Stripped (song)

"Stripped" is Depeche Mode's fifteenth UK single, released on 10 February 1986. It was the first single from the album Black Celebration, and the band's thirteenth overall and sixth consecutive single to hit the UK Top 20, peaking at #15. "Stripped" is well known for its innovative use of sampling. The underlying beat is a distorted and slowed-down sound of a motorcycle engine running, while the main melody begins with a car's ignition starting, and the end uses sounds of fireworks.^[1]

The band's U.S. label Sire Records, however, decided to use the B-side "But Not Tonight" in the soundtrack to the movie Modern Girls and included the song on US editions of Black Celebration. As a result, the single was flipped, and released as "But Not Tonight" in the United States for promoting the version of the song used on the movie. The single did not chart. The band was not happy with this decision, seeing "But Not Tonight" as a useless poppy track recorded in less than a day.

The other two B-Sides are "Breathing in Fumes" and "Black Day". "Breathing in Fumes" is a new song using samples from "Stripped", mixed by the band and Thomas Stiehler. "Black Day" is an acoustic, alternative version of "Black Celebration" sung by Martin Gore, and is co-written by him, Alan Wilder, and producer Daniel Miller - the only Depeche Mode song where Miller receives a writing credit.

The "Highland Mix" of "Stripped" was mixed by Mark Ellis (better known as Flood), who in the future would produce Depeche Mode's Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion records. UK Editions of the Black Celebration CD include the extended remix of "But Not Tonight" along with "Black Day", and "Breathing in Fumes" as bonus tracks.

The music video for "Stripped" was the last Depeche Mode video to be directed by Peter Care and was filmed outside of Hansa Studios. The music video for "But Not Tonight" was directed by Tamra Davis and is available in multiple versions.

Track listings

7": Mute / Bong10 (UK)

1. "Stripped" – 3:47
2. "But Not Tonight" – 4:15

12": Mute / 12Bong10 (UK)

1. "Stripped (Highland Mix)" – 6:40
2. "But Not Tonight (Extended Remix)" – 5:11
3. "Breathing in Fumes" – 6:04
4. "Fly on the Windscreen (Quiet Mix)" – 4:23
5. "Black Day" – 2:34

CD: Mute / CDBong10 (UK)

1. "Stripped" – 3:53
2. "But Not Tonight" – 4:17
3. "Stripped (Highland Mix)" – 6:42
4. "But Not Tonight (Extended Remix)" – 5:14
5. "Breathing in Fumes" – 6:06
6. "Fly on the Windscreen (Quiet Mix)" – 4:25
7. "Black Day" – 2:37

The CD single was released in 1991 as part of the singles box set compilations.

7": Sire / 7-28564 (US)

1. "But Not Tonight" [*] – 3:54
2. "Stripped " – 3:59

12": Sire / 0-20578 (US)

1. "But Not Tonight (Extended Mix)" [*] – 6:17
2. "Breathing in Fumes" – 6:04
3. "Stripped (Highland Mix)" – 6:41
4. "Black Day" – 2:35

[*] The 7" and 12" versions on the US "But Not Tonight" single are different versions than used on the UK singles - they were remixed by Robert Margouleff. The 12" later appeared on the rare fourth disc of Depeche Mode's remix compilation, "Remixes 81–04" Remixes 81–04, as the Margouleff Dance Mix.

CD: Intercord / INT 826.835 (Germany)

1. "Stripped (Highland Mix)" – 6:40
2. "But Not Tonight (Extended Remix)" – 5:11
3. "Breathing in Fumes" – 6:04
4. "Fly on the Windscreen (Quiet Mix)" – 4:23
5. "Black Day" – 2:34

The German CD was released in 1986

All songs written by Martin L. Gore except "Black Day" which is written by Gore, Alan Wilder, and Daniel Miller

Chart performance

Rammstein cover

German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein released a cover of "Stripped" in 1998. This version cuts the line "Let me see you stripped down to the bone" to "Let me see you stripped". (The entire line is restored in the "Heavy Mental Mix" by Charlie Clouser.) The song was originally on the tribute album, For the Masses and reached #14 in the German single charts.^[5] The song also appears as a hidden track on some editions of the band's sophomore release Sehnsucht. It was the first English song released by the band.

Other versions

• In 1997, the German electrogoth band In Strict Confidence recorded a version of the song. Their version, however, is very different and almost ten minutes long.
• Also, in 1997, the Swedish electro/synth-pop band Statemachine released a version of "Stripped" on their album Legerdemain.
• The Italian progressive death/doom metal band Novembre covered 'Stripped' on the album 1995 album Arte Novecento
• The USA one-man based black metal Leviathan covered 'Stripped' on Demo Five.
• In 2001, Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots covered "But Not Tonight" for the soundtrack to Not Another Teen Movie.
• In 2004, German techno band Scooter covered "Stripped" on their album Mind the Gap, and later on their 2006 live album Excess All Areas. In 2007 they produced a download-only orchestral version of the song.
• Also in 2004, Jimmy Somerville covered "But Not Tonight" on his album Home Again.
• In 2005, Shiny Toy Guns covered "Stripped" on Goth Electro Tribute to Depeche Mode. The single can also be found on the second version of their 2005 album "We Are Pilots".
• Swedish rock band Kent used to end many of their concerts during the Isola tour in 1998 by playing a cover of "Stripped", announcing it as "one of our favorite songs, that we sadly didn't write ourselves". This version was also performed on Swedish talk show Sen Kväll Med Luuk.
• In 2005, American electro industrial band Brainclaw covered "Stripped" and released it as a digital single.
• British band, Long-View, covered Stripped and released as a single.
• The intro to "But Not Tonight" is heavily sampled (with notes rearranged and set to a 3/4 beat) in the 2002 Dntel song, "Don't Get Your Hopes Up." The song was released on a 7" vinyl, Styrofoam/Dntel Split.
• In 2006, Darkwave-revival duo She Wants Revenge covered the song live at the Jet Nightclub in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[6]
• The California rock band Drist covered the song on their album, "Orchids And Ammunition" in 2006.
• In 2009, English power pop band Magic Eight Ball released their own version of "Stripped" as a limited edition CD and download single on iTunes.
• Sylvain Chauveau covered the song for 'Down to the Bone - An Acoustic Tribute to Depeche Mode' with Ensemble Nocturne.

References

External links

• Single information from the official Depeche Mode web site