U2 in the 90's

U2 and Depeche Mode, two of the most successful phenomena to emerge in the '80s, followed different and distant artistic paths, yet there's no shortage of elements linking them. Born just a few years apart, fronted by charismatic frontmen like Bono Vox and Dave Gahan, with two creative minds working behind the scenes in The Edge and Martin Gore, both bands struck a balance between commercial success and critical acclaim. Both also worked extensively with Flood (including the productions of “Zooropa” and “Songs Of Faith And Devotion”, made in the same year), and both found in Anton Corbijn's black-and-white photography a formidable expressive vehicle for their aesthetic. Even the themes of their songs show points of contact: spirituality, guilt, the relationship with religion, albeit treated in profoundly different ways. In the early '90s, the trajectories of the two bands then drew even closer: the U2 of “Achtung Baby” and “Zooropa” incorporated electronics and industrial touches, while the Depeche Mode of “Violator” and “Songs Of Faith And Devotion” pushed their synth-pop toward darker, more layered territory, edging close to rock.

Despite these affinities, direct contact between the two bands has been surprisingly rare. No collaborations, no crossing paths in the studio or on stage: only isolated episodes, often recounted after the fact, which confirm a distance that persisted even in moments of closest stylistic proximity.

Among the few exceptions, one of the most significant concerns “Walking In My Shoes,” the Depeche Mode song from “Songs Of Faith And Devotion.”

In the 90s, just as U2 were redefining their sound by opening up to a more electronic, darker pop-rock, in some ways close to that of the English band, that track struck a chord with Bono, according to Dave Gahan's own account: “We came out of the rehearsal room and Bono was in the corridor, secretly listening to the track. Then we talked for a bit and he told me it was one of those songs he wished he'd written.” A tribute that goes beyond mere admiration, then, one that makes “Walking In My Shoes” an ideal point of contact between the two bands' paths.

Written by Martin Gore, the lyrics portray a man's awareness of his own fallible, and therefore deeply human, nature, responding to others' judgments by calling for an exercise in empathy, for “walking in his shoes.” It's a lyric in which one can even find traits characteristic of Bono's songwriting: in particular, the idea of a struggling figure that runs through many of U2's best songs, and the way Dave Gahan invokes God, which ties in coherently with the Christian undertones present throughout much of the Dublin band's catalogue, from “October” through to the more mature phase of their output.

The dark tones help make the track one of the cornerstones of Depeche Mode's 90s output, while the video, directed by the aforementioned Anton Corbijn, builds an imagery dense with references to the work of Hieronymus Bosch — particularly “The Garden of Earthly Delights” triptych — and to Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. The black and white, dominant in the shots of the band posing statically, alternates with unsettling visions: figures in eccentric, richly saturated costumes, immersed in gothic-medieval settings. Within this dark context, the focus gradually shifts from Dave Gahan to a couple of lovers, dressed in the same iconography but rendered more harmonious and recognisable.

Confirming what Gahan recounted, Bono would remember “Walking In My Shoes” again years later, in 2020, when he put together his famous “60 Songs That Saved My Life” playlist for his sixtieth birthday. The U2 frontman included that Depeche Mode song in his selection, reiterating in his explanation: “It's one of those songs I wish I'd written.”

For the rest, the trajectories of U2 and Depeche Mode would continue to develop in parallel, with no further points of contact. Except for when Bono would ask Martin Gore to take part in a project tied to the tribute to “Achtung Baby.” Further proof of an admiration for the Basildon band that has remained unchanged over the years.

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03/05/2026