Policy Of Truth

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6. Enjoy The Silence
7. Policy Of Truth
List of Violator songs
8. Blue Dress
Policy Of Truth
Single-POT.jpg
Song Policy Of Truth
By Depeche Mode
Songwriter Martin L. Gore
Produced by Depeche Mode
Flood
Recorded at Puk Studios, Denmark
The Church, London
Axis, New York
Length (mm:ss) 4:55 (album version)
5:09 (single version)
Tempo 114 BPM
Time signature 4
4
Key A♭ Major
Engineered by Pino Pischetola
Peter Iversen
Steve Lyon
Goh Hotoda
Alan Gregorie
Dennis Mitchell
Phil Legg
Engineering assistance Daryl Bamonte
Dick Meaney
David Browne
Mark Flannery
Mixed by François Kevorkian
Design Anton Corbijn
Area
Recorded 1989–1990
Originally released 7 May 1990
Live performances as Depeche Mode 606 times *
Total live performances 668 times *

"Policy Of Truth" is a song from the 1990 album Violator by Depeche Mode. It was released as a single on 7 May 1990.

Notes

Martin Gore in BONG magazine issue no. 37, 1998:

"It has been one of my all time favourite songs that we've ever recorded. I really like the words to it and the whole concept of having to lie to keep up appearances — maybe it's better to do that. I just really like the whole subject matter of the song. I like the Terry Hoax version or the one by Dishwalla from the tribute album [For The Masses], which is another rock version. I just like the fact that, sometimes the potential of the songs is seen when they are performed in a more conventional format. I think a lot of the time, the songs are overlooked, disregarded or not taken seriously because of the instrumentation we've used."

Alan Wilder explains the creation process of the intro melody of the song on Shunt:

How did you create the intro melody sound of 'Policy Of Truth' (also used on 'Halo', if I'm not mad...)?

Wilder: It's a single note sampled from a guitar and then looped and played from a keyboard. The loop is what gives it the vibrato effect.[1]

Wilder also says:

"With 'Policy [Of Truth]' it took forever to find a lead riff sound which worked. We even tried a flute at one point!"[1]

He elaborated on it in his '86–98' editorial (archived):

Recorded initially during the Puk sessions, 'Policy' went through many changes before being almost completely re-recorded at The Church.

"Usually this would signify problems with a song although in this case we knew it was a strong track, not least a potential single. The main riff of the song proved such a problem to get a sound for and we must have tried 100 different variations before settling on what had become perhaps the sound of the album — slide guitar."

He continues:

"The Puk period was much more prolific and although some tracks like 'Clean' and 'Policy Of Truth' went through many guises before the final versions were settled upon, we had the most productive and enjoyable time."

Lyrics


Policy Of Truth

You had something to hide

Should have hidden it, shouldn't you

Now you're not satisfied

With what you're being put through


It's just time to pay the price

For not listening to advice

And deciding in your youth

On the policy of truth


Things could be so different now

It used to be so civilised

You will always wonder how

It could have been if you only lied


It's too late to change events

It's time to face the consequence

For delivering the proof

In the policy of truth


Never again is what you swore

The time before

Never again is what you swore

The time before


Now you're standing there tongue tied

You'd better learn your lesson well

Hide what you have to hide

And tell what you have to tell


You'll see your problems multiplied

If you continually decide

To faithfully pursue

The policy of truth


Never again is what you swore

The time before

Never again is what you swore

The time before


Songwriter: Martin L. Gore
Publishing Information: ©1990 Grabbing Hands Music Ltd/EMI Music Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Composition

Sample sources

"Policy Of Truth"
Depeche Mode
1990
Self-made samples
Sample Notes Audio
Guitar elements The guitar rhythm prominently used during the first two verses is produced by a single note played from a guitar, which is processed and looped to provide a built-in vibrato effect. The sample is then allocated across the keyboard for playback. Though unconfirmed, a second sample is likely used to produce the faux guitar lick-esque stab with an ascending pitch bend heard on every other bar. Wilder recalled in a Q&A on Shunt, the official Recoil website: "It's a single note sampled from a guitar and then looped and played from a keyboard. The loop is what gives it the vibrato effect."[2]
Hi-hat elements "Policy Of Truth" employs sampled hi-hat rhythms sequenced in an alternating pattern to form dynamic loops. Wilder explains the benefits of using loops over one-shot samples in a Q&A on Shunt, the official Recoil website:

