VIOLATOR

Depeche Mode (1990)

 Depeche Mode began life in 1980 as a synth-dance group, using the considerable talents of Vince Clarke as the backbone for their songwriting. Vince left the band after the first album, however, and DM's sound began a transformation. As the years passed, their sound went from bubblegum dance pop to an edgier, darker, (but still danceable) sound. "People are People", released in 1984, was the first song to make America notice them, and their fan base grew both in numbers and devotion. The band's dark, brooding sound and their deep, occasionally unsettling lyrics, however kept the band from being truly mainstream. All that changed in one album. In 1990, Depeche Mode did the seemingly impossible: they released their darkest, deepest, most unsettling album in their history... and had the biggest hit of their careers. "Violator" was huge compared to their other albums, and subsequent albums wouldn't even come close. Casual fans who sing along with the radio singles may not realize just how dark this album is. Like Pink Floyd's "The Wall", Depeche Mode's "Violator" tells a single story from beginning to end.

THE STORY

 "Violator" begins with a man introducing a woman to his world of dominance and submission. The subculture of Dom/sub life isn't unknown to Depeche Mode and was spelled out for the fans pretty plainly in "Master and Servant" in 1985 on the album "Some Great Reward" (a side note: digging through the other songs on the album turns up lyrics that either subtly reference this lifestyle or beg for non-judgement of it; the aforementioned "People are People" comes from this album). But back to "Violator":
World in My Eyes
The Dom invites the woman into his lifestyle with Let me take you on a trip around the world and back-- and you won't have to move, you just sit still, summarizing it with Let me show you the world in my eyes. In what is obviously her initial session of submission to him, he talks her through it, suggesting to her that life with him would free her from her troubles and responsibilities: That's all there is... nothing more than you can feel now, that's all there is. After another verse of metaphors of travelling without moving, he removes even more of her outside world by restating the above line, but changing  feel to touch. This suggests that under his guidance, she could retreat from her feelings as well, leaving only what she could physically touch to be within her domain of influence. He would take care of the rest.
Musically, "World in My Eyes" is dark, but still upbeat enough to suggest that she is being led into this world gradually, still able to change her mind if she wants, perhaps. The music is a perfect blend of her world and his. She apparently is allowed to leave to make up her mind whether to submit to him fully. With her out of the picture, the music becomes suddenly edgier in the next song, as he contemplates his new prize...
Sweetest Perfection
The Dom is obviously very fond of her and we see this right from the start with The sweetest perfection to call my own. Here is the only spot on the whole album where we really see inside of his mind, without her there. He isn't nearly as confident of himself as we are led to believe with the first song. In fact, he doubts his ability to treat her as merely a submissive: I stop and I stare too much, afraid that I care too much and he laments the distance that Doms usually attempt to keep from their subs: When I need a drug in me and it brings out the thug in me/ Feel something tugging me/ Then I want the real thing not tokens. This distance between Doms and subs is exemplified by the practice of 'swapping'. In the S&M subculture, the practice of Doms trading or 'swapping' subs with one another for an evening or weekend session is generally accepted (the AIDS epidemic has curtailed this practice somewhat, but many Doms still allow their subs to be traded with strict guidelines on what activities will and won't be done). This particular sub is apparently too precious to swap, however, not even for more than one sub: Sweetest perfection/ An offer was made/ An assorted collection/ But I wouldn't trade.
One often misunderstood element of the Dom/sub lifestyle is the sub's willingness to submit. The Dom doesn't force submission, only offers the invitation. The fact that the sub willingly gives up control of his/her life to the Dom makes the bond between the two much stronger than if the sub resists. At this point in the story, he is waiting for her call where she will then give him her decision whether to submit to him or move on.
Personal Jesus
The song begins with a pulsing, edgy bass line accented with a heavy, tribal beat. He is still alone, waiting for her call, and begins to 'talk' to her and urge her to make the call. The lyrics are supplemented with echo, as if to remind us that he's thinking the lines and not actually saying them to her aloud. Feeling unknown and you're all alone/ Flesh and bone by the telephone/ Lift up the receiver, I'll make you a believer. Why she would leave her life behind and give herself to him is something of a mystery at this point, but it's hinted at here with Put me to the test/ Things off your chest/ You need to confess. He then sweetens the offer by promising her absolution from her troubles with I will deliver/ You know I'm a forgiver. Obviously, she does pick up the phone and give him the answer he craves, otherwise the album would end here.
Halo
Now we get a better glimpse of her reasons for giving over control of her life to him: she is haunted by something she's done and needs to escape the consequences that she would face in the 'real world'. The song begins with him explaining to her what she already knows: You wear guilt like shackles on your feet -- like a halo in reverse. I can feel the discomfort in your seat, and in your head it's worse. He acknowledges her desire to escape the responsibility for her actions: There's a pain-- a famine in your heart-- an aching to be free.   There are several metaphorical references in this album to bondage, pain, and other such S&M activities, but not before this song. At this point, he knows that she's running from something. He can sense that, and perhaps she's hinted of it. But as of yet, she hasn't let on to what she's done. He must find out through whatever means he deems appropriate, and here begin the S&M metaphors. She is aware of the nature of what she may go through in his service (many Doms and subs actually draw up in writing a contract of 'limits', or what activities are allowed and not allowed), and he assures her that she will be better for it in the long run: When our worlds, they fall apart, and the walls come tumbling in/ Though we may deserve it/ It will be worth it. He offers himself as the solution, telling her to bring your chains, your lips of tragedy, and fall into my arms. 'Chains' refer to her ties to the outside world (and yet another bondage metaphor) and 'lips of tragedy' suggest that he is intending to get her story from her one way or another. The process begins in the next song.
