Song#: 3305
Date: 10/24/1987
Debut: 95
Peak: 32
Weeks: 18
Genre: Alternative Rock
Pop Bits: This British group was formed after the post-punk/goth band Joy Division came to a sudden end (see below). Three members of that group decided to keep going and after adding a new member, they became New Order. Initially, the band stayed close to the sound of Joy Division while adding synths. Their debut album, 1981's Movement, wasn't particularly successful, but their second album, 1983's Power, Corruption & Lies, was a #4 hit in the UK. That LP took the band in a more techno/dance oriented direction. That same year, the band scored their first UK Top 10 hit with the non-album single "Blue Monday" (#9). That song would cross the pond and become a #5 hit on the US Dance chart. Two more albums would follow along with a few singles that would do well in the UK and on the US Dance chart. In 1987, the band would issue out the compilation Substance 1987, which collected up their 12" singles and respective b-sides. Also included was this new track, which made it to #4 in the UK. It then became the band's first single to crack the US Pop chart. It ended up doing well getting inside the Top 40. That exposure along with their cult status helped the album reach #36. It would go gold by February of '88. A couple of years later it would become their first and only album to reach platinum status.
ReduxReview: I've always had difficulty getting into New Order's music. I feel that they are a band that I should really like, but for the most part I haven't been able to connect with their tracks. There are a handful that I enjoy, such as this synthpop-ish single, yet most of their music is distant and cold with very little of it sticking in my brain. Every now and then I'll listen to one of their albums to see if perhaps it can get me on board the New Order train, but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe it never will. In the meantime I'll just have to stick with some of their better known, groovier tracks like this one.
ReduxRating: 6/10
Trivia: Inspired by a 1976 Sex Pistols concert, Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook decided to form a band. They hired a drummer and then via an ad, they found a lead singer in Ian Curtis. The band was initially called Warsaw, but after changes in personnel (new drummer Stephen Morris) and to avoid any confusion with a similarly named group, they renamed themselves Joy Division in 1978. An EP was quickly recorded and released in '78 with a full-length debut, Unknown Pleasures, following in '79. While the LP wasn't successful on initial release, the band was quickly gaining fans. However, the newfound pressure on the band was taking a toll on lead singer Curtis, who had recently been diagnosed with epilepsy. Curtis' condition was quite severe and he was subject to frequent seizures some of which would happen during performances by the band. The condition along with his drinking, smoking, side effects from medications, a marriage that was on the brink of ending, and career pressure was all becoming too much for Curtis. After recording the band's second LP, Closer, Curtis attempted suicide in April 1980. He recovered and then began to prepare for the band's first tour of the US. Unfortunately, the night before the trip, Curtis hung himself in the kitchen of his home. He was 23. Joy Division's Closer album would be issued out a couple of months later. It would reach #6 in the UK. The remaining three members of the band decided to continue on, but in accordance with an agreement they all had, they would change the band's name. Eventually they decided on New Order.
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