Endless

"Endless" is the eighth track on Hourglass.

Lyrics

Dave's Take

"['Endless'] is one of my favorites on the album. That song was actually one of the first things that Christian and I put together. I think the vocal melody and lyric is very strong; to me, it's very visual- all of it; all these themes are similar. It's a theme about trying to be still and to be aware of what's going on around me and not have the need to steer it in any particular direction and to kind of be a worker among workers, rather than to...have this feeling that I have to control a situation. So, it's a song about being still. And it took a while actually to record that song. We recorded it many different ways and it just wasn't working. And it wasn't working with some of the other songs on the album that were starting to develop these atmospheres. It stuck out all the time. It was not working. So, it wasn't right until the end that we all agreed that it should definitely be on the album...I think Christian and Andrew went out one night to some club and they heard this beat that was reversed. The bass drum was in a completely different place to where we'd put it and it jarred against the vocal melody in an odd way, more like a heartbeat. So, Andrew decided to pursue that idea and then I said, "Why don't you just turn everything 'round- like reverse everything that was there at the moment, you know? The bass line and stuff like that." So, it had this sort of sucking, breathing feel about it all the time, and it just worked- it just all came together. In fact, Daniel Miller came to the studio, and when he first heard that song it just washed over him; he didn't get it, or it didn't do anything for him in one of the first kind of arrangements we had of it, but now it's his favorite I believe, he was telling me. The way we finally recorded it was kind of an accident. Seems like a lot of the really good ideas that happen in the studio seem to happen like that. When you know how something's supposed to sound and you get there and it's disappointing, sometimes you're lucky enough to stumble across a mistake and it gives it a different life."¹

My Take

This song is just plain sexy in a subtle way. Whereas songs like "Deeper and Deeper" are overt and sexually aggressive (he said so, himself!), this song is gentle and deliberate in its seduction- it slowly entices both the mind and aural senses, in a way much like Depeche Mode's "World In My Eyes" did, something that Dave is a seasoned master at doing with his vocals. The low and rough pulse of the synth bass hints at more sinister motives, though, which when paired with the picturesque words and Dave's velvety, soft vocals, is what makes this song a delectable and potent cocktail for the senses that feels cozy yet dingy, and lovely yet decadent all at the same time. I get chills every time I listen to this song, especially at the part where his voice lifts at, "We're floating above the sta-ars." Finally, I will point out the obvious that this song is where the album title came from. Why this was not released as a single I do not know, but it is an underrated gem.

Music Video

There is no music video for this song. But here is a live performance of it from Spinner Studios, which I think is quite good. I only wish there was a video of this in better quality!

References

1. "Dave Gahan Hourglass Interview + Radio IDs", EMI Music, Greece (September 13, 2007)