[...] No two snare beats sound the same when played by a drummer - I like that. That's why I prefer to use lots of drum loops with all the feel (and flaws) of the original performance. Most of the drum sounds on Violator were sampled (apart from obvious electro sounds) but the rhythms were still programmed. Some hi-hat patterns ("[Policy Of Truth]" for example) were played and sampled as loops and in the case of "Halo" and "Clean" it's all loops. Again, I prefer the looped parts because of the performance element.[2]

Vocal elements The lead melody of "Policy Of Truth" is comprised of a series of layered sounds, one of which is a repurposed "ahh" vocal sample most clearly heard during the outro of "Enjoy The Silence".[footnotes 1]

Sample sources
Sample Source Status Notes Audio
Melodic elements Unknown Asian instrument sample library CD
Official
During a 2016 podcast with author Rob Bell, Martin Gore was asked about the origin of this sound:

Martin Gore: I think it's more organic than that. I think part of the sounds that you're talking about are samples that we... even during Violator we were doing quite a bit of sampling, so it probably came from some weird Asian instrument sample CD or a classical Asian music CD, with a [pitch] bend in it.[3][footnotes 2]

Bass guitar, piano elements Emulator III OMI Universe of Sounds Volume 1 - Funk Bass - "Funk Bass E1", "Funk Bass G1", "Funk Bass A1", "Funk Bass C2", "Funk Bass D2", "Funk Bass F2"
Confirmed
A dark piano/bass guitar stab heard throughout the chorus sections of "Policy Of Truth" is partly comprised of a series of bass guitar samples derived from the Emulator III Universe Of Sounds Volume 1 voice "Funk Bass".[footnotes 3]

Click to display/hide audio example

Note: In this example, the raw samples are played. The samples are then layered and finally detuned.
Guitar elements Toni Halliday - "Time Turns Around" - 1989
Confirmed
A looped guitar rhythm used during the verses of Toni Halliday's "Time Turns Around" is re-purposed for use within the chorus sections of "Policy Of Truth".[footnotes 4][footnotes 5]

Click to display/hide audio example

Guitar elements Toni Halliday - "Time Turns Around" - 1989
Confirmed
Various cuts of the guitar solo from Toni Halliday's "Time Turns Around" are sampled and subsequently looped to form the sustained guitar pads heard during the outro of "Policy Of Truth".[footnotes 6]
Drum elements, snare drum Tone Lōc - "Funky Cold Medina" - March 1989
Confirmed
A snare fill derived from "Funky Cold Medina", the second single from American rapper Tone Lōc's debut album Lōc-ed After Dark, is used following the first chorus and leading up to the outro of the "Policy Of Truth (7" Version)" remix.[footnotes 7]
Organ elements Emulator II factory library disk #38: Pipe Organ - Preset #1: "Pipe Organ"
Confirmed
Emulator II factory library disk #38 "Pipe Organ" is used to play a series of ascending pipe organ pads during the chorus sections of "Policy Of Truth".

Click to display/hide audio example

Note: In this example, chords played using the Emulator II factory disk #38 "Pipe Organ" are compared to the equivalent audio heard during the second chorus of "Policy Of Truth" derived from the center channel of the 2006 Violator 5.1 reissue.
Ambient elements Emulator III OMI Universe of Sounds - Bowed Psaltery - "PSALTERY B3" and Emulator III OMI Universe of Sounds - Rebel Victory - "GIANT 5"
Confirmed
The pads performed during the chorus sections of the Devotional tour arrangement of "Policy Of Truth" utilise a series of samples derived from the "Bowed Psaltery" and "Rebel Victory" voices featured in Emulator III OMI Universe of Sounds.

Click to display/hide audio example

Note: In this example, two samples derived from Emulator III OMI Universe of Sounds voices "Bowed Psaltery" and "Rebel Victory" are layered and played back via a sampling keyboard. The result is then compared to a selection of live audio from the first chorus section of "Policy Of Truth" as heard in the Devotional video release (played out of phase to more clearly expose the relevant sound).
Vocal elements Hildegard of Bingen, Gothic Voices, Emma Kirkby, Christopher Page - A Feather on the Breath of God - "Columba aspexit" - April 1985 (recorded 14 September 1981)
Confirmed
A sample of an operatic vocal derived from a September 1981 performance of "Columba aspexit", a piece of sacred vocal music written in the 12th century by German abbess Hildegard of Bingen originally featured throughout Depeche Mode's 1986 instrumental "Christmas Island" and as a layer in the outro of "Stripped". Performed by the British vocal ensemble Gothic Voices with soprano Emma Kirkby, the sampled performance is re-purposed as a layer with one or more sounds to form a synth string pad heard throughout the chorus sections of "Policy Of Truth".

