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
Music video
Live performances
- Main article: Available recordings of "Walking In My Shoes"
- Main article: List of dates where "Walking In My Shoes" was played
References
- ↑ "Flood Answers the Question [Soundedit 2011]." youtube.com, uploaded by de-mo ralizacja, 11 Nov. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY9XnNJWEh8. Accessed 14 July 2023.
