The track was recorded in the band's first session with Martin Hannett as producer. Recording took place at Cargo Studios in Rochdale, Lancs on 11 October 1978.
It was the last song ever performed by Joy Division, as it was the final song of the last gig recorded on 2 May 1980 at Birmingham University, just before the suicide of the band's singer Ian Curtis. The entire concert was released on the Still album in 1981, and is also notable for including one of only three known recordings of Ceremony.
The song features in the films 24 Hour Party People and Control, where Tony Wilson sees the band play for the first time.
Digital
Joy Division Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feel it closing in
The fear of whom I call
Every time I call
I feel it closing in
I feel it closing in
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
I feel it closing in
As patterns seem to form
I feel it cold and warm
The shadows start to fall
I feel it closing in
I feel it closing in
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
Day in, day out
I'd have the world around
To see just whatever happens
Stood by the door alone
And then it's fade away
I see you fade away
Don't ever fade away
I need you here today
Don't ever fade away
Don't ever fade away
Don't ever fade away
Don't ever fade away
Fade away, fade away
Fade away, fade away
Fade away, fade away
Fade away
The lyrics of Joy Division's song "Digital" seem to capture a sense of closing in, and the fear that comes with it. The repeated refrain of "I feel it closing in" suggests a building anxiety, as the singer is overcome by a sense that patterns are forming and shadows are falling around them. The fear of whom they call on the phone suggests a desire for connection that is undermined by the sense of impending doom.
The dreamlike quality of the lyrics is enhanced by the repetition of "day in, day out," which suggests a sense of monotony and repetition that reinforces the feeling of being trapped. The line "I'd have the world around to see just whatever happens" suggests a desire for freedom and escape that is contradicted by the next line, which imagines the singer standing alone by the door, watching as everything fades away. The plea "Don't ever fade away, I need you here today" implies a certain desperation and vulnerability, as the singer struggles to hold onto what they have in the face of encroaching darkness. The repeated refrain of "fade away" in the final lines suggests a gradual loss of control, a fading into the unknown that is both terrifying and inevitable.
Overall, the lyrics of "Digital" convey a sense of existential unease and the struggle to maintain a sense of identity and purpose in the face of impending doom.
Line by Line Meaning
Feel it closing in
The looming sense of dread is growing stronger
The fear of whom I call
The irrational fear of the person on the other end of the phone
Every time I call
The anxiety increases with each dial
Day in, day out
This fear is a constant in the singer's life
As patterns seem to form
The fear has become predictable and recognizable
I feel it cold and warm
The fear is both chilling and unsettlingly familiar
The shadows start to fall
The world around the singer darkens
I'd have the world around
The singer wants to distract themselves from their fear with external stimuli
To see just whatever happens
They want to be a passive observer of life
Stood by the door alone
The singer is isolated in their fear
And then it's fade away
But even that temporary distraction will eventually disappear
I see you fade away
The singer acknowledges their own diminishing mental state
Don't ever fade away
The singer pleads for a lifeline to hold onto
I need you here today
They need someone or something to ground them in the present
Fade away
The singer's fear of isolation and loss consuming them
Fade away
Fading into obscurity
Fade away
Becoming nothing
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bernard Sumner, Ian Kevin Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Paul David Morris
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Pride317
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Feel it closing in, feel it closing in
The fear of whom I call, every time I call
I feel it closing in, I feel it closing in
[Refrain]
Day in, day out, day in, day out, day in, day out
Day in, day out, day in, day out
[Verse 2]
I feel it closing in, as patterns seem to form
I feel it cold and warm, the shadows start to fall
I feel it closing in, I feel it closing in
[Refrain]
Day in, day out, day in, day out, day in, day out
Day in, day out, day in, day out
[Outro]
I'd have the world around to see just whatever happens
Stood by the door alone, and then it's fade away
I see you fade away, don't ever fade away
I need you here today, don't ever fade away
Don't ever fade away, don't ever fade away
Don't ever fade away
Fade away, fade away, fade away, fade away
Fade away, fade away, fade away
@matthewlane458
Final song they ever played live. Final words: "Don't ever fade away."
@mikepeterson5199
We all will though
@destroyrebuild
Source?
@Mirandelorean
@@destroyrebuild from their last show in Birmingham university on May 2nd, 1980. A couple weeks before Ian's death.
@glidershower
@@mikepeterson5199 Perhaps. But we shouldn't stop striving to live in hearts of those we loved when our bones return to the dust from where they came.
This body is a rental car, and we are who's driving it, moving to another city after dropping the car back.
@bhante1345
@@destroyrebuild there is nothing more cringe in this mortal coil than someone who asks for a source.
@Ghost_of_Michael_Collins
That bass riff is extraordinary
@Goatchild90
Listening to a song written recorded and released in the 70's called "Digital" on the internet in 2022 is quite profound. RIP Ian Curtis.
@markkickmark
One of their greatest songs, all the elements from Ian's tortured lyrics to Hooky's insane bass.
@sateahmad9090
I can't believe how underrated this song is..I find this to be their best creation ever#