Depeche Mode is one of my favorite artists and “But Not Tonight” has always been one of my favorites they’ve done. It was in an obscure movie from the 80s called “Modern Girls” that I really liked starring a young Virginia Madsen (later nominated for Oscar in her turn in Sideways), Daphne Zuniga (Melrose Place) and Cynthia Gibb (Youngblood).
The lyrics of the song really struck a cord with me when I first heard it. The part that I really like best is the very beginning:
Oh God, it’s raining
But I’m not complaining
It’s filling me up
With new life
The stars in the sky
Bring tears to my eyes
They’re lighting my way
Tonight
And I haven’t felt so alive
In years
Just for a day
On a day like today
I’ll get away from this
Constant debauchery
The wind in my hair
Makes me so aware
How good it is to live
Tonight
And I haven’t felt so alive
In years
The moon
Is shining in the sky
Reminding me
Of so many other nights
But they’re not like tonight
Oh God, it’s raining
And I’m not containing
My pleasure at being
So wet
Here on my own
All on my own
How good it feels to be alone
Tonight
And I haven’t felt so alive
In years
The moon
Is shining in the sky
Reminding me
Of so many other nights
When my eyes have been so red
I’ve been mistaken for dead
But not tonight