Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 10

Depeche Mode - "Shake the Disease" & "Fly on the Windscreen"





(Single Releases: April & September 1985)
Mirroring the two single entries from the Cure, we have two (sort of) non-album single releases from Depeche Mode in 1985 that will go down as fan favorites, certainly mine. I say sort of because a) "Fly on the Windscreen" wasn't exactly a single. It was a b-side to "It's Called a Heart," itself a non-album single, and it was later reworked and re-recorded for Black Celebration. And b) you might be one of those people who considers compilations such as Catching Up with Depeche Mode to be albums. The strength of "Fly on the Windscreen" alone has rewritten history in my brain, making me forget it was merely a b-side. The truth is, DM wanted it to be the single instead of "It's Called a Heart," the latter being the band's least favorite release. But, the label thought the opening lyric of "Death is everywhere" to be a bit too morose for pop success. They obviously weren't familiar with DM's fanbase. "Shake the Disease" and "Fly on the Windscreen" share the distinction of being both dark and danceable, kind of a "the plague's coming so let's all boogie" feel. Martin Gore is again at the peak of his form, writing emotionally revealing yet catchy lyrics to go along with memorable hooks. "Shake" has more of a plaintive energy, with Dave Gahan assertively laying out the relationship scenario and Martin punctuating his verses with a forlorn "Understand me...". "Fly" can be summed up as "life is short, so let's do it." Bonnie "Prince" Billy would later echo this sentiment in his classic, "Death to Everyone." These two songs provided a natural bridge to the darker material in the now classic Black Celebration, but easily stand on their own merits. As a side note, these two tracks feature two of my favorite DM touches, the melodic yet creepy Gore lament at the intro of "Shake the Disease," and the heavy breathing sample on "Fly on the Windscreen."