Music video

Live performances

Main article: Available recordings of "Policy Of Truth"
Main article: List of dates where "Policy Of Truth" was played

Live versions

This section provides an example of a live version of Policy Of Truth from each tour that it was played.

Trivia

  • 'Policy Of Truth' has been covered by Terry Hoax (1992), Mog Stunt Team (1996), Dishwalla (1998), Rémember (2001), Hineon (2002), Vincent Venet (2002), Pat MacDonald (2003), The Pathfinder (2003), St. Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review (2005), 16Stitch (2005), Sylvain Chauveau and Ensemble Nocturne (2005), Yeah! (2005), Disown (2005), Diefenbach (2006), Path of Resistance (2007), Automob (2008), AK47 (Steven Rowe) feat. Angie Soft (2009), Brixtonboogie (2009), Trapt (2012), Rockabye Baby! (2012), Matt Nida feat. Lisa Schumann (2014), Music Box Mania (2014), and Chateau Pop (2017).
  • 'Policy Of Truth' has been sampled in the following songs and remixes by Depeche Mode and other artists:
    • 'Useless (The Kruder + Dorfmeister Session)' – Depeche Mode (1997)
    • 'Going for Broke' – Coach Roebuck (2011)
  • A version of the track was featured in a trailer for the 2022 film adaptation of Death on the Nile.

Notes

  1. Other songs to feature these vocal elements include "Memphisto", "World In My Eyes", "Halo", and the sustained choir chords heard during the second verse of "In Your Room" as it was performed on the Devotional, Exotic, and Global Spirit tours.
  2. The sample library or classical release in question that was sampled for the main riff components would have been in circulation by 1989.
  3. Fan credit: Richard López.
  4. Credit to Home user 'Alex' for this discovery.
  5. The parts were likely derived from the stems utilised by Wilder in the production of the "Eurotech Version" remix he produced for the March 1989 Time Turns Around - Very Special Version promotional release.
  6. The parts were likely derived from the stems utilised by Wilder in the production of the "Eurotech Version" remix he produced for the March 1989 Time Turns Around - Very Special Version promotional release.
  7. Notably, this snare fill is also used in the "Beat Box Mix", "Capitol Mix", and "Pavlov's Dub" remixes of "Policy Of Truth", as well as the live arrangement of "Policy Of Truth" as it was performed on the World Violation tour.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Source: Shunt Q&A: Violator (archived)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Wilder, Alan. "Shunt Q&A: ARCHIVES : DEPECHE MODE : VIOLATOR". recoil.co.uk. https://web.archive.org/web/20181128152225/http://oldsite.recoil.co.uk/forum/qa/dmviol.htm. Archived 28 November 2018, p. 1.
  3. Source: 2016-01-25 The RobCast 2016-01-25 Martin Gore interview


1981-1985: Dreaming Of MeNew LifeJust Can't Get EnoughSee YouThe Meaning Of Love
Leave In SilenceGet The Balance RightEverything CountsLove In ItselfPeople Are PeopleMaster And ServantBlasphemous Rumours / SomebodyShake The DiseaseIt's Called A Heart
1986-1989: StrippedBut Not TonightA Question Of LustA Question Of TimeStrangelove
Never Let Me Down AgainBehind The WheelLittle 15Personal Jesus
1990-1998: Enjoy The SilencePolicy Of TruthWorld In My EyesI Feel YouWalking In My ShoesCondemnationIn Your RoomBarrel Of A GunIt's No GoodHomeUseless
Only When I Lose Myself
2001-2009: Dream OnI Feel LovedFreeloveGoodnight LoversPreciousA Pain That I'm Used To
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2003-2008: Dirty Sticky FloorsI Need YouBottle Living / Hold OnA Little PieceKingdomSaw Something / Deeper And Deeper
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1989-2003: CompulsionStardustLoverman
2012-2015: SpockSingle BlipAftermathsEuropa Hymn • "Pinking" (Christoffer Berg Remix)
Official releases