http://www.eightyeightynine.com/music/depeche-mode.html
Depeche Mode - the real origin of the band's name
It is a common mistake to assume that the name Depeche Mode is purely a
translation from the French for 'fast fa****on'. Where this error started
is
hard to establish and when music sites such as the All Music Guide still
get
it wrong (also used for Biographies on the now defunct CDNOW), it is easy
to
see why this error still perpetuates across hundreds of sites. As a
visitor
to 1980-89 pointed out, dépêche means dispatch (or update, message or
news),
mode means fa****on.
So Depeche Mode means Fa****on News or Fa****on Update. The confusion arises
from someone remembering their high school French: the verb 'se dépêcher'
means to hurry, which is probably where the 'fast' originates (thanks to
Lawrence Koch for explaining the French translation and the source of the
error). So, Depeche Mode is named after the magazine and that name roughly
translates as Fa****on News. To the right is a picture of the magazine.
