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.
Bizarre Love Triangle‐94
New Order Lyrics
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I feel shot right through with a bolt of blue
It's no problem of mine, but it's a problem I find
Livin' a life that I can't leave behind
There's no sense in telling me
The wisdom of the fool won't set you free
But that's the way that it goes and it's what nobody knows
Well, every day my confusion grows
Every time I see you falling
I get down on my knees and pray
I'm waiting for that final moment
You say the words that I can't say
I feel fine and I feel good
I'm feeling like I never should
Whenever I get this way, I just don't know what to say
Why can't we be ourselves like we were yesterday?
I'm not sure what this could mean
I don't think you're what you seem
I do admit to myself that if I hurt someone else
Then I'll never see just what we're meant to be
Every time I see you falling
I get down on my knees and pray
I'm waiting for that final moment
You say the words that I can't say
Every time I see you falling
I get down on my knees and pray
I'm waiting for that final moment
You say the words that I can't say
Every time I see you falling
I get down on my knees and pray
I'm waiting for that final moment
You say the words that I can't say
Every time I see you falling
I get down on my knees and pray
I'm waiting for that final moment
You say the words that I can't say
The lyrics of "Bizarre Love Triangle '94" by New Order describe the complicated emotions of an individual in love with someone they cannot have. The opening lines of the song convey the intense feelings invoked when the singer thinks of this person, their emotions coming through in the vivid description of feeling "shot right through with a bolt of blue." The situation the singer finds themselves in is "no problem of [theirs]," indicating that they may have little control over their feelings, while also acknowledging that their love for this person is both a problem and a source of confusion.
The chorus of the song suggests that the singer is waiting for a moment of clarity or resolution. They are "waiting for that final moment" when the other person will reveal their true feelings and "say the words that [the singer] can't say." Through these lyrics, the singer conveys both their hopefulness and their frustration with the situation. The verses of the song further explore the complexity of their emotions, with the singer expressing uncertainty about what their love means and whether they are capable of having a healthy relationship. Ultimately, "Bizarre Love Triangle '94" captures the painful and confusing experience of loving someone without knowing if it will ever be reciprocated.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I think of you
Whenever I think about you
I feel shot right through with a bolt of blue
I feel overwhelmed with emotions
It's no problem of mine, but it's a problem I find
This issue doesn't affect me directly, but I'm still affected by it
Livin' a life that I can't leave behind
I feel stuck in a life I can't escape
There's no sense in telling me
It's pointless to try to convince me
The wisdom of the fool won't set you free
Even if someone is foolish, they won't necessarily change their ways
But that's the way that it goes and it's what nobody knows
We can't control how things happen or what the future holds
Well, every day my confusion grows
I become more and more confused every day
Every time I see you falling
Whenever I see you struggling
I get down on my knees and pray
I hope and wish for the best for you
I'm waiting for that final moment
I hope for a moment when everything becomes clear
You say the words that I can't say
You express what I'm unable to say
I feel fine and I feel good
I'm doing well and feeling great
I'm feeling like I never should
I feel good for reasons that don't make sense
Whenever I get this way, I just don't know what to say
I'm at a loss for words when I feel this way
Why can't we be ourselves like we were yesterday?
Why can't we go back to being who we were before?
I'm not sure what this could mean
I'm unsure of what this situation signifies
I don't think you're what you seem
I don't believe you're exactly who you present yourself to be
I do admit to myself that if I hurt someone else
I acknowledge that if I caused someone harm
Then I'll never see just what we're meant to be
I won't be able to understand our true potential
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Gillian Lesley Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Paul David Morris, Bernard Sumner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind