Black Celebration is the fifth studio album by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 17 March 1986 by Mute Records.

The band wanted to change their working routine yet again to make sure that things would not lead to boredom or lack of production.

"[9] On Alan Wilder's Shunt website, in the Q&A section, he stated that these "breath samples" were in fact Miller saying "'Horse' repeatedly very fast.

Melody Maker's Steve Sutherland lambasted the album and wrote that Depeche Mode came off as "pussycats desperate to appear perverted as an escape from the superficiality of teen stardom"[21] and Sounds published a similarly scathing review,[22] while criticizing chief songwriter Martin Gore's "adolescent fragments of despair", Sean O'Hagan of NME nonetheless praised Black Celebration's "perfectly constructed jigsaw melodies" and concluded, "When the songs address topics other than the composer's state of mind – as on the evocative exploration of loneliness that is 'World Full of Nothing' – Depeche Mode sound like a lot more than just a high tech, low-life melodrama.

"[23] Betty Page of Record Mirror felt that the band should be admired for their "refusal to follow anything but their own fashion" and "unswerving ability to come up with great, fresh melodies.

In 2007, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone referred to the album as an "instant classic for the band's fans" that at the time of its release had seemingly been "utterly ignored by everybody else.

"[18] Bandmate Andy Fletcher recognised that it was a "classic Depeche Mode fan favourite" among their albums in The Singles 86>98 Electronic Press Kit, saying "a collection of songs on there that's absolutely fantastic.

"[24] Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails cited Black Celebration, and its subsequent tour, as an influence and said it helped inspire him to write the album Pretty Hate Machine, saying "DM was one of our favorite bands and the Black Celebration record took my love for them to a new level.

A North American jaunt followed in early June, commencing in Boston and culminating mid-July in Irvine, California.

All lead vocals by Dave Gahan, except where noted.Credits adapted from the liner notes of Black Celebration