Modern Rock Tracks No. 1s - Depeche Mode and "Policy Of Truth"
One month after topping the MRT charts with a song about silence, Depeche Mode comes back to deliver a somber message about the price one pays when they break that silence with the unvarnished truth
Depeche Mode - “Policy Of Truth”
Weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart: 1 (June 2, 1990)
Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers during this time:
Madonna - “Vogue” (3 total weeks)
I’ve made a habit of posting each Modern Rock Tracks chart #1 with a review of the songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100, the flagship chart of charts designed to reflect the most popular song in the United States that particular week. In the early ‘90s, this was accomplished by tabulating record sales and airplay statistics, so in a general sense the most popular song in America is typically the one that you hear the most on the radio and is selling the most in stores.
More often than not, the MRT chart doesn’t line up with the Hot 100 because, by its nature, the MRT chart is an “alternative” chart. This set of songs is designed and curated to run counter to the mainstream, an alternative to dance-driven pop songs and bubblegum hits of the moment. Sick of Milli Vanilli or New Kids On The Block? Just change the channel and you’ll get your dose of counter-cultural programming with The Cure or XTC.
There’s rarely a narrative thread to connect the Hot 100 #1 with the MRT chart #1, but I couldn’t help but notice this week a very interesting synergy that I wanted to explore, even if parts of it are more difficult to connect than others. And with that, I present this week’s MRT #1, Depeche Mode’s somber and hypnotic “Policy Of Truth,” the third single off the band’s “Violator” album.
“Violator” was a big part of the mainstream zeitgeist in late 1989 and early 1990, with singles “Personal Jesus” and “Enjoy The Silence” crossing over into the Hot 100. That said, Depeche Mode made a name for themselves in the 1980s with other crossover hits, and were deftly able to navigate a musical tightrope where they had developed a pop-music following while also maintaining their “alternative” credibility.
But even though they had fully become a part of popular culture (“Policy Of Truth” would peak at #15 on the Hot 100 in the summer of 1990), I can’t help but appreciate just how much their songs “Enjoy The Silence” and “Policy Of Truth” run counter to the spirit of Madonna’s “Vogue,” which was in its third week at #1 on the flagship chart.
“Vogue” is a pretty great Madonna song, arguably one of her best. It’s unabashedly straightforward in its message: Sometimes life sucks, but if you just get out and dance, you can put those concerns and frustrations to the side for awhile and enjoy life. And if there’s a secondary message to the song, it’s that you can “strike a pose” and present the best version of yourself in any situation. There’s nothing to it.
This is SO not what Depeche Mode is preaching during this time.
“Enjoy The Silence” takes the opposite approach to Madonna’s exuberant song-and-dance approach to life, with the song’s narrator finding solace not in drawn-out wordplay or expression, but rather in the quiet comfort of a warm embrace. Where others may draw their energy from being in the thick of the party scene, Depeche Mode chooses instead to recharge away from the public eye.
“Policy Of Truth” is an extension of that message, demonstrating how much a relationship can change when you present very real truths about yourself, no longer enshrouding those parts of you in lies on in a veneer of what you want people to think you are. Put another way, the person getting scolded by lead singer Dave Gahan in “Policy Of Truth” is one who apparently did not “enjoy the silence,” and chose instead to vocalize their truth, however hurtful. I don’t know if they did it willingly or were trapped in a lie and got found out, but it’s clear that person would have been better off staying in Gahan’s arms and taking his advice about words being unnecessary.
That message also very loosely runs counter to the free-spirit vibe of “Vogue.” I’m really reaching, because “Vogue” is more about presenting the truest version of who you are into the world, putting it on display and owning it. That message resonates even today, when so many people are encouraged and embraced for bringing their real personality out for the world to see. But injecting complete, unvarnished truth into the context of what Depeche Mode is describing has the potential to lead to troubled times in a more intimate, relationship-based setting.
In the early parts of romantic relationships, people often show off the best versions of themselves. They are generally on their best behavior, they showcase the parts of themselves that they believe endear them to the other person, and a significant portion of the early weeks and months of most romantic relationships are built on that foundation. But, eventually, the less-savory parts of our personality come out. Bad habits come to the forefront. Compromises have to be made that weren’t made before. We can only “strike a pose” for so long before the real-world realities of co-existence set in. We can’t be perfect all the time, though we try our best, and most long-lasting relationships of all kinds are able to withstand those flaws and imperfections.
