My Favourite Stranger
| "My Favourite Stranger" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Depeche Mode | ||||
| from the album Memento Mori | ||||
| Released | 20 October 2023[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:55 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | James Ford | |||
| Depeche Mode singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music videos | ||||
| "My Favourite Stranger" on YouTube | ||||
| "My Favourite Stranger" (Vinegar Hill Sessions) on YouTube | ||||
"My Favourite Stranger" is a song by English electronic band Depeche Mode, released on 20 October 2023 as the fifth single from their fifteenth studio album, Memento Mori.[2][3]
Background[edit]
This is one of four tracks on the album written by Martin Gore along with Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs. Dave Gahan said that "My Favourite Stranger" is "about having a shadow, someone who follows you around the clock and tells you things. Do you listen to the lie or to the truth? A fun and a little risky song. With music you need to be transported to different places, sometimes it's places that are right in front of your eyes, other times it's open spaces." He also said "this is a direct song, like Suicide's Alan Vega, it has a New York '70s punk vibe."[4]
In his interview for NME Gore explained, "I've never written with anyone outside of the band in our history... Richard reached out to me around April 2020, just texting to say 'We should write some songs together'. I asked for ideas and he sent me a few lines, so I put those to music and we started sending them back and forth. We ended up writing seven songs. We didn't like the first one, but the other six were so great that I thought it would be a bit of a waste to put them out as a side-project. They just wouldn't get the same sort of exposure as they would if they were put out by Depeche."[5]
Music video[edit]
On 21 September 2023, an official music video was released for the song directed by Anton Corbijn.[6]
Shot entirely in black and white, the video shows a man wandering through the forest and the streets of a city. Upon arriving to his dwelling, the person turns out to be a woman once the hat and fake mustache are removed.[7]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Favourite Stranger" (Boris Brejcha Remix) | 7:06 |
| 2. | "My Favourite Stranger" (Ela Minus Remix) | 3:48 |
| 3. | "My Favourite Stranger" (Long Island Sound Remix) | 4:46 |
| 4. | "My Favourite Stranger" (Sunken Cages Remix) | 4:20 |
| 5. | "My Favourite Stranger" (Al Wootton Remix) | 5:38 |
| Total length: | 25:38 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Favourite Stranger" (Boris Brejcha Remix) | 7:06 |
| 2. | "My Favourite Stranger" (Ela Minus Remix) | 3:48 |
| 3. | "My Favourite Stranger" (Long Island Sound Remix) | 4:46 |
Charts[edit]
| Chart (2023–2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Sales (OCC)[11] | 19 |
References[edit]
- ^ Wilkinson, Juan Ignacio R. (23 October 2023). "Boris Brejcha remixes Depeche Mode's 'My Favourite Stranger'". Electronic Groove. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ Millar, Mark (20 October 2023). "DEPECHE MODE announces the launch of the 'Memento Mori' White Label Remix Series". XS Noize. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Boris Brejcha Dropped A Remix of "My Favorite Stranger" By The Legendary Depeche Mode". EXIT Festival. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ Laffranchi, Di Andrea (19 March 2023). "Depeche Ricordati che devi vivere Mode". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 1 November 2023 – via PressReader.
- ^ Trendell, Andrew (21 March 2023). "Depeche Mode on what The Psychedelic Furs' Richard Butler brought to 'Memento Mori'". NME. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "My Favourite Stranger (Official Video)". YouTube. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ Teeple, Alice (21 September 2023). "A Wanderer in Disguise — Depeche Mode Debut Video for "My Favourite Stranger"". Post-Punk.com. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Depeche Mode – "My Favourite Stranger (Remixes)"". shout.ru. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "My Favourite Stranger – Depeche Mode". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Depeche Mode – My Favourite Stranger (Remixes) – 12" Vinyl". Mute Bank. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. 11 February 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
