What is "strangelove"

"Strangelove" is Depeche Mode's 18th UK single, released on 27 April 1987, and the 1st single for the then upcoming album Music for the Masses. It reached number 16 in the UK singles chart, but hit number 2 in West Germany and in South Africa, and was a Top 10 success in several other countries ( Sweden, Switzerland, etc.). In the US, "Strangelove" initially went to number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the first of 9 number-ones on the US Dance charts, where it stayed for 3 weeks at the top.

The original version of "Strangelove" is a fast-paced pop track. Though successful, this did not seem to fit with Music for the Masses's darker style, so Daniel Miller made a slower version that became the album version. Alan Wilder, in the Q&A section of his Recoil website, writes that the band felt the single version was "too cluttered" and was the reason Miller's remix was commissioned. Miller expounded on this in the Music for the Masses re-master documentary DVD, stating he felt the original single version was too complicated and would benefit from being simplified.

It was remixed by production team Bomb the Bass and released again as a single in the USA as "Strangelove '88", finally reaching number 50 on the Hot 100.

Strangelove were an English alternative rock band, formed in Bristol in 1991 and led by singer Patrick Duff. They released three albums before splitting up in 1998.