A between albums single by the Manchester indie outfit New Order. Released … Read Full Bio ↴A between albums single by the Manchester indie outfit New Order. Released on the indie label Factory Records as a 12" single only, "Blue Monday" holds a number of honours - best selling 12" single of all time; one of the longest singles to ever chart in the UK (behind The Orb's "Blue Room", which clocks in at 39:58, a stunt done to protest the then ruling that singles had to be under 40 minutes to qualify for the charts) and one of the worst financial disasters for Factory Records.

Due to the single's elaborate die cut sleeve, each single sold lost the label roughly 70p. At the time of release the label didn't expect to ship too many so didn't worry about it. The single eventually went on to sell in excess of 300,000 units. Subsequent reprints of the single included a modified sleeve that ensured the label actually made a bit of money.

The song turned into New Order's signature track and has been remixed and reissued on a number of occassions, including 1988's Blue Monday 1988 done at the request of Quincy Jones, on who's Qwest label the band were signed to at the time in the US.

The track has its origins in the the track "5 8 6" a slow, moody track from the band's sophomore release, "Power Corruption and Lies".

Although the single shared a similar visual style with "Power Corruption and Lies," it wouldn't feature on the album until a reissue campaign many years later.