Songs of Faith and Devotion was the first Depeche Mode studio album to top the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Many critics and music lovers consider him the pinnacle of creativity of the famous British band. One of the brightest tracks presented on the disc was the song In Your Room. The article is dedicated to her.
The story of creation & the meaning of the song In Your Room
Martin recalled that the main idea for the song came to him when he was sitting in the children’s room by the bed of his little daughter. It was probably then that the lines “living on your breath” and “only you exist here” were born. But later the text In Your Room took on a meaning that can hardly be associated with fatherly love. The words clearly hint at BDSM relationships.
An interesting attempt to explain the meaning of the composition was made by music critic Tim DiGravina:
In Your Room describes the atmosphere. Dave Gahan seems angry in his almost sinister vocal rendition of the song that has the least religion on the album… Despite Gahan’s serious tone, Gore’s written lyrics describe masochistic behavior. Horus asks, “Will you leaving me lying here in your favorite darkness?” He knows that for his lover he is “favorite passion, game, mirror, and slave”.
It can be said that In Your Room is kind of a love song, but it’s a pathological, unhealthy kind of love.which endlessly delights Horus.
Allmusic
Release and achievements
In January 1994, In Your Room was released as the fourth and final single from Songs of Faith and Devotion. For this format, the band chose the Zephyr Mix version, which was very different from the original version used on the album.
The song peaked at number eight in the UK and achieved significant chart success in many other European countries.
Video of In Your Room by Depeche Mode
Seeing how firmly Dave got bogged down in drug problems, the director of the video, Anton Corbijn, seriously feared that this work could be Gahan’s last. So he decided to use excerpts from previously filmed Depeche Mode music videos, seeing the clip as a retrospective of his collaboration with the band.
In the video, you can trace allusions that refer viewers to different DM songs. So, Dave Gahan in the image of a king with a chair in his hand hints at Enjoy the Silence, and a musician in a cowboy hat recalls the track Personal Jesus. We think that the fans of the group will easily understand all such finds of the director.
Now let’s hear what Martin Gore thinks about the video clip:
The worst memories of In Your Room are related to making the video. We spent the whole day in the studio filming and I think I had breakfast, but it was something very small, like half a sandwich. We finished filming around 8, got back to the hotel, and I forgot to eat. We went to a bar and I didn’t eat… We went to a club, met some guy who gave me something, and I stayed at the club all night, until nine or ten in the morning.
We had a group meeting at twelve and I managed to take an hour’s nap. Then I got up and never felt so terrible in my life. I literally crawled into the meeting, where I was forced to lie on the floor and answer simply “yes” or “no” – I could not do more. That’s when I had a seizure. So when I see this video, I just think, “Oh my God…” It brings back creepy memories.
The Singles 86-98 by Martin Gore, Michaela Olexova
Interesting Facts
- Depeche Mode performed an abridged version of In Your Room on the Late Show with David Letterman.
- On US MTV, the music video for In Your Room was not aired due to BDSM references, which prevented the song from becoming a hit in the US.
In Your Room Lyrics by Depeche Mode
In your room
Where time stands still
Or moves at your will
Will you let the morning come soon
Or will you leave me here
In your favorite darkness
Your favorite half-light
Your favorite consciousness
Your favorite slave
In your room
Where souls disappear
Only you exist here
Will you lead me to your armchair
Or leave me here
Your favorite innovation
Your favorite prize
Your favorite smile
Your favorite slave
chorus:
I’m hanging on your words
living on your breath
Feeling with your skin
Will I always be here
In your room
Your burning eyes
Cause flames to arise
Will you let the fire die down soon
Or will I always be here
Your favorite passion
Your favorite game
Your favorite mirror
Your favorite slave
Lyrics of In Your Room by Depeche Mode Alternate
In your room,
Where time has stopped
Or moves at your will
Will you let the morning come soon
Or will you leave me lying here
In your favorite darkness
In your favorite twilight
In your beloved mind
Your favorite slave?
In your room,
Where souls disappear
Only you exist here
Will you take me to your chair
Or leave me lying here
Your beloved innocence
Your favorite prize
Your favorite smile
Your favorite slave?
Chorus:
I listen to your words
I live by your breath
I feel you on my skin
Will I stay here forever?
In your room
your burning eyes
Call out the flames
Will you let the fire die soon
Or will I stay here forever
Your favorite passion
Your favorite game
Your favorite mirror
Your favorite slave?
Song quote
Ultimately, In Your Room feels like a dark experiment where the music doesn’t quite fit Gahan’s beautiful vocals.
Tim DiGravina
