Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus

What this video is

Released in August 1989 as the lead single from Violator — six months before the album itself — 'Personal Jesus' marked a seismic shift in Depeche Mode's commercial trajectory and sonic identity. It was the band's first guitar-forward single, and its bluesy stomp riff, recorded in Milan with producer Flood, signalled a maturation from their synth-pop origins into a darker, rock-inflected sound. The single was…

Why it matters

A landmark in the synth-pop-to-alternative-rock transition, 'Personal Jesus' demonstrated that electronic acts could command rock-level cultural authority and radio presence. Its guitar-driven industrial groove anticipated the industrial rock and alternative crossover of the early 1990s and…

The director

Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard (born 20 May 1955, Strijen, Netherlands) is a Dutch photographer, music video director, and feature film director. He began his career as a music photographer around 1975 and became one of the first still…