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"Martyr"
Single by Depeche Mode
from the album The Best of Depeche Mode Volume 1
B-side	"Never Let Me Down Again" (Digitalism remix)
Released	30 October 2006 (2006-10-30)
Length	3:23 (album/single version) 3:07 (radio version)
Label	Mute (Europe) Reprise, Sire (US)
Songwriter(s)	Martin Gore
Producer(s)	Ben Hillier
Depeche Mode singles chronology
"John the Revelator" / "Lilian" (2006) "Martyr" (2006) "Wrong" (2009)
Music video
"Martyr" on YouTube

"Martyr" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released as a non-album single to promote the band's eighth greatest hits compilation album, The Best of, Volume 1. The single was released on 30 October 2006 in three formats: CD single, CD maxi and DVD single. There was also a limited-edition double 12-inch single featuring four remixes of previous Depeche Mode tracks.

Following its release, "Martyr" topped the singles charts of Italy and Spain while attaining a peak of number 13 on the UK Singles Chart and entering the top 20 in six other European nations. It debuted and peaked at number two on the Eurochart Hot 100, and in the United States, it reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single became Depeche Mode's 35th and last UK top-20 hit until 2023's "Ghosts Again", which reached number 20 on the UK chart.

Background

The song, originally titled "Martyr for Love", is a well-known missing track from the Playing the Angel sessions. The song was mentioned during one of the FletchCam videos (where it can faintly be heard playing in the background), and it was mentioned in interviews. Playing the Angel programmer Dave McCracken has said that it was considered by the band as the first single from Playing the Angel, but it did not make the album due to its poppier sound when compared with other album tracks.

Music video

A video was being directed by Andreas Nilsson, who was reportedly hired because Dave Gahan was impressed by his video for The Knife's "Silent Shout". The video was made in Gothenburg, Sweden, and members of the group do not appear in it. The band subsequently rejected this video, which was replaced with a video montage released on 8 October 2006 and directed by Robert Chandler, in which Gahan seemingly sings the song, this being achieved by the succession of short clips of Depeche Mode's videos in which Gahan either says the words featured in the lyrics of "Martyr", or he lip-syncs the lyrics, meaning that his lips move in a similar fashion of that when the words in the lyrics are being said. It does not appear on their Best of DVD compilation.

Track listing

Charts

See also

• List of number-one hits of 2006 (Italy)
• List of number-one singles of 2006 (Spain)

References

1. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 28 October 2006. p. 25.
2. "Depeche Mode releases for the rest of the year!". Depechemode.com. 2 August 2006. Archived from the original on 27 August 2006.
3. "Depeche Mode". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
4. "FletchCam™ (2005)". Archives.depechemode.com. 4 October 2006. Archived from the original on 4 October 2006.
5. "Exclusive Interview: Dave McCracken". Depechemode.com. 2 August 2006. Archived from the original on 18 June 2006.
6. "DEPECHE MODE – Martyr single & video". Energylab.de. 3 September 2006. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007.
7. Claeson, Daniel (3 September 2006). "Depeche gör video i Göteborg". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 17 January 2007.
8. ^ "Depeche Mode – Martyr" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
9. Martyr (European limited 7-inch single liner notes). Depeche Mode. Mute Records. 2006. BONG39.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. Martyr (European 12-inch single vinyl disc). Depeche Mode. Mute Records. 2006. 12bong39.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
11. Martyr (European DVD single liner notes). Depeche Mode. Mute Records. 2006. dvdbong39.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
12. "Martyr – EP". Apple Music. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
13. "Depeche Mode – Martyr" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
14. "Depeche Mode – Martyr" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
15. "Ultratop 50 Dance – 30/12/2006" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
16. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 47. týden 2006 in the date selector. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
17. "Depeche Mode – Martyr". Tracklisten. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
18. "Hits of the World > Eurocharts" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 118, no. 46. 18 November 2006. p. 71. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
19. "Depeche Mode: Martyr" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
20. "Depeche Mode – Martyr" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
21. "Depeche Mode – Martyr" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
22. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
23. "Top 50 Singles, Week Ending 2 November 2006". GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
24. "Depeche Mode – Martyr". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
25. "Depeche Mode – Martyr" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
26. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
27. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200650 into search. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
28. "Depeche Mode – Martyr" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
29. "Depeche Mode – Martyr". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
30. "Depeche Mode – Martyr". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
31. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
32. "Depeche Mode Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
33. "Musica: Classifiche Annunali 2006 FIMI-AC Nielsen" (in Italian). FIMI. Click on Scarica l'allegato. Archived from the original on 12 January 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2021.

External links

• Single information from the official Depeche Mode website

• 2006 singles
• 2006 songs
• Depeche Mode songs
• Mute Records singles
• Number-one singles in Italy
• Number-one singles in Spain
• Reprise Records singles
• Sire Records singles
• Song recordings produced by Ben Hillier
• Songs written by Martin Gore