Released on March 17, 1986, “Black Celebration” is the fifth album by Depeche Mode. The album is a turning point for the band, with the group shedding its teenybopper image and adopting a more serious, darker persona. The album was a commercial hit; however, its singles (A Question of Lust, A Question of Time, and Stripped) did not chart and the album was met with mixed reception from critics; retrospective reevaluations of the album by the press would be much more positive overall, and the album is well-regarded among fans to this day.
Black Celebration would also be a turning point for the band in the US. While Depeche Mode had seen limited radio and TV airplay in the US prior to the release of the album, its moody lyrics and atmospheric tone led to it receiving massive airplay on college rock radio stations. This was ironically opposite of what the album’s producer and Mute Records head Daniel Miller believed would happen with the album.