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
1984 Big Ten Conference football season led the conference with a 156.4 passing efficiency rating, and Ronnie Harmon was a first-team All-Big Ten running back. The 1984 Illinois Fighting Illini football team, under head coach Mike White, compiled a 7–3 record and finished in a tie for second place in the Big Ten. Wide receiver David Williams set Big Ten records with 101 receptions and 1,278 receiving yards and was a consensus All-American. The 1984 Purdue Boilermakers football team compiled a 7–5 record, tied with Illinois for second place in the Big Ten, and lost to Virginia in the 1984 Peach Bowl. Leon Burtnett was named