It's No Good

"It's No Good" a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 31 March 1997 by Mute and Reprise Records as the second single from their ninth studio album, ''Ultra''. It was written by Martin L. Gore and produced by Tim Simenon, and was commercially successful, reaching No. 1 in Denmark, Spain, Sweden and on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart. The single also entered the top 10 in Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, and the United Kingdom, where it peaked at No. 5.

On 15 May 1997, the band went on ''The Tonight Show'' with Jay Leno and performed the song, a recording made available at the official Depeche Mode website. The B-side is an instrumental, called "Slowblow".

Critical reception

Larry Flick from ''Billboard'' stated that the song is "considerably more low-key" than their "more caustic" previous hit, "Barrel of a Gun". He added, "In fact, this is the single that diehard Depeche Mode disciples have been starved for, in that it somewhat revisits the stylistic days of " Master and Servant". The music cruises at a funky, electro-pop pace with minimal sound-effect clutter. Rather, the focus is on Dave Gahan's forlorn performance and Martin Gore's sensitive lyrics." Dominic Pride from ''Music & Media'' noted that the band "return with a sound which programmers and audiences can instantly recognise and identify with", adding that Gahan's voice "soars above the minimal electronics, which are interspersed with some spartan synth interludes, in a song that glides along smoothly to its conclusion."

Alan Jones from ''Music Week'' described it as "a superbly retro track which harks back to their old style. Powerful and synth-based, it is a sublime and slightly disturbing piece that totally contradicts its title." Later, he also declared it "a brooding and menacing monster of a track." A reviewer from ''Sunday Mirror'' wrote, "Although the first verse sounds scarily like Jimmy Nail to me, by the time the chorus sets in you recognise that proper Mode sound right away. Not as noisy as the last single but there's a stackful of harder remixes to please the mental, mental crowd".

Legacy

In 2017, ''Billboard'' ranked "It's No Good" number 52 in their list of "The 100 Greatest Pop Songs of 1997", writing, "The sixth and to date final top 40 hit for U.K. synth-rock greats Depeche Mode was a sleek sleaze-pop banger, delightfully cheesy enough that singer Dave Gahan pretty much had to play a lounge singer in the video. Still, the thing works because of the bass tremors unsettling the crooning underneath, and the zooming synths that crest and crash like ocean waves around Gahan, giving "It's No Good" just enough edge to keep Depeche Mode relevant amidst the rise of electronica."

Track listings

All songs were written by Martin L. Gore.

*UK CD single
#"It's No Good"
#"Slowblow" (Darren Price mix)
#"It's No Good" (Bass Bounce mix)
#"It's No Good" (Speedy J mix)

*UK 12-inch single
:A1. "It's No Good" (Hardfloor mix) – 6:43
:A2. "It's No Good" (Speedy J mix) – 5:04
:AA1. "It's No Good" (Motor Bass mix) – 3:48
:AA2. "It's No Good" (Andrea Parker mix) – 6:14
:AA3. "It's No Good" (Bass Bounce mix) – 7:16

*UK cassette single and US 7-inch single
#"It's No Good" – 5:59
#"Slowblow" – 5:25

*European CD single
#"It's No Good" (Hardfloor mix)
#"Slowblow"
#"It's No Good" (Andrea Parker mix)
#"It's No Good" (Motor Bass mix)

*US CD single
#"It's No Good" – 6:00
#"Slowblow" (Darren Price mix) – 6:27
#"It's No Good" (Bass Bounce mix) – 7:15

*US and Canadian maxi-CD single
#"It's No Good"
#"It's No Good" (Hardfloor mix)
#"Slowblow"
#"It's No Good" (Speedy J mix)
#"It's No Good" (Bass Bounce mix)

*US 12-inch maxi-single
:A1. "It's No Good" (Hardfloor mix) – 6:41
:A2. "It's No Good" (Bass Bounce mix) – 7:15
:B1. "It's No Good" (Speedy J mix) – 5:00
:B2. "Slowblow" (Darren Price mix) – 6:27

*Japanese CD single
#"It's No Good" (original mix)
#"Slowblow" (Darren Price mix)
#"It's No Good" (Dom T Bass Bounce mix)
#"It's No Good" (Speedy J mix)
#"It's No Good" (Hardfloor mix)
#"Slowblow" (original mix)
#"It's No Good" (Andrea Parker mix)
#"It's No Good" (Motor Bass mix)

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the ''Ultra'' album booklet.

Studios
*Recorded at Abbey Road, Eastcote, Westside, Strongroom, RAK (London), Electric Lady (New York City), and Larrabee West (Los Angeles)
*Mastered at The Exchange (London)

Personnel
*Martin Gore – writing (as Martin L. Gore)
*Dave Clayton – keyboards, keyboard programming
* Victor Indrizzo – percussion
* Tim Simenon – production, mixing
*Q. – mixing, engineering
*Kerry Hopwood – programming
*Mike Marsh – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

* List of number-one dance singles of 1997 (U.S.)
* List of number-one hits of 1997 (Denmark)
* List of number-one singles of 1997 (Spain)
* List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden

References

External links

Single information from the official Depeche Mode websiteAllMusic song reviewAllMusic US single review

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1997 singles
1997 songs
Depeche Mode songs
Mute Records singles
Number-one singles in Denmark
Number-one singles in Spain
Number-one singles in Sweden
Reprise Records singles
Song recordings produced by Bomb the Bass
Songs written by Martin Gore
UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles