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.
Behind Closed Doors
New Order Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Underneath a tree
Where if you go and haste
You will find a key
The key will open doors
And you will look inside
The things that you will see
Will open up your eyes
At any given time
On every other street
The city comes to life
Though everyone's asleep
A man beats up his wife
He doesn't want to keep
Behind closed doors
They're in retreat
I don't know what makes me stay
The city life just ain't the same
There's something wrong with kids today
I blame the parents anyway
There's no hope
No one to trust
I can't cope
It's obvious
Please don't take my drugs away
I'm gonna give them up someday
There is a place somewhere
That I could call a home
I'd live without a care
I'd never be alone
One day I will get there
I feel it in my bones
I check upon the scores
I listen to The Coors
Behind closed doors
Behind closed doors
Behind closed doors
Behind closed doors
They still want more
Behind closed doors
The first verse of "Behind Closed Doors" by New Order talks about a secret place that exists underneath a tree where if one hurries to arrive there, they will find a key. Once one has the key and has unlocked the doors, they will enter a place that will open up their eyes to the things they'll see. In the second verse, the song shifts to a darker tone, as it describes how the city comes alive when everyone is asleep, and yet behind closed doors, terrible things can occur. There is an allusion to domestic violence as a man beats his wife, showing how dark things could be behind closed doors. The singer then laments about the difficulties that come with city life and how there's no hope or anyone to trust. They mention their dependence on drugs but assert their intention to quit someday. Finally, the song ends with the idea that there might be a place to call home, a place where they'll never feel alone.
The song is an introspective look into the hidden and complex nature of life in the city. The dichotomy between the societal norm of a lively cityscape full of people and the dark reality that lies behind closed doors is presented through the song's lyrics. It highlights issues that are prevalent yet often overlooked in modern society, such as domestic violence, drug addiction, and the struggles that come with city life. The song's structure is well balanced, with the use of the first verse as a contrast to the darker themes of the following verses. The chorus remains the same throughout the song, emphasizing the idea that behind closed doors, people still want more, despite everything else.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a secret place
There is a hidden location
Underneath a tree
Located beneath a tree
Where if you go and haste
If you hurry to this location
You will find a key
You will discover a key
The key will open doors
The key unlocks doors
And you will look inside
You will be able to see inside
The things that you will see
You will discover things
Will open up your eyes
It will expand your perception
At any given time
At any moment
On every other street
On alternate streets
The city comes to life
The city becomes active
Though everyone's asleep
Even though everyone is sleeping
A man beats up his wife
A man physically assaults his spouse
He doesn't want to keep
He doesn't want to maintain their relationship
Behind closed doors
This happens in private
They're in retreat
They've withdrawn from society
I don't know what makes me stay
I'm unsure why I continue to reside here
The city life just ain't the same
The city culture has changed
There's something wrong with kids today
The youth have issues
I blame the parents anyway
I attribute it to their guardians
There's no hope
There's no optimism
No one to trust
Lack of trustworthy individuals
I can't cope
I can't handle it
It's obvious
It's apparent
Please don't take my drugs away
I'm requesting to keep my substances
I'm gonna give them up someday
I plan on quitting eventually
There is a place somewhere
A location exists
That I could call a home
That I would consider my home
I'd live without a care
I would live worry-free
I'd never be alone
I would never be lonely
One day I will get there
I will arrive at this place eventually
I feel it in my bones
I am confident it will happen
I check upon the scores
I monitor the scores
I listen to The Coors
I listen to The Corrs (band)
Behind closed doors
In private
Behind closed doors
In private
Behind closed doors
In private
They still want more
They continue desiring additional things
Behind closed doors
In private
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNARD SUMNER, PETER HOOK, STEPHEN PAUL DAVID MORRIS, GILLIAN LESLEY GILBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pritter21
Hook's bass just kicks butt on this. Should have been included on Get Ready along with Sabotage.
@anapaulacarneiro4175
...and Player in The League.
@WynneEmberEsther
Longing, loss and dystopian love which New Order has always represented so well.
@antonioskoutsoyiannis5319
B-sides are important. They're making you feel what a great single you have bought.
@zimriel
like Slowdive's 'Shine'
like Fleetwood's 'Silver Springs'
like '#1 Crush' . . .
@bridlingtonengland75
A hidden gem. just like New Order themselves
@350125GOW
A mass produced secret- Peter Saville
@TimRussell1968
Why the hell was this only a B-side? It's bloody brilliant!
@mariebbgon
One of my new favourite New Order songs.
@josephc119
What a beautiful song.