Waiting for the Night
What exactly is happening to her in this song is left up to our imagination, but he is obviously controlling it, and he does so with patience. His first objective is to remove her from the 'real world': I'm waiting for the night to fall/  I know that it will save us all/  When everything's dark, keeps us from the stark reality. Then, for the first time, we hear her side of things (evidenced by the sudden brighter chords in the middle of the song and the addition of a higher pitched voice in those portions, supplementing the usual solo vocals): There is a star in the sky guiding my way with its light/ And in the glow of the moon, know my deliverance will come soon. The song returns to its darker music and repeats the first two stanzas, then goes back to her viewpoint with There is a sound in the calm-- Someone is coming to harm-- I press my hands to my ears. It's easier here just to forget fear. She begins to let go of her previous life a bit and finds that to my surprise, with half-closed eyes, things looked even better than when they were opened. Everything at this point seems to be going perfectly for both of them. The song ends with all that you feel is tranquility. One very common 'rule' of a sub's life is that the sub should not speak unless spoken to. Apparently, she breaks this rule early on, and the quiet, subdued music turns suddenly harsh with no warning and no break between songs...
Enjoy the Silence
Words like violence break the silence/ Come crashing in, into my little world/ Painful to me, pierce right through me/ Can't you understand, oh my little girl/  All I ever wanted, all I ever needed is here in my arms/ Words are very unnecessary/ They can only do harm. He states his point further with Feelings are intense, words are trivial/ Pleasures remain, so does the pain/ Words are meaningless and forgettable. At the end of the song, the music fades and a second or two goes by before we hear him tell her to Enjoy the Silence. At that, we hear an echoing 'ping' which sounds almost like a door slamming in a large empty room. There is silence. Soon, however, the music fades back in, indicating that he has begun whatever he had planned for her. The music is eerie, dark, and fluid... almost hallucinogenic. What is happening to her is never spelled out to us, but the music becomes a bit more intense toward the end of the track, and the siren-like wail is almost frantic before the music fades once again. Apparently, he has gotten the beginnings of her confession, and now she faces her punishment at his hands.
Policy of Truth
You had something to hide/  You should've hidden it, shouldn't you?/  Now you're not satisfied with what you're being put through. She was told, like most of us, that it's always better to tell the truth. He offers her the alternative of just keeping quiet and avoiding the consequences, but she apparently can't hold the rest of her confession inside (which he probably counted on), and each revelation is met with his judgement. You will always wonder how It could have been if you'd only lied... She promises herself with each confession and subsequent punishment that it's the last one, but they both know better: Never Again is what you swore the time before. Finally, he's gotten it all out of her and he issues her a warning: 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.
Now that her confession and punishment is over, she can begin fully living her life as a submissive to him.
Blue Dress
The music is softer, but still eerie, with an insistant bass and a wailing, almost moaning synth. His voice takes on a higher pitch, gentle and soothing, as if talking to a pet. He is gentle, but giving orders: Put it on, and don't say a word. Put it on, the one that I prefer. Put it on and stand before my eyes. Put it on. Please don't question why. The insertion of the word 'please' seems out of character for him at the moment. It is a rare slip on his part, showing a slight vulnerability in his confidence (one that he shows us in "Sweetest Perfection" earlier), and he catches it quickly. He follows with the next stanza, whose first line is punctuated with bass keyboard notes that dive down the scale directly into the second line, as if he is clearing his throat and regaining his composure: can you believe something so simple, something so trivial, makes me a happy man? Can't you understand just how easy it is to please me? At this point, the music suddenly stops, as if he's taken hold of her and turns her to face him. He practically speak-sings the next line, sounding gentle but very serious: because when you learn, you'll know what makes the world turn. So her life from this point on seems to be hinged upon pleasing him. When she realizes this simple concept, life will be easy. At the end of the song, there is some heavy, almost tribal music, with forceful percussion that suggests that she hasn't yet learned her new place and is suffering the consequences of her failures. But then comes a fade to near silence and a following section of music that is brighter, almost choir-like. Her transformation is complete. The final song on the album belongs to her.
Clean
Now that she has gone through the process of total submission, she no longer has to worry about the problems and struggles of the real world: Clean, the cleanest I've been. An end to the tears and the in-between years and the troubles I've seen... Then, I've broken my fall, put and end to it all, I've changed my routine; now I'm clean. Her new life is summed up with As years go by, all the feelings inside twist and they turn as they ride with the tide. I don't advise and I don't criticize, I just know what I like with my own eyes. Her thoughts aren't as well-planned as his and are occasionally a bit scattered, showing that she is training her mind to be used only to find out what pleases him. The song is quite repetitive, suggesting a sort of mantra. Her last statement on the album is I've changed my routine; now I'm clean, to which he immediately interjects Sometimes. Even in her own song, he has the last word.

The Bottom Line

 "Violator" is brilliant. It's a haunting, erotic, frightening, and fascinating look into a subculture that most of us don't even know exists. The fact that it's Depeche Mode's best-selling album leads me to believe that either the S&M lifestyle is much more common than most folks would imagine, or (more likely) that most folks bought it after hearing a couple of the more dancable tracks on the radio and never really noticed that the album as a whole tells a story. Either way, if you dig through all 80+ reviews of this album on Amazon.com, you'll find that nearly everyone named it as not only the best Depeche Mode album in their collections, but rank it as one of the best albums of all time.
I wholeheartedly agree.