Condemnation

is a song from the 1993 album Songs Of Faith And Devotion by Depeche Mode. It was released as a single on 13 September 1993.
== Notes ==
Martin Gore in Bong issue no. 37, 1998: 
"Being the songwriter, I am not supposed to keep saying that I think it's a great song, somebody else is supposed to say it. I really like that song, but I am not sure that we got the best out of it. Our album version is sort of pastiche gospel but the single version, that we recorded using gospel singers, is probably better. Although I am still not sure that that's the optimum we could have got out of the song."
Alan Wilder said in the May 1993 issue of Keyboard magazine:
"[O]n 'Condemnation', we put the piano through some kind of wobbly pitch-shifter. The idea of that track was to enhance the gospel feel that the song originally had without going into pastiche, and to try to create the effect of it being played in a room, in a space. So we began by getting all four members of the group to do one thing each in the same space. Fletcher was bashing a flight case with a pole, Flood and Dave were clapping, I was playing a drum, and Martin was playing an organ. We listened back to it. it was embryonic, but it gave us an idea for a direction."
Dave Gahan told Exclaim! in 2021 that he still gets goosebumps when he recalls recording the song:
"I immediately knew the song. It wasn't necessarily completely accurate to the way Martin wrote the melody line or the phrasing or the timing. I just sang it, and [after] I sang it, the tape stopped rolling and it went on quiet. I've got my headphones on and I hear [producer] Flood's voice go, 'Yeah, I mean, you could do another one. But I think we got it.'"
Dave in Rolling Stone issue #670:
"When I first heard 'Condemnation', it was a total relief; I couldn't believe it." 
Dave Gahan has frequently mentioned "Condemnation" as one of his favourite songs. However, soon after playing in South Africa in 1994, it was no longer Dave who sang "Condemnation", presumably due to his health and the strenuous vocal task the song requires, but it was Martin, accompanied by Alan on piano (the earliest verifiable date on which this change occurred was on 1994-03-16 in Hong Kong). Martin also sang the song on the 2013-2014 Delta Machine Tour. Dave did perform the song on his short 2015 "Angels and Ghosts" Tour, but in 2016 he told Stirile Pro: "There's certain songs from Songs Of Faith And Devotion that, I feel they capture a moment: 'Condemnation' being one of those. And it's hard for me to perform that song now, it brings up so many emotions." He also told Exclaim in 2021 that he had considered putting "Condemnation" on his Soulsavers cover album Imposter, saying: "It's got everything in there. It's got that soulfulness, the redemption, the longing to belong in something."
== Music video ==
== Live performances ==
== Live versions == 
This section provides an example of a live version of Condemnation from each tour that it was played.
* <sm2>https://media.dmlive.wiki/stream/dm1993-07-31.FM.BBC2-gadget242-Stealth71.0.flac1648/06.m4a</sm2> 1993 Devotional Tour: 1993-07-31 Crystal Palace Sports Ground, London, England, UK
* <sm2>https://media.dmlive.wiki/stream/dm1994-02-14.aud.unknown.unknown.flac1644/08.m4a</sm2> 1994 Exotic Tour (Dave Vocals): 1994-02-14 Standard Bank, Johannesburg, South Africa
* <sm2>https://media.dmlive.wiki/stream/dm1994-05-14.sbd.ER.0.flac1648/08.m4a</sm2> 1994 Exotic Tour (Martin Vocals): 1994-05-14 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountainview, San Francisco, CA, USA
* <sm2>https://media.dmlive.wiki/stream/dm1998-12-18.ald.unknown.unknown.flac1644/CD1/11.m4a</sm2> 1998 The Singles Tour: 1998-12-18 Forum, Inglewood, CA, USA
* <sm2>https://media.dmlive.wiki/stream/dm2001-08-19.AT933.Chrisedge.0.flac1644/CD1/09.m4a</sm2> 2001 Exciter Tour (Martin Vocals): 2001-08-19 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, CA, USA
* <sm2>https://media.dmlive.wiki/stream/dm2001-11-05.aud.unknown.unknown.flac1644/CD2/05.m4a</sm2> 2001 Exciter Tour (Dave Vocals): 2001-11-05 Maimarkthalle, Mannheim, Germany
* <sm2>https://media.dmlive.wiki/stream/mlg2003-04-26.aud.unknown.unknown.flac1644/CD2/07.m4a</sm2> 2003 A Night With Martin L. Gore: 2003-04-26 Docks, Hamburg, Germany
* <sm2>https://media.dmlive.wiki/stream/dg-ss.sbd.YahooScreen.0.aac128/15.m4a</sm2> 2015 Angels and Ghosts Tour: 2015-10-19 The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles, CA, USA
* <sm2>https://media.dmlive.wiki/stream/dm2023-04-14.matrix.ryanj-anonymous.0.flac1644/23.m4a</sm2> 2023-2024 Memento Mori Tour: 2023-04-14 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA
== Trivia ==
*"Condemnation" is featured in season two episode thirty-three of Israeli television show .
Category:Singles
Category:Depeche Mode songs
Category:Depeche Mode singles
Category:Songs of Faith and Devotion songs
Category:Songs of Faith and Devotion singles
Category:Songs in B Major
Category:Songs between 55-59 BPM
Category:Songs written by Martin L. Gore
Category:Songs with official music videos
<metadesc>"Condemnation" is a song from the 1993 album Songs Of Faith And Devotion by Depeche Mode. It was released as a single on 13 September 1993.</metadesc>