When The Body Speaks

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3. The Sweetest Condition
4. When The Body Speaks
List of Exciter songs
5. The Dead Of Night
When The Body Speaks
Album-Exciter.jpg
Song When The Body Speaks
By Depeche Mode
Songwriter Martin L. Gore
Produced by Depeche Mode
Mark Bell
Recorded at RAK and Sarm West (London)
Sound Design (Santa Barbara)
Electric Lady
Sony (New York City)
Length (mm:ss) 6:01
Tempo 103 BPM
Time signature 4
4
Key D Major
Engineered by Gareth Jones
Engineering assistance Boris Aldridge
Andrew Davies
Andrew Griffiths
Nick Sevilla
Lisa Butterworth
Jonathan Adler
Alissa Myhowich
James Chang
Pre-production Gareth Jones
Additional production Gareth Jones
Mixed by Steve Fitzmaurice
Mastered by Mike Marsh
String arrangements Knox Chandler
Solo cello Knox Chandler
Strings Todd C. Reynolds
Joyce Hammann
Natalie Cenovia Cummins
Ralph H. Farris
Leo Grinhauz
Art direction Anton Corbijn
Photography Anton Corbijn
Sleeve design Form
Recorded June 2000 - February 2001
Originally released 14 May 2001
Live performances as Depeche Mode 103 times *
Total live performances 103 times *

"When The Body Speaks" is a song from the 2001 album Exciter by Depeche Mode.

Notes

Exciter producer Mark Bell said in the May 2001 issue of Keyboard magazine:

"When the Body Speaks" was recorded in Electric Lady in New York, in an intimate live room where Jimmy the studio cat sleeps. I got Martin and Dave to just play together without headphones and enjoy the song. The results were really beautiful - the innocent guitar line with the 'knowing' lyrics and Dave's feeling - I love it! All the beats and sounds just followed the route.

Martin Gore said in same magazine issue:

That's right [that there are live strings on this track]. We were recording in New York and Dave [Gahan] wanted to get one of his friends there, Knox Chandler, involved in some way. So we had Knox arrange that track, which we thought was suitable because it's one of the more organic-sounding tracks. It was based around the guitar and vocal, really. A lot of the songs on this record have a kind of '50s or '60s influence, in a strange sort of way. They sound sort of current, but there are definitely references to the '50s and '60s in there. I guess ["When The Body Speaks"] reminds me of the Righteous Brothers playing next door to a rave, because it's got that incessant beat - the bass and the drums going through it. But the actual solo on the top reminds of the Righteous Brothers. It was more because this was one of the more organic-sounding tracks [that this song got live strings on it], one of the tracks that was based more on guitar and vocals. It just seemed more natural to continue that sort of thing with some so-called real instruments... I hate that term [laughs].

Dave Gahan said in a Q&A with George A. Paul for the May 2001 issue of Mean Street:

"When The Body Speaks" was a demo where Martin added guitar. We recorded it with me just singing to guitar and we actually kept it that way - built the atmosphere around that and some strings. It's a highlight on the album for me... Usually for a Depeche Mode recording we build the atmosphere first and then my vocals on top of it. And the atmosphere would dictate the way I would go. This was totally opposite.

Lyrics


When The Body Speaks

To the soul's desires

The body listens

What the flesh requires

Keeps the heart imprisoned


What the spirit seeks

The mind will follow

When the body speaks

All else is hollow


I'm just an angel

Driving blindly

Through this world


I'm just a slave here

At the mercy

Of a girl


Oh I need your tenderness

Oh I need your touch

Oh I dream of one caress

Oh I pray too much


To the soul's desires

The body listens

What the flesh requires

Keeps the heart imprisoned


What the spirit seeks

The mind will follow

When the body speaks

All else is hollow


You keep me waiting

For the promise

That is mine


Please stop debating

Please stop wasting

Your time


Oh I need your tenderness

Oh I need your touch

Oh I dream of one caress

Oh I pray too much


Songwriter: Martin L. Gore
Publishing Information: ©2001 EMI Music Publishing Ltd. London WC2H 0EA. Assigned by Grabbing Hands Music Ltd. All rights Reserved.

Live performances

Main article: Available recordings of "When The Body Speaks"
Main article: List of dates where "When The Body Speaks" was played