Only When I Lose Myself
Only When I Lose Myself
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| Song | Only When I Lose Myself |
|---|---|
| By | Depeche Mode |
| Songwriter | Martin L. Gore |
| Produced by | Depeche Mode Tim Simenon |
| Recorded at | Abbey Road Eastcote |
| Length (mm:ss) | 4:41 (album version) 4:34 (single version) 3:52 (radio edit) |
| Tempo | 87 BPM |
| Time signature | 4 4 |
| Key | A♭ Minor |
| Programmed by | Stephen Hilton |
| Engineered by | Robin Hancock Philip Bagenal Tim Weidner |
| Engineering assistance | Paul Hicks Seymour Milton |
| Drums | Christian Eigner |
| Art direction | Mat Cook |
| Photography | Rick Guest |
| Sleeve design | Intro |
| Recorded | 1997–1998 |
| Originally released | 7 September 1998 |
| Live performances as Depeche Mode | 72 times * |
| Total live performances | 80 times * |
"Only When I Lose Myself" is a song from the 1998 compilation album The Singles 86>98 by Depeche Mode. It was released as a single on 7 September 1998.
Notes
Martin Gore told Associated Press:
"'Only When I Lose Myself' is a bit more soulful, and it's quite slow for us. Kind of like a ballad, but it's a bit of a rockin' ballad. It's about relationships, one of my favorite topics. I've always found love quite obsessional. People talk about co-dependency; to me I've always found there's something co-dependent about being in love — that's what love is all about."
Dave Gahan told Gear Magazine in 1998:
"You feel happy when you're living your life through something else or somebody else, and that can be a painful thing when you become aware that you've lost yourself within that. Being aware, though, is learning to deal with things and getting on with your life. That's why I'm unhappy. Until I find myself and I'm happy with myself, how can I possibly find happiness in anything else. For me, it felt really good, it's kind of where I'm at in my life as well."
Depeche Mode said in the Singles 86>98 EPK:
Martin Gore: "It's a ballad that's quite slow for us to put out as a single, generally our faster stuff does a bit better, always tends to, anyway. But I think it's got a really good atmosphere, something quite obsessional about it."
Dave Gahan: "I think it's a continuation of what we did with Ultra, but we got a lot more soulful. During the making of Ultra, I've become a lot more confident about my singing. I felt like I was doing something that was from me and not for everybody else. I challenge myself to, like, I wanna get better at this. I wanna feel myself improving at something, and for a long time now I felt like I wasn't improving. I lost my way a little bit there, and fortunately I am very grateful for the opportunity to make to Ultra. I had the chance, musically, to feel like I'm actually producing something that really adds to it, [and] is really part of the sound of Depeche Mode. I think 'Only When I Lose Myself' is like I went to a place in the song that felt good inside. I have to think about the words that Martin has written but how I see them, how I feel about them. I think we all influence each other like that. Even though we don't know directly that we're doing it, I think that we bounce off each other, and I think that's what makes Depeche Mode still work."
Gahan told The Baltimore Sun:
"Although it's very soulful, I think it's got an intense feel about it. There's something about the song that I think makes you want to drive harder. It pumps along quite well. We were just recording a few songs, and... we had the time and the space to explore some other areas. We had the time to actually relax with this one, and it went in quite a few different directions before we landed, really."
Gore in BONG magazine issue no. 37, 1998:
"I see this song as a soul song. I think that Depeche Mode does soul on the right side of the soul line again."
Lyrics
Only When I Lose Myself
It's only when I lose myself in someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
Something beautiful is happening inside for me
Something sensual, it's full of fire and mystery
I feel hypnotised
I feel paralysed
I have found heaven
There's a thousand reasons
Why I shouldn't spend my time with you
For every reason not to be here
I can think of two
To keep me hanging on
Feeling nothing's wrong
Inside your heaven
It's only when I lose myself in someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
I can feel the emptiness inside me
Fade and disappear
There's a feeling of contentment
Now that you are here
I feel satisfied
I belong inside
Your velvet heaven
Did I need to sell my soul for pleasure like this
Did I have to lose control to treasure your kiss
Did I need to place my heart in the palm of your hand
Before I could even start to understand
It's only when I lose myself in someone else
That I find myself
I find myself
Songwriter: Martin L. Gore
Publishing Information: ©1998 Grabbing Hands Music Overseas/EMI Music Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
Music video
Live performances
- Main article: Available recordings of "Only When I Lose Myself"
- Main article: List of dates where "Only When I Lose Myself" was played
