“He gave me hope”: the 1971 song that inspired David Gahan to get out of Basildon

David Gahan says David Bowie’s 1971 song ‘Moonage Daydream’ gave him hope and helped him imagine a life beyond Basildon. The Depeche Mode singer has said that, without the song’s influence, he might have remained caught up in petty crime.

Gahan grew up in a working-class Essex town after his father left the family; at nine, he learned that the man he had known as his father was his stepfather, who had died. He was taken to juvenile court three times for offences including joyriding, graffiti, criminal damage and theft. Bowie’s music and unconventional persona suggested a different future, and Gahan says the song’s abstract, emotional sound still inspires his songwriting.