The single charted twice in New Zealand, debuting at number two in September 1981, and re-appearing again at number 24 in July 1984.
In May 2007, NME magazine placed "Transmission" at number 20 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever, one place below "Love Will Tear Us Apart".
It was played on-stage in the film 24 Hour Party People, a scene in which Ian Curtis suffers an epileptic fit.
It has been covered by Low (on its EP Transmission), Bauhaus (as well as by frontman Peter Murphy on his solo tours) and Innerpartysystem, and Girl in a Coma. A version by Hot Chip is on the War Child charity album, Heroes, released in February 2009.[3] It was also covered by the cast of Control, a biographical film about the life of Ian Curtis.
It was also played by The Smashing Pumpkins on the Adore Tour in 1998, with performances of the song usually lasting from 15 to 25 minutes.
B-side-"Novelty"
Released-October 1979 (7"), December 1980 (12")
Format-7", 12"
Recorded-1979
Genre-Post-punk
Length-3:36
Label-Factory
Writer(s)-Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Ian Curtis
Producer(s)-Martin Hannett
Transmission
Joy Division Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Radio, live transmission
Listen to the silence, let it ring on
Eyes, dark grey lenses frightened of the sun
We would have a fine time living in the night
Left to blind destruction, waiting for our sight
We would go on as though nothing was wrong
Hide from these days, we remained all alone
Staying in the same place, just staying out the time
Touching from a distance, further all the time
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio
Well I could call out when the going gets tough
The things that we've learnt are no longer enough
No language, just sound, that's all we need know
To synchronize love to the beat of the show
And we could dance
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio
"Transmission" is a song that speaks of the post-industrial, spiritually depleted landscape of Manchester in the late 1970s. It's about the desire to escape from this reality by turning to music and dancing. The central themes of the song deal with isolation, the search for the transcendent, and the longing for ecstasy.
The lyrics suggest that we are living in a world that is slowly turning towards chaos and self-destruction. The grey lenses of the singer's eyes are "frightened of the sun," a metaphor for the truth, which they'd rather not confront. The singer, along with everyone else, is hiding from reality and trying to forget about the problems of the world. They are confined to their small world, disconnected from everything around them, touching only from a distance.
The chorus implores us to dance to the radio, to forget everything and to let the music take us away. The simple pleasure of dancing becomes a means of escape from the world and a way to achieve ecstasy.
Line by Line Meaning
Radio, live transmission
We are listening to a live broadcast on the radio
Listen to the silence, let it ring on
Let's embrace the silence in between the music
Eyes, dark grey lenses frightened of the sun
We are afraid of the light, we want to stay in the darkness
We would have a fine time living in the night
We enjoy being out at night and living in the dark
Left to blind destruction, waiting for our sight
We are headed towards our own destruction, blinded by our actions and waiting for a revelation
We would go on as though nothing was wrong
We would continue living as if everything is fine
Hide from these days, we remained all alone
We avoid facing reality and remain isolated
Staying in the same place, just staying out the time
We are stuck in the same routine, just waiting for time to pass
Touching from a distance, further all the time
We are emotionally detached and becoming more distant from each other
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio
Let's dance to the music on the radio
Well I could call out when the going gets tough
I could speak up when things get difficult
The things that we've learnt are no longer enough
What we have learned in the past is no longer useful in the present
No language, just sound, is all we need know
We don't need to communicate with words, only with music
To synchronize love to the beat of the show
Through music, we can connect with others and feel love
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bernard Sumner, Ian Kevin Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Paul David Morris
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@VoiceoftheEther
The Key to the Good and Evil
The knowledge of good and evil is an unfortunate tragedy for only the good understands both. Evil is the struggle of mankind to reach the strength and the embrace the light of knowledge. Any evil would be the good. It is only that they cannot find their way. Good is, in fact, elitism. Most, though they have strength, will ultimately fail in its course.
The good is the strength. It is the propensity to survive. The good is the way and the order and the light. The good seek the truth, no matter where it lies. The good is, thus thrice defined.
The good!
The strength!
The way!
The order!
The truth!
@binscabs
No song has penetrated my soul more than Transmission. It wasnt a slow burn, it was a glorious wildfire.
@yyk_y
@H my lava lamp stop
@Chris-om8si
❤❤
@daivwhaley6937
Greil Marcus , a rock historian and rock critic who's a really good writer, wrote a book called The History of Rock and roll in 10 songs. And one of the chapters is completely about transmission by Joy division. It's a great book for lots of reasons. Pax.
@bigcoffay9961
Dance dance dance dance dance to the radio!
@AllOverNow
Hell yeah 🤘🤘
@stigmata_martyr
Да)
@MichaelD8393
Only Ian can sing that in a way that sounds like the coming of the apocalypse!
@girl.interruptedb
No
@ЛЮСЯ-п5р
Да да я