Pioneers of dance music in the 1980s and one of the first bands to effectively and popularly synthesize keyboard- and guitar-based music, New Order's members hailed from Salford and Macclesfield, England out of the ashes of Joy Division, are noted as being one of the first bands to bridge the gap between Post-Punk and Dancefloor. They were Factory Records' highest selling artist. They also funded Factory's famous Manchester club, The Haçienda. The band partnered with Quincy Jones's American label Qwest, recorded with legendary hip-hop producer Arthur Baker (on 1983's single "Confusion" and 1984's "Thieves Like Us"), and they embraced Ibizan club culture on the album, Technique.
The band was formed in 1980 by the three surviving members, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris of Joy Division after the lead singer Ian Curtis committed suicide. Morris' girlfriend (and later wife) Gillian Gilbert joined in October 1980 on keyboards and occasional guitar shortly after contributing guitar to the second release of New Order's first single "Ceremony". Their early music followed in the same vein as Joy Division, most notably on debut album Movement. This is mostly seen now as a 'transitional' album where the new 4-piece band was trying to find a new identity.
They continued to develop their music and their identity with tracks such as "Procession" and "Temptation" until 1983 when, under the influence of early electro funk and Italo-Disco tracks (most notably Klein & MBO's Dirty Talk), they released "Blue Monday", arguably their most famous song and the biggest-selling 12" single of all time. This came in such a detailed Peter Saville-designed sleeve (replicating a floppy disc) that it is claimed by some that the band's record company, Factory, lost money on every copy sold.
The release of "Blue Monday" coincided with the album Power, Corruption & Lies which further developed their dance/rock crossover. Other albums followed in 1985 (Low-Life), 1986 (Brotherhood) and 1989 (Technique, influenced heavily by Ibiza's acid house scene). In 1990 the band scored their sole number 1 hit with a song written by Keith Allen and performed with the England football team, "World in Motion", the official England World Cup song. One more album, Republic followed in May 1993, which was released by London Records after the collapse of Factory in November 1992.
The band effectively split in 1993 to pursue solo projects, but returned with a triumphant gig at the Reading Festival in 1998. After the recording of 2001's Get Ready album Gillian Gilbert left the band amicably for family reasons - her and Stephen's daughter Grace had been diagnosed with Transverse myelitis and she came to the decision that it would be easier for the band to replace her than her husband. They have since gone on to produce one more album with the help of Phil Cunningham of Marion when they released their last album, Waiting For The Sirens' Call.
Hook left acrimoniously in 2007 and according to him, the band has effectively broken up. However, Sumner, Cunningham and Morris repeatedly denied that the band was over, and that if Hook no longer wanted to be in the band, that was his choice. Hook has since threatened to take legal action if they attempt to continue as New Order. In 2009, Sumner, Morris and Cunningham announced that they did not plan on continuing on as New Order without Hook. However, in September 2011 it was announced that they will reform as New Order for two concerts in October (Brussels and Paris), without Hook but with Gillian Gilbert. Hook's replacement is Tom Chapman, who is also in Bad Lieutenant with Sumner, Morris and Cunningham. The charity gigs in Brussels and Paris were very successful and New Order decided to go on tour in 2012. They played various concerts all over the world and also some big festivals in the summer.
Discography (studio albums):
Movement (1981)
Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
Low-Life (1985)
Brotherhood (1986)
Technique (1989)
Republic (1993)
Get Ready (2001)
Waiting for the Sirens' Call (2005)
Lost Sirens (2013)
Music Complete (2015)
Collaborations and other projects:
Shortly after the split, Sumner and Cunningham formed Bad Lieutenant. The band's debut album Never Cry Another Tear, released in 2009, features Morris on drums on several tracks, although he is not an official member of the band and has committed to continue musical projects with Gillian Gilbert. The band's various solo projects understandably seemed to contain elements of the New Order 'sound', and gave some clues as to each member's contribution to the band.
Bernard Sumner worked with Johnny Marr (formerly of The Smiths) and Neil Tennant (of The Pet Shop Boys) in the 'supergroup', Electronic. Peter Hook formed the bands Revenge and, later, Monaco. These projects gained some commercial success. Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert recorded two albums of songs as The Other Two, and also did scoring work for film and television.
Each of New Order's four original members have, at various times, acted as producers and/or guest musicians under the moniker of Be Music for a myriad of Factory labelmates and other artists, including: Section 25, A Certain Ratio, Happy Mondays, Paul Haig, The Stockholm Monsters, The Stone Roses, and Stanton Miranda.
Angel Dust
New Order Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fear you will betray me
How many ways
Can you prolong this tragedy
Who told you that I would be back
You came here to seize my freedom
I will send you falling slowly
To the earth I see below me
You never knew
With open arms I came to you
Judging me so safe to be with
Mistakes you made that you can't live with
What you get is what you need
When you watch the blood but you don't bleed
You make me feel like a masked delusion
A man whose life's became illusion
The lyrics to New Order's song Angel Dust, can be interpreted as a dialogue or an argument between two people, with one person feeling betrayed and the other trying to make amends. The first verse starts with the lines, "What shall I say, I fear you will betray me. How many ways can you prolong this tragedy?" The singer seems wary of the other person and their intentions, possibly because of past betrayals. The next line reveals that the other person has come to seize their freedom, further adding to the tension in their relationship. The second verse is an attempt by the other person to reconcile, but it is too late. The damage has already been done, and the singer is left feeling like an illusion.
The lyrics go on to describe the mistakes that were made and the consequences that follow. "What you get is what you need when you watch the blood but you don't bleed." This line could be interpreted as a metaphor for the consequences of actions, where one person watches the other person suffer without truly understanding the pain they've caused. The final line, "You make me feel like a masked delusion, a man whose life's became illusion," emphasizes the singer's sense of loss and disillusionment.
Line by Line Meaning
What shall I say
The singer is unsure of what to say or how to react to the situation at hand.
I fear you will betray me
The singer has reason to believe that the person they are addressing cannot be trusted and may turn on them.
How many ways
The singer is questioning how many different scenarios or outcomes are possible in the current situation.
Can you prolong this tragedy
The artist is implying that the situation is tragic and wondering if the other person is intentionally prolonging it.
Who told you that I would be back
The artist is questioning who gave the other person the impression that they would return after being apart.
You came here to seize my freedom
The singer believes that the other person's true intention was not to reconnect, but to control or take away their freedom.
I will send you falling slowly
The singer is asserting their power and intention to make the other person suffer, but not immediately or suddenly.
To the earth I see below me
The artist is looking down on the other person, implying that they are beneath them in some way.
You never knew
The artist is accusing the other person of not understanding or appreciating them.
With open arms I came to you
The artist is reminding the other person that they were initially welcoming and vulnerable when they approached them.
Judging me so safe to be with
The singer is criticizing the other person's assumption that they were 'safe' to be with, or that they could be easily taken advantage of.
Mistakes you made that you can't live with
The artist is pointing out that the other person made errors in their dealings with them that they now regret and cannot undo.
What you get is what you need
The singer is suggesting that the other person got what they deserved or needed, based on their actions or behavior.
When you watch the blood but you don't bleed
The singer is implying that the other person is able to witness or cause suffering, but doesn't experience it themselves.
You make me feel like a masked delusion
The singer is expressing that the other person's treatment of them has caused them to feel unreal or devalued in some way.
A man whose life's became illusion
The artist feels that their life has lost its meaning or purpose, possibly due to the other person's actions or influence.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEPHEN PAUL DAVID MORRIS, PETER HOOK, BERNARD (GB 2) SUMNER, GILLIAN LESLEY GILBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind