In a Sea of Sin You Fun the Happiest Girl

"World In My Eyes" may be one of the best CD-singles DM has ever put out. Sure, remixers from the KLF, the Beloved and Francois Kevorkian took their turn with the title track but that's not what makes this single such a great buy, it's the b-sides!!! Ah yes, those oft obscure studio leftovers that usually end up on the cutting room floor due to album length, producer choice or studio pressure.

"World In My Eyes" is not really CD single at all but more of an EP. "Sea of Sin", one of the best Depeche Mode songs from the Violator era and "Happiest Girl, yet another song in my top 10 DM songs of all time are both contained within... and they're remixed. Makes you wonder what the album versions would have sounded like. The only thing missing that would have made this single perfect is a remix of "Halo."

So buy with confidence and play those songs for the less informed! And, when they ask, "What album is that on?" Tell them it's one of those things that only a true DM fan would know.

Let me help you make up your mind on this one...

I must admit that I am an avid Depeche Mode fan. I love all of their albums and have such a fetish for their music that I decided that not only did I have to have every album song of theirs, but I also needed every remixed version of each song and every B-side. I'm not exactly made of money so my collection is no where near complete but I have accumulated a sizeable amount of Depeche Mode singles already and despite my love of the band, I usually find their singles to be a bit disappointing.

Most remixes of Depeche Mode hits tend to be a little lengthy, which CAN be a good thing if given the substance but many remixes tend to simply drag on and carry little or no resemblence to the song that you bought the cd for. Another thing that bothers me is that I always get all excited over the B-sides that I am getting on the single, only to be let down with a short instrumental " something " when I was longing for ( and expecting ) to hear another masterfully crafted masterpiece complete with Dave Gahan teaseing me with his dark, sensual, pounding voice belting out enviable poetic lyrics of romantic cynicism and lust ( exhales ). ...Not that their instrumentals are bad or anything; they just lack the two key elements that help make Depeche Mode what it is and give it it's unique sound. Without Martin Gore's lyrics, and Dave 's voice...I feel well...Violated ( no pun intended ).

So this is the reality of many of the DM singles that I have purchased. I'm not even sure what It was that lead me to choose THIS single as my next DM purchase. " World in my Eyes " is a great song but I wouldn't consider it one of my all time favorites. I didn't expect much of this cd but I decided that I had to have it anyway because as mediocre as it may turn out to be, no DM purchase will ever be a waste of money. But still....no expectations with this one. Afterall, "Enjoy the silence " and " Personal Jesus " were the biggest hits off Violator. Who would consider this one over those if given the choice? Well, here's the reasons why you should....

The remixes here are what they SHOULD be; a great enhancement to the song itself that add a creative curve to the song while staying true to the original. i.e: If you even somewhat enjoy listening to " World in my eyes ", you will love listening to the remixes of the song. None are boring and the Mode To Joy mix is sooo good that it may actually be better that the original itself; which is probably a very sinful thing to say.

World in my eyes was, in my opinion, the most erotic Dm song ever released though it's sexual message was subdued by the artistry and exotic, far-away feel in the music and lyrics. My opinion of that song being the most erotic was dashed the moment " Sea of Sin " began to play.

Both versions of " Sea of Sin " are equally great. This song manages to get very erotic without getting pornographic or cheesy like some songs with a sexual message. The song can be enterpreted in many different ways, both good and bad. Pay close attention to the lyrics in this one; they are very thoughtful and seem to flow perfectly as a whole. And they even rhyme without seeming fluffy like some pop-ish teenie bopper song ( if you can picture that ).

After being overwhelmed by the fact that BOTH B-sides were actual songs and not instrumentals and then having to cope with the fact of how amazing they both were, I decided that of the two, my personal favorite had to be " Happiest Girl". Another dark erotic one here. Not as erotic as " Sea of Sin" but it fits the theme started with the title track and Sea of Sin. In fact, all of the songs are different yet seem to compliment eachother nicely. All of the songs are dancable ( as is anything from the Violator era ), highly enjoyable, and refreshingly void of all the filler that can often be compacted into a maxi single just to add length, and with 40 minutes of quality composition and sound, you definitely get your money's worth here AND THEN SOME.

Buy it For the B-sides ( as they are two of the best B-sides ever done by DM ), buy it if you love world in my eyes ( you'll love it THAT much more after listening to the remixes ) and most of all, if you consider yourself a fan a depeche mode, erotic dance music, great songwriting, or just plain enjoyment, don't pass this one up. Trust me, the voice of experience; lol.

Perhaps the best Depeche Mode single

For buying this single you get not 1 but 2 non-album songs, Happiest Girl and Sea of Sin which are both great. Coupled with Dangerous off the Personal Jesus single I think you have the top 3 DM non-album tracks ever made. Plus, World In My Eyes is a great song and the remixes are pretty cool as well, specially the Oil Tankers Mix.

One cool thing is how you can kind of see the evolutionary process of the songs as they were written. Happiest Girl is a distinctly different song than World in My Eyes, but their bassline/beat is extremely similar. It seems both songs were actually 1 song in the early stages, and then as Martin Gore developed this one peice of music it split into 2 different entities. It's not often that you can get such a revealing view into the song writing process just by listening to the finished products.

Anyway, this single has 3 great songs, 2 of which you won't find on the album, plus a couple cool remixes of the first song. Together with the Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence singles, you get 5 extra songs that weren't on the album, plus a handfull of cool remixes of the title songs. If you're at all interested in DM's non album "B-sides" this is the place to start.