[14] "Enjoy the Silence" was Depeche Mode's highest charting single in the United States, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1990.

[15] In a retrospective review, Andy Healy from Albumism wrote that the song "combined much loved elements of lush synth beds, haunting melodies, and aching lyrics, which coalesced with house beats and slick guitar lines."

He added, "Gahan's vocals are intimate and seductive as they draw you in, with lyrics that examine the quiet satisfaction of a relationship, those tender moments when silence fills the void and your lover is in your arms and the world ceases to exist.

"[16] AllMusic editor Tim Di Gravina stated that it is one of Depeche Mode's "greatest songs", with a "pristine and lush yet punishing musical environment", and "lyrics of violence and darkness".

[17] Upon the release, Bill Coleman from Billboard called it an "engaging charmer"[18] and a "more radio-viable effort" than the group's last hit, "Personal Jesus".

"[19] Simon Reynolds from Melody Maker wrote, "Depeche studiously keep their finger on the pulse of contemporaneity (the choral synths nod to the New Age thang, the guitars to New Order), but somehow the glum, earnest vibrato in the singer's gullet make this feel very dated: New Romanticism infected with C86 miserablism.

"[20] David Giles from Music Week commented, "The best Depeche Mode single in years heralds a return to the classic pop approach of their early Eighties hits like Everything Counts in contrast to the electro beat obsession of recent recordings.

"[21] A reviewer from People Magazine said the song is "enriched", "with a strong bass and percussive bottom overwhelming the band’s penchant for thin, ethereal synthesizer motifs.

[23] The Anton Corbijn-directed music video for "Enjoy the Silence" references the themes and storyline of the philosophical children's book The Little Prince from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

When Corbijn presented the concept of the video to the band, which at the time was simply "Dave dressed up as a king, walking around with a deck chair", they initially rejected it.

Shots of Dave Gahan dressed as a king singing directly to the camera are intercut with scenes of his walking through the Scottish Highlands, the coast of Portugal and the Swiss Alps.

The video ends with Gahan singing the last line, "Enjoy the silence", then putting his finger in front of his lips as if to quiet the viewer.

The "Reinterpreted" version was remixed by Mike Shinoda, the rapper and producer for the American band Linkin Park, who played most of the instruments.

Monitors in the animation show performances of "Enjoy the Silence" excerpted from Devotional and One Night in Paris, as well as footage from a concert from The Singles Tour filmed in Cologne in 1998 for MTV.

American metalcore bands Evergreen Terrace and It Dies Today covered the song on the albums Burned Alive by Time and the re-release of The Caitiff Choir, respectively.