Shut Me Down
"Shut Me Down" is a song by Rowland S. Howard, originally released on the album, Pop Crimes, on October 16, 2009. It was covered by Dave Gahan and Soulsavers and is the seventh track on Imposter.
Lyrics
(from original recording)
I've had enough
I can't ignore it
I miss you so much
I miss you so much
I miss you so much
I'm standing in a suit
As ragged as my nerves
And I agree what I've become
Is surely worth the hatred
That you spat on me
The stars above me
The night so deep
That I could trip or drown
And still I see that you would dearly love
To shut me down
Well, so long, soldier
We're deep in dutch
I can't ignore it
I miss you so much
I miss you so much
I miss you so much
I'm standing in a suit
As ragged as my nerves
And I agree what I've become
Is surely worth the hatred
That you spat on me
The sky above me
The night so deep
That I could trip and drown
And still I see that you would dearly love
To shut me down
I miss you so much
I miss you so much
I miss you so much
My Take
The music and the vocals in this song remind me a lot of "Nothing's Impossible", one of Depeche Mode's Dave-penned songs. The deep and gloomy vocals of Rowland here even almost sound like a dead-ringer for Dave's. The lyrics, though, remind me more of "Poison Heart" with its theme of a breakup. I think this is going to be an easy one for Dave to cover; I can totally imagine him singing these words with his signature sneer and growl. So to tell you the truth, I'm not sure what he would do differently on his version...maybe he will give it an even angrier sound than it already has?
As I suspected, this song fits Dave's voice like a glove. It also fits Soulsavers as a whole very, very well. Thus, I do get the argument that this sounds way too similar to the original. But to me, that is not really a bad thing. Dave still puts his signature style on this, sounding very much like old-school Depeche Mode with that almost deadpan but very resonant baritone that is reminiscent of the vocals in tunes like "Stripped," "Behind the Wheel," and "Little 15." Also, I could be alone on this, but I do really like the addition of the backup singers on this one. It seems to give the more-upbeat chorus that much more punch. Overall, I have to admit that this is a favorite.
Music Video
There is no music video for this song.