Come Back

Single?

"Come Back" is the eighth track on Sounds of the Universe.

Lyrics

Come back, come back to me
I'll be waiting patiently
Come back, come back to me
I'll be waiting here patiently
Walking a thin white line between love and hate
Wasting all of my time in another world
In another place
I could use a little company
A little kindness could go a long way
Weeks turn into months
Months turn into years
Reaching the same conclusions
Gathering up the fear
Come back, come back to me
I'll be waiting patiently
Come back, come back to me
I'll be waiting here patiently
Light will always shine in the heart of you
In truth and in reality
Only blindness can hide it away
I could use a little restraint
A little kindness can go a long way
Weeks turn into months
Months turn into years
Reaching the same conclusions
Gathering up the fear
You're living the same delusion
Gathering up the fear
Gathering up the fear
Gathering up the fear
Gathering up the fear
Come back
Come back
Come back
Come back

Dave's Take

"I wanted to take ['Come Back'] away from being a straight ballad...with a feel beneath it that was kind of My Bloody Valentine or Jesus and Mary Chain- a big lush sound with this droning wall of noise underneath. Martin did some fantastic backing vocals for that."¹

My Take

This song hits you immediately with what sounds like metal clanging against metal in a steady, rhythmic manner, with distorted electric guitar roaring in the background. The sound is not quite the same as in, say, "Pipeline" or "People Are People," but it is very industrial-sounding and modern, nonetheless. Dave's voice sounds in top form as he sings soulful-ly in the upper part of his range, telling someone or something point-blank to "come back" to him. Now, the subject could be a person...perhaps someone he had a falling out with in the past due to being so steeped in the "junkie" lifestyle that he alienated himself from them, an idea that someone I was talking to had. This makes sense as he was known to socially alienate himself from the people he loved during those times. I also wonder if it could also be alluding to a past lifestyle- perhaps from his pre-drug years...maybe a time of good memories that he wants back? Although I admit, the idea sounds less viable as one usually refers to "going" not "coming" back...say, to a childhood or a place of old. There is a sense of overwhelming loneliness conveyed in the lyrics, though, and I especially like the phrase, "gathering up the fear," as it paints a picture of someone building up feelings of fear, guilt, and shame almost from nothing as in, they are doing it to themselves...no one is provoking them or making them afraid. This is one of my favorites of Dave's Depeche Mode songs, for sure.

Music Video

There is no music video for this song. But there is an excellent stripped-down performance of it the band did in Chung King Studios which was on the DVD that came with the Deluxe Box Set Edition of Sounds of the Universe. The video is shown below.

References

"Sounds of the Universe press release", Mute (February 6, 2009)