Barrel of a Gun

Album: Ultra (1997)
Charted: 4 47
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was written by Depeche Mode mastermind Martin Gore, but travails of lead singer Dave Gahan were certainly an inspiration. The song describes a torment and descent into madness that leaves him "staring down the barrel of a gun."

    In the early '90s, Gahan developed a nasty drug habit while embracing rock star excess. After a failed suicide attempt in 1995, he began work with the band on the Ultra album, but in May 1996 he nearly died after overdosing on cocaine and heroin in a Los Angeles hotel room, which halted work on the album.

    Gahan was charged with drug possession, and ordered to stay clean if he wanted to avoid jail. With the threat of prison looming, he got treatment according to court orders while also working on the album. Eventually, he got clean, but it was quite disruptive for the band, which didn't tour to promote Ultra.

    Speaking about "Barrel of a Gun" in a 2017 interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said: "It really describes the way I felt at that time: This creature that was barely existing, but somehow still thought he had it going on [laughs]. Martin was spot-on with his lyrics. I mean, I don't even know if the song was written about me, or for me, or poking at me to say 'For f–k's sake, get your s–t together!' But it worked. I liked it."
  • The video is rather intense, showing Gahan in various states of discomfort as if suffering withdrawal. It was directed by Anton Corbijn, a longtime collaborator of the band.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Christopher Cross

Christopher CrossSongwriter Interviews

The man who created Yacht Rock with "Sailing" wrote one of his biggest hits while on acid.

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song Titles

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song TitlesMusic Quiz

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have some rather unusual song titles - see if you can spot the real ones.

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.