How Depeche Mode Found Their ‘Personal Jesus’ in Elvis Presley

Depeche Mode both shocked and enthralled listeners when they released their 1989 single “Personal Jesus.”

Conservative groups, taking the song at face value, believed it was blasphemous. Depeche Mode already had a history of using religious imagery in their tunes, and “Personal Jesus” – with lines about confession, prayers and faith, on top of its titular phrase – seemed to take a skewed perspective on Christianity.

Despite the criticisms, Martin Gore, the band’s primary songwriter, insisted he had a positive relationship with faith.

“I think Jesus was one of the greatest figures that ever walked the earth. He never said a word of shit,” the rocker explained to Spin magazine. “Every book I read about him, I fall in love with him more and more, but unfortunately that doesn’t help me become a Christian because Christianity is something else.”

Despite its title, Jesus Christ was not the impetus behind “Personal Jesus.” Instead, Gore found inspiration in Elvis and Me, the 1985 memoir written by Priscilla Presley.

"It's a song about being a Jesus for somebody else, someone to give you hope and care,” Gore explained to Spin. “It's about how Elvis was her man and her mentor and how often that happens in love relationships - how everybody's heart is like a god in some way, and that's not a very balanced view of someone, is it?"

'Personal Jesus' Sparked Controversey

While the lyrics of “Personal Jesus” certainly grabbed attention, so too did the song’s arrangement. Depeche Mode had long been regarded as leaders of electronic music, yet the band made the unexpected decision to build “Personal Jesus” around a bluesy guitar riff.

While the startling style change caught many fans off guard, it was a welcome evolution for Gore. The rocker had always been drawn to soul, blues and gospel music, and his desire to infuse these sounds into Depeche Mode’s material mirrored Presley’s admiration for Black genres decades earlier.

Released in the U.S. on Sept. 19, 1989, “Personal Jesus” became one of the band’s biggest hits. Uproar surrounding the tune hit a high point when MTV insisted its Anton Corbjin-directed music video be changed. The entire clip was sexual in nature, with the band shown visiting an Old West brothel. Still the offending scene, accordion to the network, was a portion in which singer Dave Gahan – shown in silhouette – exuded some rhythmic breaths, followed by footage of a horse’s behind. MTV believed it insinuated beastiality.

Watch Depeche' Mode's Music Video for 'Personal Jesus'

"I don't know if Anton was consciously trying to be perverted, I think it was more coincidental that it happened at that point," Gore explained to Uncut. "These video people see things very strangely."

The scene was re-edited and “Personal Jesus” garnered heavy rotation on MTV. The song sold more than a million copies in the U.S. and became one of the band’s most popular hits.

Many Famous Acts Have Covered 'Personal Jesus'

Thirty-five years after its release, “Personal Jesus” remains a timeless track. Proof of its legacy and continuing impact can be seen in the wide array of artists who’ve covered the tune.

Johnny Cash released his rendition in 2002, likening it at the time to a great gospel song. Meanwhile, shock-rocker Marilyn Manson scored a hit with his version, released as part of a compilation album in 2004.

Watch Sammy Hagar's Music Video for 'Personal Jesus'

Industrial rock group Gravity Kills also covered the track, while Disney star and pop singer Hilary Duff interpolated “Personal Jesus” for her song “Reach Out.”

More recently, some rock heavyweights have put their own spin on “Personal Jesus.” Sammy Hagar praised the song’s “badass blues lick” when he covered it for his 2013 album, alongside Neal Schon, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith. Meanwhile, Def Leppard released their own version as a Spotify Single in 2018.

In 2023, Iggy Pop recorded his own gritty take on the track, a collaboration with record producer and former Yes frontman Trevor Horn.

"[Iggy] said: ‘I’ve heard the track, I’m going to do three takes where I gradually get crazier and crazier and then a fourth take where I speak it and that will be it," Horn explained at the time. "We came to it as though there was only the Depeche Mode universe and here’s Iggy swinging it his way on some deviant variety TV show he happens to host.”

Listen to Iggy Pop's Version of 'Personal Jesus'