Master and Servant about the song includes a mixing duration of seven days, and after all the reworking and final mastering of the mix, they realized they left the channel with the snare drum muted during the last chorus. Some of the sounds on "Master and Servant", such as the whip effect, are based on Daniel Miller standing in the studio hissing and spitting. According to the band, they tried to sample a real whip but "it was hopeless". The "Slavery Whip Mix" was the longest 12" Depeche Mode song at the time, with the outro being turned into a swing version of
Sade (band) and her band of the same name were establishing themselves, their record company, Epic, printed "Pronounced Shar-day" on the record labels of their releases (which led to "mis"pronunciation in rhotic North America). In February 1984, Sade released their first single, "Your Love Is King", which became a Top Ten hit. A second single, "When Am I Going to Make a Living" barely made the Top 40, but the band's debut album, "Diamond Life", was released in July 1984 and peaked at No. 2. It spent over six months in the UK Top Ten and was later certified 4x Platinum by