"Martyr" is the 45th UK single by Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...

. It was released as a non-album single intended to promote the new compilation, The Best Of, Volume 1

The Best Of, Volume 1

The Best of Depeche Mode Volume 1 is the fifth compilation album by British group Depeche Mode. The album was released on 13 November 2006 by Mute Records...

, that was released on November 13, 2006. The single was released on October 30, 2006 in three formats: CD single, CD maxi and DVD single. There was also a limited edition double-12" single (L12BONG39) featuring four remixes of previous Depeche Mode tracks.

The song, originally titled "Martyr for Love", is a well-known missing track from the Playing the Angel

Playing the Angel

Playing the Angel is the eleventh studio album by English electronic band Depeche Mode, released in the United Kingdom on 17 October 2005 by Mute Records and in the United States and Canada on 18 October by Sire Records and Reprise Records. It was supported by the Touring the Angel...

sessions. The song was mentioned on one of the FletchCam videos (where it can faintly be heard playing in the background), and was mentioned in interviews. Playing the Angel

Playing the Angel

Playing the Angel is the eleventh studio album by English electronic band Depeche Mode, released in the United Kingdom on 17 October 2005 by Mute Records and in the United States and Canada on 18 October by Sire Records and Reprise Records. It was supported by the Touring the Angel...

programmer Dave McCracken

Dave McCracken

Dave McCracken is a British songwriter and music producer under the Roc Nation management. He is well known for his production on Ian Brown from The Stone Roses solo albums, Golden Greats, Music of the Spheres and Solarized...

 has said that it was considered by the band as the first single from Playing the Angel but it did not make the album due to its poppier sound, when compared with other album tracks.

There are no other new songs on the single; the B-sides are remixes of Martyr and previous releases.

The single became Depeche Mode's 35th to hit the UK Top 20.

A video was being directed by Andreas Nilsson, who was reportedly hired because Dave Gahan was impressed by his video for The Knife

The Knife

The Knife are a Swedish electronic music duo from Gothenburg, formed in 1999. The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. They first received international attention after their song "Heartbeats", covered by...

's "Silent Shout". The video was made in Gothenburg

Gothenburg

Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...

, Sweden, and members of the group do not appear in it. The band subsequently rejected this video, which was replaced with a video montage released on 8 October 2006 and directed by Robert Chandler, in which Dave Gahan seemingly sings the song, this being achieved by the succession of short clips of Depeche Mode's videos in which Dave either says the words featured in the lyrics of "Martyr", or he lip-syncs the lyrics, meaning that his lips move in a similar fashion of that when the words in the lyrics are being said. Oddly, it does not appear on their Best Of DVD compilation.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Martyr"

7": Mute / Bong39 (EU)

1. "Martyr" - 3.23
2. "Never Let Me Down Again (Digitalism Remix)" - 4.36

12": Mute / 12Bong39 (EU)

1. "Martyr (Booka Shade Dub)" - 8.17
2. "Martyr (Dreher & S.M. Art B.N. Reload Remix)" - 5.17
3. "Martyr (Alex Smoke Gravel Remix)" - 6.39

CD: Mute / CDBong39 (EU)

1. "Martyr"
2. "Martyr (Booka Shade
   Booka Shade
   Booka Shade is a German house duo. It is made up of Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier, described as veterans of the Frankfurt electronic music scene...
   
    Full Vocal Mix)"

CD: Mute / LCDBong39 (EU)

1. "Martyr (Paul van Dyk
   Paul van Dyk
   Matthias Paul, better known by his stage name Paul van Dyk is a German Grammy Award-winning Electronic Dance Music DJ, musician and record producer...
   
    Remix Edit)"
2. "Martyr (Alex Smoke
   Alex Smoke
   Alex Smoke is a Scottish music producer and DJ, from Glasgow based in London, making techno, electronic and classical music. He has released three studio albums, Incommunicado and Paradolia , on Soma Records , and "Lux" on his own label Hum+Haw [www.humandhaw.com]-Singles:*Random As *Chica Wappa...
   
    Gravel Mix)"
3. "Never Let Me Down Again (Digitalism
   Digitalism (band)
   Digitalism is a German electro house duo founded in 2004 in Hamburg and consisting of Jens "Jence" Moelle and İsmail "Isi" Tüfekçi. They are signed to French label Kitsuné Music, and have released four singles to date: "Idealistic", "Zdarlight", "Jupiter Room", and "Pogo"...
   
    Remix)"

DVD: Mute / DVDBong39 (EU)

1. "Martyr" - Video Montage
2. "Martyr (Dreher & S.M.Art B.N. Reload Remix)"
3. "Martyr (Booka Shade Travel Mix)"

Promo 12": Mute / P12Bong39 (EU)

1. "Martyr (Booka Shade Dub)" - 8.17
2. "Martyr (Dreher & S.M. Art B.N. Reload Remix)" - 5.17
3. "Martyr (Alex Smoke Gravel Remix)" - 6.39

Radio Promo CD: Mute / RCDBong39 (EU)

1. "Martyr" – 3:23

Club Promo CD: Mute / PCDBong39 (EU)

1. "Martyr" – 3:23
2. "Martyr (Paul van Dyk Radio Mix)" – 3:40
3. "Martyr (Paul van Dyk Vonyc Lounge Mix)" – 7:06
4. "Martyr (Paul van Dyk Dub)" – 10:21
5. "Martyr (Paul van Dyk Dub Vox)" – 10:21
6. "Martyr (Booka Shade Dub)" – 8:17

Promo CD: Reprise / PRO-CD-101908 (US)

1. "Martyr (Radio Version)" – 3:07
2. "Martyr" – 3:24

Promo CD: Reprise / PRO-CD-101926 (US)

1. "Martyr" – 3:24
2. "Martyr (Paul van Dyk Remix Edit)" – 7:18
3. "Martyr (Paul van Dyk Remix)" – 10:21
4. "Martyr (Paul van Dyk Vonyc Lounge Mix)" – 7:06
5. "Martyr (Paul van Dyk Dub)" – 10:21
6. "Martyr (Booka Shade Full Vocal Mix Edit)" – 6:20
7. "Martyr (Booka Shade Travel Mix)" – 6:22
8. "Martyr (Booka Shade Dub)" – 8:17
9. "Martyr (Dreher & Art B.N. Reload Mix)" – 5:21
10. "Martyr (Alex Smoke Gravel Mix)" – 6:42

Digital download

1. "Martyr (Paul Van Dyk Dub Mix)" - 10.21
2. "Martyr (Paul Van Dyk Radio Remix)" - 3.40
3. "Martyr (Paul Van Dyk Remix)" - 10.21
4. "Martyr (Paul Van Dyk Vonyc Lounge Mix)" - 7.06
5. "Martyr (Alex Smoke Bones Edit)" - 3.09
6. "Martyr (Booka Shade Dub)" - 8.17
7. "Martyr (U-MYX
   U-MYX
   U-MYX is a music format launched in 2004 which allows a user to arrange and create their own mix of songs by known music artists. The U-MYX Software is available on CDs and as digital downloads from U-MYX's own digital store. Digital U-MYX Sales are UK Chart eligible and count towards the...
   
    feature)"

Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position
Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...	31
Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995...  (Flanders)	48
Danish Singles Chart	3
Finnish Singles Chart	18
French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...	64
German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...	2
Hungarian Singles Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary....	2
Italian Singles Chart	1
Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...	74
Spanish Singles Chart	1
Swedish Singles Chart	10
Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...	17
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	13
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...	22