Look Who it Was Random video

Poprace - Photographic (Indie Rock/Indie Pop, Depeche Mode Cover)

2,898 views · Published 21 March 2011 · 2:52 · Indexed 7 October 2026

Channel: CoverVerse · 2011 · Music

Watch on YouTube

From '' Hanggliding At Sea ''
Label: Marsh-Marigold – gold 15
Series: Design Sleeve Series
Format: CD, Mini
Country: Germany
Released: Mar 1994

Tracklist
1. Rock'n'Roll Star
2. If I Was Handsome
3. Two Of A Kind
4. In A Distant Place
5. Photographic


🎵 [SONG INFO]

"Photographic" was written by Vince Clarke in 1980 and holds the distinction of being the first professional studio recording in Depeche Mode's history.
Before they released their own debut album, the band contributed a version of this track to the Some Bizzare Album, a compilation released in February 1981. This version, recorded at Stage One Studios, is faster and more "industrial" than the later recording, featuring raw, aggressive sequencing that would eventually influence the EBM and techno genres.

When the band began sessions for their debut LP, Speak & Spell, they re-recorded the song at Blackwing Studios under the guidance of Mute Records founder Daniel Miller.
Released in October 1981, this version is more polished and synchronized with the upbeat, synth-pop aesthetic of the rest of the album. The track is built on a high-energy Arp 2600 sequence and heavy Moog Prodigy bass lines, clocking in at approximately 148 BPM.

Lyrically, "Photographic" explores themes of detachment and the mechanical capture of moments. While the lines "bright light, dark room" and "the map represents you" have led fans to interpret the song as being about obsession or a "stalker" figure, Clarke has stated that his early lyrics were primarily chosen for their rhythmic fit. Despite Clarke leaving the band shortly after the album's release, "Photographic" remained a fan favorite and was revived for several major world tours, including the Touring the Angel and Tour of the Universe treks decades later.

Cover versions

As of 2026, there are 70 recognized versions of "Photographic," making it the 8th most-covered song in Depeche Mode's discography.

A few of these cover versions:

Bigod 20 (1988)
Appeared on the America 12".

Pouppée Fabrikk (1991)
Track 8 on the Swedish tribute I Sometimes Wish I Was Famous.

KieTheVez (1996)
Track 6 on the Reconstruction Time tribute.

AnnMarie Scott (2000)
Track 13 on the Cleopatra Records Depeche Mode Tribute.

The Machine in the Garden (2002)
Track 7 on the album Asphodel.

Freezepop (2003)
First appeared on The Best of the 80's compilation (Anisette).

Zeromancer (2009)
Bonus track on the It's Vengeance Time limited edition.

Equinoxious (2014)
Track 10 on the LP Cosmódromo.

Theatres des Vampires (2016)
Track 9 on the album Candyland.

Leæther Strip (2021)
Track 10 on the album ÆDM II.

Transponder (2024)
Included on the 2024 tribute In Your Memory.


🎤 [LYRICS]

A white house, a white room
The program of today.
Lights on, switch on
Your eyes are far away.

The map represents you
And the tape is your voice.
Follow all along you
Till you recognize the choice.

I take pictures,
Photographic pictures.

Bright light, dark room
Bright light, dark room.

I said I'd write a letter
But I never got the time.
And looking to the day
I mesmerize the light.

The years I spend just thinking
Of a moment we both knew.
A second past like an empty room
It seems it can't be true.

I take pictures,
Photographic pictures.

Bright light, dark room
Bright light, dark room.


💽 [ALBUM INFO]

Depeche Mode made their recordings debut with Photographic in The Some Bizzare album in 1980.
Later they re-recorded it for their debut album Speak & Spell.

Some Bizzare Album was the first album by Some Bizzare Records.
It was released in 1981 as a sampler of the label's musical ethos.
The acts were not actually signed exclusively to the label at the time.

The album consisted of tracks by unsigned new wave groups, including future alternative icons Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, The The and Blancmange. The compilation saw the first ever released recording of Depeche Mode.
Some Bizzare Album was Stevo Pearce's vision.
He believed in the music that was included on the album as opposed to the fashion or style aspects.
Other artists that Stevo wanted to include on the album included The Normal, Cabaret Voltaire, and Throbbing Gristle.
Some Bizzare Album was re-released on CD format in 1992 for a limited time.
It was re-released again in 2008 with bonus extra tracks.

Track listing

Fish Side
Illustration - "Tidal Flow"
Depeche Mode - "Photographic"
The The - "(Untitled)"
B-Movie - "Moles"
Jell - "I Dare Say it Will Hurt a Little"
Blah Blah Blah - "Central Park"

Eye Lamp Side
Blancmange - "Sad Day"
Soft Cell - "The Girl with the Patent Leather Face"
Neu Electrikk - "Lust of Berlin"
Naked Lunch - "La Femme"
The Fast Set - "King of the Rumbling Spires"
The Loved One - "Observations"

2008 CD Reissue Bonus Tracks
The Normal - "Warm Leatherette"
Fad Gadget - "Back to Nature"
The Residents - "The Act of Being Polite"

Personnel
Stevo Pearce – Compiler
Steve Bush – Designer

#poprace  
#photographic 
#indierock 
#indiepop
#depechemodecover

More from this channel