Magic Jewball

You know, I wasn’t so into the new Depeche Mode album when I first heard it but it’s grown on me. And the second single is one of the tracks I like the best, called Peace. I’ve always sort of considered it a rehash of Clean, the last track on Violator, just stated a slightly different way.

So lyrics like these (from Peace):

I’m leaving anger in the past
With all the shadows that it casts
There is a radar in my heart
I should have trusted from the start

remind me of lyrics like these (from Clean):

I don’t understand
What destiny’s planned
I’m starting to grasp
What is in my own hands
I don’t claim to know
Where my holiness goes
I just know that I like
What is starting to show

But now that I’ve seen the powerful video for Peace, I think I got it wrong. Because I had disregarded the difference in the choruses. In Clean, the constantly repeated line is “now I’m clean.” Whereas in Peace it’s “peace will come to me.” Sort of a desire, rather than a given… especially for the woman in the video.

I really like this video although I’m not sure I will ever watch it again. It wasn’t so much disturbing, just sad. But it helped me to understand that the song is a statement of hope.