"Wagging Tongue" is a song by English electronic band
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting).
Depeche ...
. It was released on 7 July 2023 as the third single from their fifteenth studio album, ''
Memento Mori
''Memento mori'' (Latin for 'remember that you ave todie'
Background
It is the fourth track that Dave Gahan and Martin Gore collaborated on together (along with " Oh Well", " Long Time Lie" and " You Move"), and the first to be released as a single.
Of the song, Gahan stated: "Martin will take one of my songs, for instance, let's say 'Wagging Tongue', which is on this record. I sent my little demo to Martin of me hamfistedly trying to play the guitar, and get the song out and find the chords and all that. And then Martin sends it back with these beautiful Kraftwerk-esque chords and arpeggiated synths and stuff, and I'm like, 'Oh, okay...' But that then takes me to another place, you see, because that changes the perception again."
"It's the first song from both of us that ever made it onto a record. I could sense early on that we really hit the mark with this one." Gore elaborated: "The melody is excellent, and the entire song has something intoxicating. It's positive, it's pop, but it's not too much pop."
Reception
Joe Muggs of ''
The Arts Desk
''The Arts Desk'' (theartsdesk.com) is a British arts journalism website containing reviews, interviews, news, and other content related to music, theatre, television, films, and other art forms written by journalists from a variety of tradition ...
'' stated, "The opening brace of tracks 'My Cosmos Is Mine' and 'Wagging Tongue' have synth patterns and deliberately simple melodies that hark all the way back to 1981 and DM's first work with Vince Clarke still in the band."
Kory Grow of '' Rolling Stone'' commented, "On 'Wagging Tongue', a rare Gahan–Gore songwriting collaboration, Gahan sings about feeling sadness 'when you watch another angel die' over sparkly New Wave synths that recall the group's earliest work. The lyrics, which Gahan sings ominously, could be a metaphoric indictment of politicians needing to act on gun safety or Gahan could be singing about rising above personal obstacles, but, either way, with the shimmery keyboard backdrop, the words have a way of sticking in your brain."
Music video
The music video was released on 24 May 2023. It was directed by the Sacred Egg, with
Anton Corbijn
Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard (; born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, film director and music video director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2,Pitman, Joanna"The silent partner"' ...
acting as a creative director.
Remix
On 6 July 2023, British indie rock group
Wet Leg
Wet Leg are a British indie rock band from the Isle of Wight, founded in 2019 by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. They debuted with the single "Chaise Longue (song), Chaise Longue" in 2021. Their Wet Leg (album), self-titled debut album deb ...
remixed the song, featuring new, haunting vocals and an ethereal feel. This remix would go on to be nominated for and win the
Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
The Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical is an honor presented to producers for quality remixed recordings at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in sever ...