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.
Liar
New Order Lyrics
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With all this nonsense and your lies
You are the king of nothing
But you shall hold me
You've got your finger on the pulse
And in my pocket, yes of course
I am the voice of treason
But you betrayed me
I used up nearly all my luck
I didn't have to try
But yesterday is gone
And now I need an alibi
If this gets any stranger things are gonna change
Cause I can't stand the music, always lying
If that's what it takes I'll do it (I'll do it)
I'll keep on right on through it (on through it)
So please believe me when I say
I wouldn't give the time of day
Because then I'd be faking
When I could tell the truth
Were you abandoned in your youth
Because if not, you will be soon
I'm growing tired of waiting
For you to say goodbye
In the song "Liar" by New Order, the singer is expressing their frustration towards someone who has been constantly lying, betraying and manipulating them. In the opening lines, the singer rejects any sympathy for the lies and nonsense that the other person has been telling them. They refer to this person as the "king of nothing" which insinuates that they have no real power or significance. Despite this, the person has a hold on the singer, both physically ("hold me") and metaphorically ("finger on the pulse" and "in my pocket").
The singer then reveals how much this person has affected their life, using up all their luck and leaving them in need of an alibi. They know that things have to change, but they can't stand the lies anymore. The chorus suggests that the singer is willing to play along with the other person's lies ("I'll do it") but only because they're tired of waiting for them to leave.
The singer ends by questioning the other person's past, implying that they were abandoned as a child and that's why they turned out to be a liar. The final line expresses the singer's willingness to move on and say goodbye to the person if they refuse to do it themselves.
Overall, "Liar" explores the destructive nature of lies and manipulation in relationships, and how it can lead to exhaustion and disillusionment. The singer realizes that they can't change the other person, but they can choose to distance themselves from them.
Line by Line Meaning
I haven't time to sympathise
I cannot waste my time feeling sorry for you.
With all this nonsense and your lies
I do not believe your foolish talk and deceitful behavior.
You are the king of nothing
You have no power, wealth or status in this world.
But you shall hold me
However, you still have a grip on my emotions and actions.
You've got your finger on the pulse
You are aware of the latest trends and information.
And in my pocket, yes of course
You have control over me and my resources.
I am the voice of treason
I have gone against the norms and expectations of society.
But you betrayed me
You have broken my trust and loyalty.
I used up nearly all my luck
I have come close to losing everything by taking risks.
I didn't have to try
I did not have to put much effort in to succeed before.
But yesterday is gone
The past is gone and cannot be changed.
And now I need an alibi
I require an excuse or justification for my current circumstances.
If this gets any stranger things are gonna change
If the situation becomes more unusual, the outcome will be different.
Cause I can't stand the music, always lying
I cannot tolerate the continuous deceit and dishonesty around me.
If that's what it takes I'll do it (I'll do it)
If I have to resort to that behavior to win, I will do it.
I'll keep on right on through it (on through it)
I will persevere through difficult and challenging circumstances.
So please believe me when I say
Trust me when I express myself honestly.
I wouldn't give the time of day
I would not waste my attention on you or your problems.
Because then I'd be faking
If I pretended to care, I would be dishonest and insincere.
When I could tell the truth
I could be honest and transparent instead.
Were you abandoned in your youth
Did you experience neglect or abandonment when you were young?
Because if not, you will be soon
If you have not been abandoned yet, it is likely to happen in the future.
I'm growing tired of waiting
I am becoming impatient and frustrated with the delay.
For you to say goodbye
Waiting for you to end our relationship or situation.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Gillian Leslie Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Paul David Morris, Bernard Sumner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind