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Cover of Violator by Depeche Mode
Cover: Violator

Song · Depeche Mode

“Personal Jesus” by Depeche Mode

From the album Violator (1990)

“Personal Jesus” by Depeche Mode appears on 85 radio countdowns from 29 stations between 1989 and 2026. It was first released in 1990 on the album Violator. Its best result is #4 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1989. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #6 alternative song of 1989, #48 alternative song of all time, #66 of the '80s and #387 of the '90s.

85countdowns
29stations
#4best position
0#1 finishes
3top 10 finishes
1989–2026years charted

Watch

Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus (Official Video)

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

"Personal Jesus" was the lead single from Violator, Depeche Mode's seventh studio album, sent out on Mute Records ahead of the 1990 record. Martin L. Gore wrote it on his own, words and music; Dave Gahan sings it; the band co-produced it with Flood, and François K handled the mix.

What comes out of the speakers is a synth band's idea of a juke-joint stomp: a dry, clanking beat, a riff with dust on its boots, and Gahan crooning low like a preacher who has stopped taking questions. It's sly, sexy and a little sinister, and it swaggers where you'd expect it to shimmer.

It got them back into the American top 40 for the first time since "People Are People" in 1984, climbing to No. 28 on the Hot 100 and No. 13 in the UK, and it gave them their first gold single in the States. Anton Corbijn shot the video in Spain. Rolling Stone later slotted it at No. 368 on "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", Q magazine voted it into "100 Greatest Songs Ever" in 2006, and in 2011 it came back as a single again, fronted by a Stargate remix.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1989 4 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1989 107
1989 4 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1989 90
1989 5 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1989 105
1990 22 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1990 91
1990 20 CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON CFNY Top 90 Songs of 1990 90

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 39 CRNC 90.1 CRNC Top 90.1 Songs of the '90s 91
1989 88 91X 91X Top 191 Songs of the 1980s (1989) 191
1989 303 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1990 36 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1990) 299
1991 134 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) 302
1991 200 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 298 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1992 222 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1992 134 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992) 299
1994 256 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 225 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 150 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1995 231 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1995 184 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 300 (July 1995) 300
1996 82 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 18 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 138 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1998 224 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 111 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 312 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 39 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 63 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 23 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 41 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 159 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 47 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 39 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 80 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 47 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 82 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 49 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 64 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 38 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 49 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 17 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 65 91X 91X Top 91 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 91
2003 45 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 49 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 494 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 134 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 49 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 203 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2005 48 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 90s 96
2005 33 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 51 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 346 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2006 54 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 80 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 29 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2006 12 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Resurrection Songs (December 2006) 107
2007 208 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 201 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 40 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008) 500
2008 140 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 201 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 140 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 165 CFNY 102.1 The Edge 102.1 The Edge Top 200 Songs of the 90's (September 2010) 200
2010 132 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 120 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2012 728 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 116 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 113 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2018 364 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2020 27 DC101 The DC101 Top 500 500
2020 134 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2021 280 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2022 269 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 365 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time 1055
2022 420 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 209 101X 101X 500 (2022) 498
2022 98 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2023 112 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 53 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893
2023 20 91X 91X Top 91 Songs of The Last 40 Years 91
2023 215 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2024 107 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2025 187 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s 500
2026 192 KXT KXT 917 Song Countdown 917
2026 156 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180
2026 170 101X 101X 500 (2026) 500

Charting alongside it in 1989

Best songs of 1989 →
  1. 1Love SongThe Cure
  2. 2StandR.E.M.
  3. 3Here Comes Your ManThe Pixies
  4. 4She Drives Me CrazyFine Young Cannibals
  5. 5Love ShackThe B-52's
  6. 7So AliveLove and Rockets

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