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Cover of Ultra by Depeche Mode
Cover: Ultra

Song · Depeche Mode

“Barrel of A Gun” by Depeche Mode

From the album Ultra (1997)

“Barrel of A Gun” by Depeche Mode appears on 19 radio countdowns from 6 stations between 1997 and 2023. It was first released in 1997 on the album Ultra. Its best result is #57 on The End Top 107 Songs of 1997. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #116 alternative song of 1997 and #2,017 alternative song of all time.

19countdowns
6stations
#57best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1997–2023years charted

Watch

Depeche Mode - Barrel of a Gun (Remastered)

Video from YouTube (DepecheModeVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Barrel of a Gun" was Depeche Mode's first word from Ultra, their ninth album, arriving on Mute Records on 3 February 1997, and it hits like a bruise: grinding, industrial-strength dance rock with Dave Gahan snarling Martin Gore's words like a man pinned against the wall. Gore wrote it, and Tim Simenon produced, co-mixing with Q, who also engineered, while Dave Clayton adds keyboards and Victor Indrizzo percussion.

It sounds heavy and paranoid, all clanking beats and dirty, churning synths, and it carried a long way: the single went to number one in Spain, Sweden, Hungary and the Czech Republic and landed in the top 10 in Britain and Germany. Anton Corbijn shot the video in Morocco.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1997 100 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1997 107
1997 72 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1997 101
1997 57 107.7 The End Seattle, WA The End Top 107 Songs of 1997 107
1997 58 X103.9 Riverside-San Bernardino, CA X103.9 Top 103.9 Songs of 1997 104

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1999 1518 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 1519 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 1522 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 1520 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2003 1524 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 1524 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 1506 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2007 1084 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 1147 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 1171 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 1205 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 1257 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 1310 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 1359 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2023 676 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893

Also listed as: Barrel of a Gun; Barrel Of A Gun.

Charting alongside it in 1997

Best songs of 1997 →
  1. 1Song 2Blur
  2. 2Walkin' On The SunSmash Mouth
  3. 3TubthumpingChumbawamba
  4. 4FlySugar Ray
  5. 5The Impression That I GetThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones
  6. 6Semi-Charmed LifeThird Eye Blind

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