This was a strange hit however that was certainly not ignored. It floated around the alternative airwaves picking up the odd play here and there on Top Forty radio but it wasn't until 6 months had passed that the single suddenly broke in the US and everyone was talking about Depeche Mode - again. Musically, 'Personal Jesus' was a strange hybrid. The track itself was a significant move forward for the group but still retained elements of DM's former experimental self. For example, the main 'stomp' was a recording of 2 or 3 people jumping up and down on flight cases working alongside Martin's John Lee Hooker guitar riff and the Kraftwerk-style synth parts. By the time 'Personal Jesus' was complete, the new production partnership had settled in but during the Milan sessions, it was not always plain sailing. Elements that were incompatible with the compact surroundings of a studio conspired to upset the apple cart and disrupt the already delicate environment. Concentration levels were low, and in some ways the tensions were exacerbated by Alan and Flood's desire to spend more time constructing intricate sequences and involved sounds. "Studios can be incredibly claustrophobic places - even more so for those who perhaps don't play a big part in the nuts and bolts of the process. Boredom is an especially powerful and destructive force. For example, one of the most annoying things is if I'm working on a complicated sample (which I want to cut up into many pieces and reconfigure into something new), the process is inevitably complex and until the procedure is complete, things will usually sound chaotic and meaningless to anyone listening in. If someone who doesn't fully understand this procedure interjects negatively at an unfinished stage, it can be really irritating."