My Gen X Playlist: Enjoy the Silence – Depeche Mode

My wife is planning a sister’s trip and will be gone for a week in December. Whenever she leaves on a trip, she always asks, Are you going to be alright on your own? I have to remind her that I was single until the age of 40, with the majority of my adult years living by myself. Yes, I will be fine.

I’m not going to lie. I do enjoy how quiet the first 24 hours are. It’s not that she is noisy or consistently talking when she is around. It’s just nice to have the place to myself for a bit. Maybe it’s the change from the day to day norm that I enjoy.

I’m also going to admit, as the days begin to collect, it starts getting too quiet. When you’ve been married for a while, you just get used to the other’s presence. As the end of her trip nears, I look forward to her return.

I’ve noticed this has been the trend whenever she goes out of town. The short absence always stirs the same feelings – an embrace of the first quiet morning to myself and then an embrace of the missing piece upon her return. I like them both equally, but differently. It’s difficult to describe.

Depeche Mode released Enjoy the Silence in 1990. It was their biggest hit in the United States. Oddly enough, I just read that it was covered by the former French First Lady, Carla Bruni.

Singer, model and former French First Lady Carla Bruni covered this song. It was released as the lead single from her 2017 album French Touch.

“What I like very much about the song is the lyrics,” she said. “They are quite dark, but they’re made stronger because, nowadays, noise is everywhere. We need silence. Silence is healing.”

Songfacts

While I don’t particularly care for her cover version, I do agree with her quote. There is so much noise everywhere, all the time. We do need the occasional silence. Sometimes I like the old saying – silence is golden.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

Words like violence
Break the silence
Come crashing in
Into my little world
Painful to me
Pierce right through me
Can't you understand?
Oh, my little girl

All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm

Vows are spoken
To be broken
Feelings are intense
Words are trivial
Pleasures remain
So does the pain
Words are meaningless
And forgettable

All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm

All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm

All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm