Music for the Masses is the sixth album by the band. Released by Mute Records on September 28, 1987, it provided the band with mainstream success in the US for the first time since Some Great Reward.

Critical acclaim: The album became the band's highest-charting in the US upon its release, reaching #35 on the Billboard 200. It also contained more hit singles than any of their previous releases. While there was no hugely popular single from the album, the three singles that were released all made it onto the Hot 100.

Key single(s):

• Strangelove (13 April 1987)
• Never Let Me Down Again (24 August 1987)
• Behind the Wheel (28 December 1987)
• Little 15 (16 May 1988)
• Strangelove 88 (32 August 1988)

Track list:

1. "Never Let Me Down Again" – 4:47
2. "The Things You Said" – 4:02
3. "Strangelove" – 4:56
4. "Sacred" – 4:47
5. "Little 15" – 4:18
6. "Behind the Wheel" – 5:18
7. "I Want You Now" – 3:44
8. "To Have and to Hold" – 2:51
9. "Nothing" – 4:18
10. "Pimpf" – 5:25

Bonus Tracks on CD Release:

1. "Agent Orange" – 5:05
2. "Never Let Me Down Again [Aggro Mix]" – 4:55
3. "To Have and to Hold [Spanish Taster]" – 2:34
4. "Pleasure, Little Treasure [Glitter Mix]" – 5:36

2006 Re-release

• Disc 1 is a hybrid SACD/CD with a multi-channel SACD layer.
• Disc 2 is a DVD which includes "Music for the masses" in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo plus bonus material

1. "Never Let Me Down Again" – 4:47
2. "The Things You Said" – 3:55
3. "Strangelove" – 4:38
4. "Sacred" – 5:01
5. "Little 15" – 4:14
6. "Behind the Wheel" – 5:17
7. "I Want You Now" – 3:28
8. "To Have and to Hold" – 3:08
9. "Nothing" – 4:12
10. "Pimpf" – 4:55

Bonus Tracks (in PCM Stereo):

1. "Agent Orange" – 5:05
2. "Pleasure, Little Treasure" – 2:53
3. "Route 66" – 4:11
4. "Stjarna" – 4:25
5. "Sonata No.14 in C#m (Moonlight Sonata)" – 5:36

Bonus 5.1 Mixes (DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo):

1. "Agent Orange" – 5:31
2. "Never Let Me Down Again (Aggro Mix)" – 4:58
3. "To Have And to Hold (Spanish Taster)" – 2:36
4. "Pleasure, Little Treasure (Glitter Mix)" – 5:38

• At the end of Pimpf is a short 30 second instrumental track named "Interlude #1: Mission Impossible". On the CD, there is a 22 second pause in between Pimpf and Interlude 1, followed by a 30 second pause in between Interlude 1 and Agent Orange.
• The last track, "Pleasure, Little Treasure [Glitter Mix]", is listed as "Pleasure, Little Treasure".
• This is the first album where at least one song was never played live. "Little 15", "I Want You Now", and "To Have and To Hold", were not played live during the Music for the Masses tour, but the former two were later played acoustically at the World Violation Tour by Martin. A remixed "I Want You Now" appeared at the Exotic Tour. "To Have and To Hold" was thus the only LP song never to be played live until Ultra.

• At the beginning of "To Have and To Hold" is a Soviet news presenter saying in Russian, "В докладах рассматривается эволюция ядерных арсеналов и социально-психологические проблемы гонки вооружений" (V dokladah rassmatrivayetsya evolyutsiya yadernykh arsenalov i sotsial'no-psikhologicheskiye problemy gonki vooruzheniy) which means, "The reports consider the evolution of nuclear arsenals and the socio-psychological problems of the arms race". Alan Wilder was not aware of this when he added it to the song.
• The breathing sound in "I Want You Now" is actually an accordion being played without a note. The moaning in the song is remembered by Wilder at his website to be some girls hanging around in the studio at the time.