Their original name was Composition Of Sound. "Depeche Mode" was the title of a French magazine (translated, it means "fast fashion") that went out of print in 2001. It was chosen because it sounded cool.
Clarke went on to create Yazoo, The Assembly, and Erasure.
Clarke wrote virtually all their music while he was a member - all but two songs on Speak & Spell (the band's first album) are his (Gore wrote "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Big Muff"). When Clarke left, Gore filled the songwriting vacancy, becoming their primary composer. He sang on some of their tracks, but Gahan took lead on most of them. Gahan eventually grew frustrated singing Gore's songs, and in 2003 released a solo album with his own compositions called Paper Monsters. On the next Depeche Mode album, Playing the Angel (2005), he wrote three songs.
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