In the case of Depeche Mode, it sure sounds like someone did something really rotten, or exposed a truth about themselves that made it impossible to view the relationship the same way again.
You had something to hide
Should've hidden it, shouldn't you?
Now you're not satisfied
With what you're being put through
Eesh. What did they have to hide? Secret relationship with another person? Past crimes? Current crimes? It begs the question because whatever it is, Gahan is really, really upset by it. After all, didn’t he JUST say that silence was the best way to go, that words only do harm?
It's too late to change events
It's time to face the consequence
For delivering the proof
In the policy of truth
It’s fascinating to see this level of dour relationship melodrama on alternative radio compared to what was topping the charts at this time in 1990. In addition to the party-hungry message of “Vogue,” Heart peaked at #2 with “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You,” Roxette’s “It Must Have Been Love” hit #6 on its way to the top, and Sinéad O'Connor was crooning about someone without compare with “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which was still a top-10 pop hit into the summer of 1990. I guess you could say Bell Biv DeVoe warned us about toxic relationships with “Poison,” which was climbing to its eventual peak at #3 on the Hot 100, but even that was more of a song about the dangers of falling for someone you already know is bad for you, yet you can’t help yourself. It’s less about finding out something unsettling in the middle of a relationship, and more about not trusting a big butt and a smile.
But I digress.
The narrative thread I’m seeking with “Policy Of Truth” is that this may well be the beginning of a larger divide between the alternative and mainstream charts. The 1990s were dominated by competing genres of music, as we’ll see going forward through this project, and the rise of alternative music into a major counter-cultural force became more and more apparent as time went on. With the rise of Gen X and the oft-cited cynical, disaffected slacker connotation given to that cohort, music like “Policy Of Truth” became the refuge for people who didn’t want to conform to the standards promoted by the mainstream. The powderkeg of disaffected youth was filled in the 1980s by somber alt rock from bands like Depeche Mode and The Cure, among others, and the match that would ignite that powderkeg would soon strike with the advent of grunge in the next two years.
As for “Policy Of Truth,” it only spent one week on the top of the MRT charts before fading. The band’s fourth single from “Violator,” “World In My Eyes,” would peak at #17 on the MRT chart in fall 1990 and would get up to #52 on the Hot 100. But this will not be the last we hear from Depeche Mode. On the heels of “Violator,” the band will come back in three years and take over the MRT charts again, with a sound even more “alternative” than what they’ve put out to this point.
Rating: 8/10
Chart Check: A look at other notable MRT chart songs from this time period
This is the last of several consecutive MRT hits to only spend one week on top of the chart. Of all the years I’ll cover, I think 1990 had the most unique #1 songs on the MRT chart, and with that comes a lot tougher job finding tracks that hit their peak during these one-week stints.
“November Spawned A Monster” by Morrissey: Former Smiths frontman Morrissey continues to place tracks in the top reaches of the MRT chart in advance of his first MRT chart topper, which will arrive in a couple of years. This one is a solid track and is a fine artistic effort, peaking at #6 behind “Policy Of Truth.”
“Back Of My Mind” by O Positive: It’s interesting to find a band that doesn’t have a Wikipedia page, but for the first time I’m writing about a group who charted on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and yet lacks that specific internet footprint. Boston-based O Positive debuted at #22 on the MRT chart with “Back Of My Mind,” which is a reasonably solid alt-rock track. That debut would also serve as the song’s peak behind “Policy Of Truth,” as it dropped to #28 the week after and soon was off the charts for good.
“Pineapple Face” by Revenge: Honest to goodness, the first thing I thought when I listened to this track for the first time today was, “Man, they sound a lot like New Order.” Turns out, that hunch was based in some truth: Peter Hook of New Order launched a side project, called Revenge, in 1989, and the band’s one and only MRT chart hit, “Pineapple Face,” managed to peak behind “Policy Of Truth” at #23. If you like New Order, I suspect you’ll dig this track.