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.
Love Will Tear Us Apart
New Order Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And ambitions are low,
And resentment rides high,
But emotions won't grow,
And we're changing our ways, taking different roads.
Then love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
Why is the bedroom so cold?
You've turned away on your side.
Is my timing that flawed?
Our respect runs so dry.
Yet there's still this appeal
That we've kept through our lives.
But love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
You cry out in your sleep,
All my failings exposed.
And there's a taste in my mouth,
As desperation takes hold.
Just that something so good just can't function no more.
But love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
The lyrics of New Order's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" convey the difficulties that arise in a relationship when routine sets in and the spark fades away. The singer is lamenting the emotional distance between him and his partner. He describes how they are taking different paths in life and their ambitions have dwindled, leading to the rise of resentment. Despite these issues, there remains an unexplainable appeal which they have held on to throughout their lives. The singer is plagued by doubts and questions, wondering if it's his timing that's off, if he's responsible for the rut their relationship is in.
The second verse of the song is particularly powerful, depicting the physical and emotional distance between the two partners. The singer notes how the bedroom feels cold, how his partner has turned away on her side, and their respect has run dry. He feels frustrated because despite these issues, the attraction between them still exists. The final verse amplifies the emotional turmoil the singer is experiencing as his partner cries out in her sleep, and his faults are exposed. Desperation takes hold, and he can taste it in his mouth. In the end, he comes to the realization that the good thing they had together can no longer function, and love is going to tear them apart again.
Line by Line Meaning
When routine bites hard,
When the monotony of day-to-day life becomes overwhelming,
And ambitions are low,
And we've lost sight of our goals,
And resentment rides high,
And we feel bitter and resentful towards each other,
But emotions won't grow,
But we can't seem to connect on an emotional level,
And we're changing our ways, taking different roads.
And we're each going our separate ways and changing ourselves.
Then love, love will tear us apart again.
In times like these, the intensity of our love is what ultimately drives us apart.
Why is the bedroom so cold?
Why is the intimacy between us gone?
You've turned away on your side.
You're physically and emotionally distant.
Is my timing that flawed?
Am I to blame for this lack of connection?
Our respect runs so dry.
Our mutual respect for each other is diminishing.
Yet there's still this appeal
Despite our issues, there's something that draws us together.
That we've kept through our lives.
Something that's been present throughout our entire relationship.
But love, love will tear us apart again.
Even though we still have affection for each other, it's love that will ultimately be our downfall.
You cry out in your sleep,
You're struggling with this just as much as I am.
All my failings exposed.
All of my shortcomings are being laid bare.
And there's a taste in my mouth,
And the situation is leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.
As desperation takes hold.
As the situation becomes more dire, I'm feeling increasingly desperate.
Just that something so good just can't function no more.
It's difficult to comprehend how something that was once so good can no longer work.
But love, love will tear us apart again.
Despite everything, it's our love that will be our undoing.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
As we've seen before, our love will ultimately cause our separation.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
It's a sobering thought that our love, which we hold so dear, will be our ultimate downfall.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
But it's a reality that we must face.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bernard Sumner, Ian Kevin Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Paul David Morris
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Alun49
Still one of the greatest songs of all time. It just kills.
@tomgodheart4557
So fuckin true dude
@benglavin2715
That melody 🔥👌
@kreeperk1195
i love you
@davidholmes2283
It always struck me that a young man could write such an insightful and mature song. The wise words always blow me away.
@philippedebruyere1667
Salut David holmes d’etaples 😉
@syahirsahperi7077
And he's only 23
@ApriliaRacer14
I can tell how immensely important their music was to me in my youth. Captivating.
@AleGamesPE
VICIADO nesse SOM!! 😍😍😍
@skylarkman2000
Amazing band, Amazing music.