Songfacts®:

• "Wagging Tongue" is the second single from Depeche Mode's 15th studio album, Memento Mori. Vocalist Dave Gahan contributed two songs to the album plus this track, a co-write with the band's main songwriter, Martin Gore. It is the fourth Depeche Mode song Gahan and Gore collaborated on together (along with "Long Time Lie," "Oh Well" and "You Move"), and the first to be released as a single.
• I'll meet you by the river
  Or maybe on the other side
  You'll find it hard to swallow
  When you watch another angel die
  
  Dave Gahan and American singer Mark Lanagan admired each other's work for years and finally connected when they were both vocalists on English electronica duo Soulsavers tracks. When Lanegan died at his home on the morning of February 22, 2022, it hit Gahan hard.
  
  Gahan attacks "Wagging Tongue" as if he's angry at someone, but who? "I'm not sure," he told Mojo magazine. "I am ranting at somebody. There was a part of it that came to me literally just after I got the news that Mark Lanagan had passed away. Rich [Machin of Soulsavers] rang me and said, 'Lanegan's gone, mate.'"
• The stark black-and-white music video was released on May 24, 2023. The Sacred Egg (Arcade Fire's "Everything Now," Royal Blood's "How Did We Get So Dark?") directed it with longtime collaborator Anton Corbijn acting as a creative director.
  
  Gore and Gahan make cameo appearances in the clip, which tells the tale of a young couple who become involved in a cult-like ritual.
• Depeche Mode co-founder and keyboardist Andy Fletcher passed away in May 2022. The album title Memento Mori ("remember you must die") commemorates the sad event, but Gore wanted to take it as a reminder to live every day like it's your last.
  
  "Obviously, everybody will think that all of the songs were quickly written after Andy died," said Gore. "But everything was planned and ready to go. Unfortunately, Andy passed away when he was really looking forward to getting started with us. So I like the idea of 'memento mori' in a more positive way, in a 'Live each day and make the most of your time here.'"