Enjoy the Silence could be my favorite song ever. I liked it since I was a kid of about 8 or 9 years, and I used to ask a relative to translate it for me. I was a weird kid after all: instead of running around and making a fuss, I'd rather stay in a quiet place, listening to music and reading, playing with my Lego or drawing and coloring books.

As if that wasn't enough, the image of a lonely king, walking across its kingdom, alone and silently, in contemplation, appealed to the little me who loved the idea of epic adventures and noble rulers. Fantasy and dragons and heroes ran wild in my mind, and then at the end, a quiet and calm king, going here and there, at peace with himself.

This song has been with me, by my side, for maaaany years. As I've grown and experienced life, it has changed its meaning and the chords it resonates with in my soul. Love, pain, joy, desperation, solitude... Right now, whenever there my two girls or my wife are within my arms, I can't avoid thinking AND feeling that...

As a side interesting note, many years ago I wrote a small sketch/scene for a contemporary art class. A former friend of mine, also a fan of Depeche Mode, put it up with theater students and interpretative dancers. If I tell you that the metaphor "endless hills of inert living plastic, breathing and wriggling" came to life magnificently in such a setup, would you believe me? One of the few writing awards I won...

A simple song, a simple beat, a simple message... And I have lived so much by this song... All of it in silence.

All text by Elegarth, The Seeker of Power, except the lyrics, owned by their respective Copyright owners. Format by Elegarth. March, 2019.