History Music / SomeGreatReward

* HeartbeatSoundtrack: "Somebody"

''Some Great Reward'', released in 1984, is the fourth studio album by English AlternativeDance group Music/DepecheMode. Their follow-up to the well-received ''Music/ConstructionTimeAgain'', it refines the new style of {{industrial}}-influenced SynthPop developed on that album and continues its [[DarkerAndEdgier darkening]] of the band's output. In particular, ''Some Great Reward'' hardens the beats in the band's songs and trades out most of the sociopolitical commentary from its predecessor in favor of more personal and sexually-charged lyrics, most notably on the ObligatoryBondageSong "Master and Servant" and the overtly cynical "Blasphemous Rumours". While ''Construction Time Again'' set the tone for the band's later output from a musical perspective, it was this album that set the stage for their forthcoming '''lyrical''' direction.

* DownerEnding: The album closes with "Blasphemous Rumours", a song about a girl who attempts suicide, fails, undergoes a spiritual awakening, and gets fatally hit by a car.

* NonAppearingTitle: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] for the first time on a Depeche Mode album.

* StepUpToTheMicrophone: Martin Gore sings the choruses on "Something to Do", the choruses, pre-choruses (with Dave Gahan), and outro on "People Are People", and lead vocals on "Somebody".

* TitleOnlyChorus: "Something to Do"

While often overlooked by analysts in comparison to ''Construction Time Again'' and ''Black Celebration'', ''Some Great Reward'' accompanies them as part of a triptych representing the band [[GrowingTheBeard coming into their own]] following the departure of Vince Clarke between their first and second albums, as represented by the aforementioned refining of its predecessors' techniques and development of styles that would mark the band's succeeding output. In essence, this is the album that would set the definitive prototype of things to come for Depeche Mode; most of the stuff they've done since can be traced back to something first developed on ''Some Great Reward''.

Like ''Construction Time Again'', ''Some Great Reward'' was well-received by critics, who considered it a further sign of the band's artistic maturation, even if a few reviewers held their reservations. The album was also a commercial success and Depeche Mode's [[BreakthroughHit first taste of mainstream success]] outside of Europe and Australia; in particular, it was their first album to chart in the US, peaking at No. 51 on the Billboard 200. Additionally, lead single "People Are People" became their first charting single in the US (peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard charts) and became a popular LGBT anthem, exemplified by its enduring appeal at gay pride parades.

''Some Great Reward'', released in 1984, is the fourth studio album by English AlternativeDance group Music/DepecheMode. Their follow-up to the well-received ''Music/ConstructionTimeAgain'', it refines the new style of {{industrial}}-influenced SynthPop developed on that album and continues its [[DarkerAndEdgier darkening]] of the band's output. In particular, ''Some Great Reward'' hardens the beats in the band's songs and trades out most of the sociopolitical commentary from its predecessor in favor of more personal and sexually-charged lyrics, most notably on the ObligatoryBondageSong "Master and Servant" and the overtly cynical "Blasphemous Rumors". While ''Construction Time Again'' set the tone for the band's later output from a musical perspective, it was this album that set the stage for their forthcoming '''lyrical''' direction.

''Some Great Reward'' was accompanied by three singles: "People Are People", "Master and Servant", and the double-A-side "Blasphemous Rumors"/"Somebody" (released as such due to religious concerns regarding the title and content of "Blasphemous Rumors").

# "Blasphemous Rumors" (6:21)

* BookEnds: "Blasphemous Rumors" features a line about the protagonist's mother's tears falling near the beginning and end of the song.
* BungledSuicide: How "Blasphemous Rumors" opens.

* CheatedDeathDiedAnyway: The main character of "Blasphemous Rumors" survives a suicide attempt, only to die in a car crash two years later; the narrator questions his faith in God as a result of the cruel irony.

* DeathByIrony: PlayedForDrama on "Blasphemous Rumors", in which a girl gets fatally run over by a car just two years after surviving a suicide attempt.

* DownerEnding: The album closes with "Blasphemous Rumors", a song about a girl who attempts suicide, fails, undergoes a spiritual awakening, and gets fatally hit by a car.
* DrivenToSuicide: The protagonist of "Blasphemous Rumors".
* EpicRocking: "Blasphemous Rumors" at roughly 6 and a half minutes.

* LongestSongGoesLast: The 6:21 "Blasphemous Rumors" closes out the album.

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Criticized on "Blasphemous Rumors", in which the protagonist's death shortly after undergoing a spiritual awakening is taken more as a sign of God being a shit comedian.
* SeenItAllSuicide: "Blasphemous Rumors" describes the motive for the protagonist's suicide attempt as being "bored with life."

Like ''Construction Time Again'', ''Some Great Reward'' was well-received by critics, who considered it a further sign of the band's artistic maturation, even if a few reviewers held their reservations. The album was also a critical success and Depeche Mode's [[BreakthroughHit first taste of mainstream success]] outside of Europe and Australia; in particular, it was their first album to chart in the US, peaking at No. 51 on the Billboard 200. Additionally, lead single "People Are People" became their first charting single in the US (peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard charts) and became a popular LGBT anthem, exemplified by its enduring appeal at gay pride parades.

* DarkWave: Probably the first album in Depeche Mode's catalog that can be considered this, on account of its combination of melancholic SynthPop and dramatic, personal lyrics. Also serves as a potential TropeCodifier along with ''Black Celebration'' and ''Music/MusicForTheMasses''.