"It's No Good" a song by English
electronic music
Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
band
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
, released on 31 March 1997 by
Mute and
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels.
Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...
as the second single from their ninth studio album, ''
Ultra
Ultra may refer to:
Science and technology
* Ultra (cryptography), the codename for cryptographic intelligence obtained from signal traffic in World War II
* Adobe Ultra, a vector-keying application
* Sun Ultra series, a brand of computer work ...
''. 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
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
Hot Dance Club Play
The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
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
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...
'' with
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno ( ; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 until 200 ...
and performed the song, a recording made available at the official Depeche Mode website. The B-side is an
instrumental
An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...
, called "Slowblow".
Critical reception
Larry Flick
Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...
from ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' stated that the song is "considerably more low-key" than their "more caustic" previous hit, "
Barrel of a Gun
"Barrel of a Gun" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 3 February 1997 as the first single from their ninth studio album, ''Ultra''. The song reached No. 1 in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain and Sweden and re ...
". 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
David Gahan ( ; né Callcott; born 9 May 1962) is an English singer best known as the lead singer of electronic music band Depeche Mode since their formation in 1980. Noted for his commanding stage presence and unique baritone voice, Gahan was ...
's forlorn performance and
Martin Gore
Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961) is an English musician and songwriter. He is one of the founding members of the electronic music band Depeche Mode and is the band's main songwriter. He is the band's guitarist and keyboardist, and occasiona ...
's sensitive lyrics."
Dominic Pride from ''
Music & Media
''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...
'' 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
''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future.
History
Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...
'' 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
The ''Sunday Mirror'' is the Sunday sister paper of the ''Daily Mirror''. It began life in 1915 as the ''Sunday Pictorial'' and was renamed the ''Sunday Mirror'' in 1963. In 2016 it had an average weekly circulation of 620,861, dropping marked ...
'' wrote, "Although the first verse sounds scarily like
Jimmy Nail
James Michael Aloysius Bradford (born 16 March 1954), known as Jimmy Nail, is an English singer-songwriter, actor, film producer, and television writer. He played the role of Leonard "Oz" Osborne in the television show ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' ( ...
to me, by the time the
chorus
Chorus may refer to:
Music
* Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse
* Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound
* Chorus form, song in whic ...
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
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' 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
Electronic rock (also known as electro rock and synth rock) is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s when rock b ...
greats Depeche Mode was a sleek sleaze-pop banger, delightfully cheesy enough that singer
Dave Gahan
David Gahan ( ; né Callcott; born 9 May 1962) is an English singer best known as the lead singer of electronic music band Depeche Mode since their formation in 1980. Noted for his commanding stage presence and unique baritone voice, Gahan was ...
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
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...
."
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
Jochem George Paap (born 14 February 1969, in Rotterdam), known by his stage name Speedy J, is a Dutch electronic music producer based in Rotterdam. His breakthrough came with the release in 1992 of the minimal techno track "Pullover". He releas ...
mix)
*UK 12-inch single
:A1. "It's No Good" (
Hardfloor
Hardfloor is a German electronic music duo, consisting of Oliver Bondzio and Ramon Zenker. Their most famous track is "Acperience 1" (often titled more simply as "Acperience" on many compilation albums) and chosen by Feargal Sharkey as one of ...
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
Andrea Parker (born March 8, 1969) is an American film and television actress. She is known for her roles on '' ER'', '' JAG'', '' The Pretender'', ''Less than Perfect'', ''Desperate Housewives'', and ''Pretty Little Liars''.
Early years
Parke ...
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
Ultra may refer to:
Science and technology
* Ultra (cryptography), the codename for cryptographic intelligence obtained from signal traffic in World War II
* Adobe Ultra, a vector-keying application
* Sun Ultra series, a brand of computer work ...
'' album booklet.
Studios
*Recorded at
Abbey Road
''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969, by Apple Records. It is the last album the group recorded, although '' Let It Be'' (1970) was the last album completed before th ...
, 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
{{Authority control
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