Dreaming of Me

"Dreaming of Me"
Single by Depeche Mode
from the album Speak & Spell (1988 CD re-issue)
B-side"Ice Machine"
Released20 February 1981
RecordedDecember 1980
StudioBlackwing (London)
Genre
Length
  • 4:03 (cold end version)
  • 3:46 (fade out version)
LabelMute
Songwriter(s)Vince Clarke
Producer(s)
Depeche Mode singles chronology
"Dreaming of Me"
(1981) 		"New Life"
(1981)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

"Dreaming of Me" is the debut single by English electronic music band Depeche Mode.[2][3] It was recorded in December 1980 at Blackwing Studios and originally released in February 1981 in the UK via Mute Records.[4][5] It was not commercially released in the United States.

Background

Two versions of the song have been released, one which fades out, and one which does not (cold end). The cold end version is on the 1988 CD re-release of Speak & Spell in Europe, while the American Speak & Spell (and all singles compilations containing the song) has the fade out version. The 2006 re-release of Speak & Spell also has the cold end version and was released in all regions.

The B-side, "Ice Machine", is similarly available in a fading version, and one with a cold end. The 1988 and 2006 CD re-releases of Speak & Spell (where the song is a bonus track) use the cold end version. A live version of "Ice Machine" (recorded during the Some Great Reward tour) is available on the 12″ version of the 1984 single "Blasphemous Rumours".

Due to a poor chart placement in the UK (number 57), "Dreaming of Me" did not originally appear on Speak & Spell,[6] but did show up in the CD re-release as a bonus track.[7] However, in the United States, "Dreaming of Me" was on the original pressing of the album, replacing "I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead".[8] On the 2006 re-release of Speak & Spell, it was placed at the end of the album, with the original UK track list preceding it.

Exactly 30 years after "Dreaming of Me" was first released in the UK, a flash mob action tried to push the track back into the charts by downloading it online. The action failed except in Germany, where the track entered the singles charts for the first time at number 45, giving the band its 47th chart entry.[9]

Track listing

All tracks written by Vince Clarke

7″: Mute / 7Mute13 (UK)

  1. "Dreaming of Me" (fade out version) – 3:46
  2. "Ice Machine" (fade out version) – 3:54

12″: Mute / 12Mute13 (UK)

  1. "Dreaming of Me" (fade out version) – 3:46
  2. "Ice Machine" (fade out version) – 3:54
  • Re-released in 2018 as a part of the Speak & Spell: The 12″ Singles box set

CD: Mute / Intercord Ton GmbH / CDMute13 / INT 811.868 (West Germany) – released in 1988

  1. "Dreaming of Me" (cold end version) – 4:03
  2. "Ice Machine" (cold end version) – 4:06

CD: Mute / CDMute13 (UK) – released in 1991

  1. "Dreaming of Me" (fade out version) – 3:46
  2. "Ice Machine" (fade out version) – 3:54

CD: Sire / 40289-2 (US) – released in 1991

  1. "Dreaming of Me" (fade out version) – 3:46
  2. "Ice Machine" (fade out version) – 3:54

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Dreaming of Me"
Chart (1981) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 57
UK Indie (MRIB)[11] 1
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[12] 47
Chart (2011) Peak
position
Germany (GfK)[13] 45

References

  1. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Dreaming of Me – Depeche Mode". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  2. ^ Baker, Trevor (25 April 2013). Depeche Mode – The Early Years 1981–1993. Bonnier Zaffre. ISBN 978-1-78606-156-0. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  3. ^ Bernhardt, Tonia (21 November 2007). Depeche Mode: A Band, Its Music, and the Cult. GRIN Verlag. p. 3. ISBN 978-3-638-76757-6. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  4. ^ Clifford, Mike; Frame, Pete (1992). The Harmony Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock. Harmony Books. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-517-59078-2. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin (1995). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Guinness Pub. p. 1139. ISBN 978-1-56159-176-3. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  6. ^ Release page at Discogs (original release 1981)
  7. ^ Release page at Discogs (UK re-release 1988)
  8. ^ Release page at Discogs (American first release in 1981)
  9. ^ "Depeche Mode: Fan-Flashmob hat Erfolg", GfK Entertainment, 1 March 2011 (in German)
    - German chart blog (in English)
  10. ^ "Depeche Mode: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  11. ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). "Depeche Mode". Indie Hits 1980–1989: The Complete U.K. Independent Charts (Singles & Albums). Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-95172-069-4. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  12. ^ "Depeche Mode Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  13. ^ "Depeche Mode – Dreaming of Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 28 May 2021.