Sister Of Night

From DM Live - the Depeche Mode live encyclopedia for the masses
Jump to navigationJump to search
6. Useless
7. Sister Of Night
List of Ultra songs
8. Jazz Thieves
Sister Of Night
Album-Ultra.jpg
Song Sister Of Night
By Depeche Mode
Songwriter Martin L. Gore
Produced by Depeche Mode
Tim Simenon
Recorded at Abbey Road
Eastcote
Westside
Strongroom
RAK (London)
Electric Lady (New York City)
Larrabee West (Los Angeles)
Length (mm:ss) 6:04
Tempo 90 BPM
Time signature 4
4
Key E Minor
Programmed by Kerry Hopwood
Engineered by Q
Engineering assistance Paul Hicks
Guy Massey
Lee Fitzgerald
Tom Rixton
Gary Forde
Lee Phillips
Jamie Campbell
Jim
Greg
Audie Chamberlain
Robbie Kazandjian
Mixed by Tim Simenon
Q
Mastered by Mike Marsh
Keyboards Dave Clayton
Vocal coach Evelyn Halus
Art direction Anton Corbijn
Colour prints Brian Dowling
Sleeve design Area
Recorded January, 1996 - February, 1997
Originally released 14 April 1997
Live performances as Depeche Mode 100 times *
Total live performances 100 times *

"Sister Of Night" is a song from the 1997 album Ultra by Depeche Mode.

Notes

When Depeche Mode started recording an album in November 1995, 'Sister Of Night' was one of the three songs that Martin Gore had ready as a demo.

Dave Gahan said in in the March 1997 issue of Q magazine:

"The only vocal on [Ultra] that I recorded at Electric Lady Studios - the only vocal I performed high - was 'Sister Of Night'. I can hear how scared I was. I'm glad it's there to remind me. I could see the pain I was causing everybody."

Dave Gahan told MSN Music Central:

"'Sisters Of Night' is actually my favorite on the album, in terms of the vocal on there. It kind of glides along. I sometimes find it really hard to listen to myself, but on that particular song, I would say that's really kind of "me," if that makes any sense. It's a really honest vocal. I particularly got into the song quite a bit."

Martin Gore told POP magazine Sweden in February 1997:

"'Sister of Night' was the only vocal track Dave managed to complete during several weeks in New York last spring. He came to the studio every morning but sounded horrible. I asked if he was alright and he said that everything was OK. He continued to lie like that, day after day."

Andy Fletcher told the 28th April 1997 issue of of Hits magazine:

"The closest it came to coming apart was after the New York recording session, where we got one vocal out of Dave in six weeks. He was in a typical state where he was incapable of singing. He went out to Los Angeles to try to sort himself out. We heard two weeks later on the radio that he'd OD'd. We felt that at this point we were hitting our heads against the wall and getting absolutely nowhere. I did a lot of searching to decide what to do with the band because at one point I thought it was better for David if the band didn't exist anymore because it wasn't doing him any good."

Usually, it was Martin Gore who performed this song in an acoustic format. Starting with the 2023-2024 Memento Mori Tour, Dave Gahan started singing "Sister Of Night" as the main vocalist.

Lyrics


Sister Of Night

Sister of night

When the hunger descends

And your body's a fire

An inferno that never ends

An eternal flame

That burns in desire's name


Sister of night

When the longing returns

Giving voice to the flame

Calling you through flesh that burns

Breaking down your will

To move in for the kill


Oh sister

Come for me

Embrace me

Assure me

Hey sister

I feel it too

Sweet sister

Just feel me

I'm trembling

You heal me

Hey sister

I feel it too


Sister of night

In your saddest dress

As you walk through the light

You're desperate to impress

So you slide to the floor

Feeling insecure


Sister of night

With the loneliest eyes

Tell yourself it's alright

He'll make such a perfect prize

But the cold light of day

Will give the game away


Oh sister

Come for me

Embrace me

Assure me

Hey sister

I feel it too

Sweet sister

Just feel me

I'm trembling

You heal me

Hey sister

I feel it too


Songwriter: Martin L. Gore
Publishing Information: ©1997 Grabbing Hands Music Ltd/EMI Music Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Live performances

Main article: Available recordings of "Sister Of Night"
Main article: List of dates where "Sister Of Night" was played

Live versions

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