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.
Isolation
New Order Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He calls her aloud from above,
Carefully watched for a reason,
Painstaking devotion and love,
Surrendered to self preservation,
From others who care for themselves.
A blindness that touches perfection,
But hurts just like anything else.
Mother I tried please believe me,
I'm doing the best that I can.
I'm ashamed of the things I've been put through,
I'm ashamed of the person I am.
Isolation, isolation, isolation.
But if you could just see the beauty,
These things I could never describe,
These pleasures a wayward distraction,
This is my one lucky prize
Isolation, isolation, Isolation, isolation, isolation.
The lyrics in the song "Isolation" by New Order explore the experience of feeling isolated and alone despite attempting to connect with others. The opening lines convey a sense of fear and desperation as the singer calls out to a loved one "from above," suggesting perhaps a sense of distance or separation. The next lines suggest that the singer is watched closely, possibly by others who are suspicious of them or who are trying to control them. Despite this scrutiny, the singer expresses their deep devotion and love for this person, which suggests that they are seeking connection and support.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes increasingly aware of their own isolation and the ways in which they have been hurt by others who are also focused on their own self-preservation. The line "A blindness that touches perfection, but hurts just like anything else" suggests that the ways in which we try to protect ourselves can often lead to further pain and disconnection. The repetition of the phrase "isolation, isolation" reinforces this sense of being trapped and cut off from others.
The final verses of the song express a sense of shame and self-doubt, as the singer admits to being "ashamed of the person I am" and apologizes to their mother for not being able to do better. However, there is also a glimmer of hope in the line "if you could just see the beauty," which suggests that there is still something worth fighting for, some "lucky prize" that makes life worth living despite the pain and isolation.
Overall, "Isolation" is a powerful exploration of the human need for connection and the pain that can come from failing to find it. The song's repetition of the word "isolation" conveys a sense of being trapped and unable to escape the cycle of loneliness and fear that the singer experiences. However, there is also a sense of resilience and determination in the lyrics, as the singer continues to seek out love and connection despite the odds against them.
Line by Line Meaning
In fear every day, every evening,
He lives in fear each day and every evening.
He calls her aloud from above,
He calls out to the woman he loves from afar.
Carefully watched for a reason,
He is being closely monitored for a specific reason.
Painstaking devotion and love,
He loves deeply and is devoted to her with great effort and care.
Surrendered to self preservation,
He has given up on others and is only concerned with protecting himself.
From others who care for themselves.
He has distanced himself from those who only care about their own needs.
A blindness that touches perfection,
His blindness to reality feels perfect in its completeness.
But hurts just like anything else.
Despite its perfection, his blindness causes pain like anything else would.
Isolation, isolation, isolation.
The chorus emphasizes his state of isolation and loneliness.
Mother I tried please believe me,
He pleads with his mother to believe that he has tried his best.
I'm doing the best that I can.
He wants his mother to know that he is doing everything in his power to succeed.
I'm ashamed of the things I've been put through,
He feels embarrassed and humiliated by the hardships he has faced.
I'm ashamed of the person I am.
He is filled with shame and self-loathing for who he is.
But if you could just see the beauty,
He believes that if his mother could see the beauty in his life, she would be proud of him.
These things I could never describe,
He cannot put into words how beautiful his life is to him.
These pleasures a wayward distraction,
The pleasures of life are a temporary escape from his isolation and pain.
This is my one lucky prize
His one lucky prize is finding brief moments of happiness and beauty in life.
Isolation, isolation, Isolation, isolation, isolation.
The chorus repeats, emphasizing his ongoing state of isolation and loneliness.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bernard Sumner, Ian Kevin Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Paul David Morris
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
James Prichard
when non singers sing i listen. following sumner as he sang from the beginning in a lonely place, ceremony, procession, cries and whispers, temptation , age of consent, and on and on to bad lieutenant, i never questioned his singing talent . he has always been a fabulous singer .i like danny kirwan's voice , too.
TheCameron013
This is mind-blowing.
Valley of (K.)(Y?)U. S.S.:in my head
Absolutely!
Song from 1980, presented 1998 and feel futuristic dance track year 2022 :0
Stu The Cue
Barneys voice always spoke to me more personally than Ian Curtis. Don't get me wrong , JD were the blueprint but New Orders creativity and musical impact far eclipsed that of a band that with Curtis at the helm was unfortunately doomed from the start. Fortunately, the talent they held was so strong that JD produced an amazing body of work before his death ultimately could have derailed them permanently. The focus of direction they found when Gillian joined provided the balance and stability their restless natures required to channel their blueprint for life changing and affirming music. And this version nails it to the wall.
Lucas Matheus de Souza
man, i found it really cool. Well done new order
Simon Houlding
I like both versions on this, the original and the one by new order
Justin Beck
Love this version..kinda wish they could keep the music and dub Ian in as the vocalist but heck..I'll take it.
donpinguin2
liked their live version of this.. I knew they covered Love will tear us apart live but I didn't expect Isolation
Moisés Rico
They are the same band ._.
donpinguin2
@Moisés Rico I know what you‘re saying.. mostly the same people but it can never be the same band. I‘m sure they knew that as well, why else change the name?