Precious

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4. The Sinner In Me
5. Precious
List of Playing The Angel songs
6. Macro
Precious
Single-Precious.jpg
Song Precious
By Depeche Mode
Songwriter Martin L. Gore
Produced by Ben Hillier
Recorded at Sound Design (Santa Barbara)
Length (mm:ss) 4:10
Tempo 104 BPM
Time signature 4
4
Key D♭ Major
Programmed by Dave McCracken
Richard Morris
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 3 October 2005
Live performances as Depeche Mode 509 times *
Total live performances 509 times *

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

Live performances

Main article: Available recordings of "Precious"
Main article: List of dates where "Precious" was played

Live versions

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


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
Suffer WellJohn The Revelator / LilianMartyrWrongPeaceFragile Tension / Hole To Feed
2013-2017: HeavenSoothe My SoulShould Be HigherWhere's The RevolutionGoing Backwards
Cover Me
2023: Ghosts Again
1992-1998: Faith HealerDriftingStalker / Missing Piece
2000-2008: Strange HoursJezebelPreyAllelujah
2003-2008: Dirty Sticky FloorsI Need YouBottle Living / Hold OnA Little PieceKingdomSaw Something / Deeper And Deeper
2012-2015: Longest DayTake Me Back HomeAll Of This And NothingShine
1989-2003: CompulsionStardustLoverman
2012-2015: SpockSingle BlipAftermathsEuropa Hymn • "Pinking" (Christoffer Berg Remix)
Official releases