Martin Gore

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Martin Gore
Background information
Born	July 23, 1961 (1961-07-23) (age 46)
Origin	Basildon, Essex, England
Genre(s)	Synth Pop
Years active	1980–present
Label(s)	Mute Sire Reprise
Associated acts	Depeche Mode
Website	www.martingore.com

Martin Gore (born Martin Lee Gore, 23 July 1961, Basildon, Essex, England) is an English songwriter, lyricist, singer, guitarist and keyboardist. He is a founding member of Depeche Mode, a quintessential electronic band. His work now spans three decades, but he is best known as the composer of hits such as "Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy the Silence".

[edit] Career

Gore left St. Nicholas's Comprehensive School in 1977 and took a job as a bank teller. During evenings, weekends and any other spare time, he was involved with the local band 'Norman and the Worms'.

In 1980, Gore met Andrew "Fletch" Fletcher at the Van Gogh club. Fletcher recruited Gore into his band with Vince Clarke, Composition of Sound. Soon the band drafted David Gahan to be the lead singer after hearing him sing "Heroes" by David Bowie. Gahan is credited with the name "Depeche Mode" after seeing the phrase as a title of a French fashion magazine, which considered taking them to court, but thought it would be good publicity for the magazine to let the band have the name.

Clarke departed Depeche Mode in 1981 shortly after the release of the debut album Speak & Spell. Gore then became the band's main songwriter. Gore sings lead vocals on several of the band's songs, notably ballads, his tenor voice providing a contrast to David Gahan's dramatic baritone.

Martin Gore of Depeche Mode - outside the hotel, just before leaving for the show. Los Angeles, July 1986

Clarke wrote most of Depeche Mode's first album, Speak & Spell (1981). Gore contributed two tracks, "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and the instrumental "Big Muff". "Any Second Now (voices)" features Gore's first lead vocals for the band. When Clarke announced his departure from Depeche Mode in 1981, citing the pressures of fame and creative differences, Gore took over songwriting. Gore had been writing material since the age of twelve.

Songs Gore wrote for Depeche Mode's second album, A Broken Frame (1982) differed musically and lyrically from Clarke's. Gore's writing became gradually darker and more political on subsequent Depeche Mode albums.

Gore remains the primary songwriter for Depeche Mode.

[edit] Personal life

According to Jonathan Miller's book "Stripped: Depeche Mode" (Omnibus Press, 2003, 2004, ISBN 1-84449-415-2, pp. 318-319), Gore's biological father was an African-American GI stationed in the UK. Gore was raised by his stepfather and biological mother. Miller quotes childhood friends and Gore himself. According to Miller's source, Gore is of mixed ethnicity, and, as an adult, met his father in the American South. Gore responds to the source's information and is quoted in Miller's book saying "It brings up family traumas" and "It's one of those things I'd rather not talk about."

On 27 August 1994, Gore married lingerie designer Suzanne Boisvert, and has two daughters and a son with her: Viva Lee Gore (born 6 June 1991) and Ava Lee Gore (born 21 August 1995) and Calo Leon Gore (born 27 July 2002).

As of January 2006, Gore has divorced from Boisvert. The song "Precious" from 2005's Playing the Angel was a product of the divorce, written as a response to the trauma it caused his children. [1]

[edit] Solo discography

1. Counterfeit e.p. (Mute STUMM 67, 1989)
2. Counterfeit² (Mute STUMM 214, 2003)

In 2003, Mute released Gore's Counterfeit², a follow up solo cover album to the 1989 Counterfeit EP. Both feature only versions of material by other songwriters.

Martin sang backing vocals on the Client song "Overdrive".

He also played guitar on the Gwen Stefani song "Wonderful Life" on her 2006 album The Sweet Escape.

He collaborated on the band Onetwo's track "Cloud Nine" by playing the guitar and as songwriter of the song.

On the 2007 Nitzer Ebb track "Once You see", Gore sang backing vocals.

[edit] Singles

[edit] Remixes

• 1994 Spirit Feel – "Rejoice" (Mystic Span Mix)
• 1995 Garbage – "Queer" (The Most Beautiful Woman in Town Mix)
• 1999 ON – "Soluble Words" (Sublingual Remix)
• 2003 Señor Coconut And His Orchestra – "Smooth Operator" (In-Disguise Remix)

[edit] Depeche Mode songs with Gore on lead vocals

Depeche Mode's lead vocals are generally handled by David Gahan, but on occasion Gore will sing lead vocals. These are all the songs he sings in chronological order:

• Speak and Spell
  • "Any Second Now (voices)"
• Construction Time Again
  • "Pipeline"
  • "Everything Counts (Reprise)"
• Some Great Reward
  • "It Doesn't Matter"
  • "Somebody"
• Black Celebration
  • "A Question of Lust"
  • "Sometimes"
  • "It Doesn't Matter Two"
  • "World Full of Nothing"
  • "Black Day" ["Stripped" single]
• Music for the Masses
  • "The Things You Said"
  • "I Want You Now"
  • "Route 66" (cover of a song by Bobby Troup [B-Side of "Behind the Wheel"]
• Violator
  • "Enjoy the Silence" (Harmonium version only) ["Enjoy the Silence" single]
  • "Sweetest Perfection"
  • "Blue Dress"
• Songs of Faith and Devotion
  • "Death's Door" [Until the End of the World soundtrack]
  • "Judas"
  • "One Caress"
• Ultra
  • "Home"
  • "The Bottom Line"
• Exciter
  • "Comatose"
  • "Breathe"
• Playing the Angel
  • "Macro"
  • "Damaged People"

[edit] Duet

These are songs where Gahan and Gore have around equal singing time, in chronological order. In some instances, both sing at the same time (ex: "Behind the Wheel"), and in others, Gahan sings the verses while Gore sings the chorus (ex: "Everything Counts").
Note that the songs listed here are based on judgement of the Wikipedia users editing this site, and may not officially be called "duets" by the band or some other Wikipedia users.

• Shouldn't Have Done That [A Broken Frame]
• Everything Counts [Construction Time Again]
• Something to Do [Some Great Reward] (the 2004 Black Strobe remix completely loses Gahan's voice)
• People Are People [Some Great Reward]
• Shake the Disease [Catching Up with Depeche Mode]
• Here is the House [Black Celebration]
• Behind the Wheel [Music for the Masses]
• Pleasure, Little Treasure [Music for the Masses]
• Waiting for the Night [Violator]
• Insight [Ultra]
• Surrender [B-side to "Only When I Lose Myself"], albeit only towards the end of the track
• Dream On [Exciter]
• The Sinner In Me [Playing the Angel]
• Nothing's Impossible [Playing the Angel]
• Newborn [B-side to "A Pain That I'm Used To"]

[edit] Live

These are songs that Gore has sung lead live, although the studio versions are sung by Gahan, in chronological order of the song's first live performance by Gore. Includes his solo concerts in 2003. To date, the only Gore-lead song that was sung by Gahan live was "Route 66" which was the closer during the World Violation Tour.

• Little 15 (World Violation Tour)
• Here is the House (World Violation Tour)
• Condemnation (Exotic Tour, Exciter Tour, Solo)
• Waiting for the Night (Exotic Tour)
• Sister of Night (KROQ Acoustic Christmas '98, The Singles Tour, Exciter Tour)
• Dressed in Black (Exciter Tour)
• Surrender (Exciter Tour, Solo)
• Only When I Lose Myself (Solo only)
• In Your Room (Solo only)
• Walking in My Shoes (Solo only)
• The Love Thieves (Solo only)
• Enjoy the Silence (Solo only)
• Shake the Disease (Solo, Touring the Angel)
• Leave in Silence (Touring The Angel)

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• A curiously endearing parody of Depeche Mode's "Somebody", entitled "Some Valium for Fletch" was released on the Internet, and features a fictional Gore singing an anxiety-ridden Andrew Fletcher to sleep after the final Touring the Angel concert.

• Martin Gore helped finance the Ian Curtis biopic Control, originally agreeing to do so while wearing the bridal dress during the filming of the video for "Suffer Well."