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.
Nothing but a Fool
New Order Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a dream last night
And it hurts so much
Yes, it hurts so much
She was in my mind
As I drank my wine
And now I count the costs
Of the one I lost
To a different place
And she was never to return
Whatever happened to that girl?
Sometimes you don't know what you've got
You think you're better than the rest
And the world belongs to you
But you're nothing but a fool
If you can hold her in your hands
If you can feel her in your heart
Don't ever let her run away
Don't ever let her drift away
'Cause it will break you later on
When you're left there on your own
Don't ever let her slip away
Don't ever let her drift away
It's a crying shame
It caused so much pain
It's sad that way
It was me that day
'Cause I turned you away
Like I didn't know who you were
I was such a fool
I was so cruel
And the years went by
And without a word of lie
I still love you
But what can I do?
Sometimes you don't know what you've got
You think you're better than the rest
And the world belongs to you
But you're nothing but a fool
If you can hold her in your hands
If you can feel her in your heart
Don't ever let her run away
Don't ever let her drift away
'Cause it will break you later on
When you're left there on your own
Don't ever let her slip away
Don't ever let her drift away
Hold her in your hand
Feel her in your heart
Don't ever let her drift away (let her drift away)
Sometimes you don't know what you've got
You think you're better than the rest
And the world belongs to you
But you're nothing but a fool
If you can hold her in your hands (hold her in your hand)
Feel her in your heart
Don't ever let her run away
Don't ever let her drift away
Hold her in your hand
Feel her in your heart
Don't ever let her drift away
Don't ever let her drift away
Don't let her drift away
Don't let her drift away
In "Nothing but a Fool," New Order sings about lost love and the regret that comes with it. The song tells a story of a man who sees the face of the woman he lost in a dream and realizes how much he misses her. He reflects on his past behavior, admitting that he was a fool for not appreciating her when they were together. He encourages listeners not to make the same mistake he did by taking someone for granted, urging them to hold their loved ones close and never let them drift away.
The lyrics play with the theme of the inability to undo past mistakes, emphasizing the need to make the most of what one has before it's too late. The song's message is ultimately a call to action to cherish and appreciate the people we love while we have them, as they could slip away at any moment.
Overall, the song's lyrics are timeless and relatable, as many people have experienced the regret of losing someone they love and can relate to the message of cherishing those relationships while they last.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw her face
The singer dreamed about seeing the face of someone they lost.
In a dream last night
The dream occurred last night.
And it hurts so much
The pain of the loss is unbearable.
Yes, it hurts so much
Reiterating how the pain is constant.
She was in my mind
The person they lost was on their mind.
As I drank my wine
Alcohol played a role in them thinking about the person they lost.
And now I count the costs
They now realize the cost of not appreciating the person they lost.
Of the one I lost
Referring to the person they lost.
She went away
The person they lost left them.
To a different place
The person they lost moved on from their life.
And she was never to return
They accept that the person they lost is never coming back.
Whatever happened to that girl?
The artist questions what happened to the person they lost.
Sometimes you don't know what you've got
At times, people fail to realize the value of what they have.
You think you're better than the rest
Arrogance can cloud one's judgment.
And the world belongs to you
Thinking you're entitled to everything can lead to a false sense of security.
But you're nothing but a fool
People who take things for granted are foolish.
If you can hold her in your hands
If you have something special, hold onto it tightly.
If you can feel her in your heart
If you truly care about someone, keep them close to your heart.
Don't ever let her run away
Don't allow someone special to slip away.
Don't ever let her drift away
Don't allow someone special to drift out of your life.
'Cause it will break you later on
Not appreciating someone can lead to regret and heartbreak later.
When you're left there on your own
Regret is painful when you're alone.
It's a crying shame
Expressing sadness and regret.
It caused so much pain
The artist's mistake caused a lot of suffering.
It's sad that way
The situation is unfortunate.
It was me that day
The singer takes responsibility for their actions.
Cause I turned you away
The person they lost was pushed away by the singer.
Like I didn't know who you were
The artist didn't appreciate the person they lost when they were in their life.
I was such a fool
The artist regrets not appreciating the person they lost.
I was so cruel
The singer recognizes their own cruelty in pushing the person they lost away.
And the years went by
Time passed without the person they lost in their life.
And without a word of lie
Telling the truth.
I still love you
The emotions the artist had for the person they lost haven't faded.
But what can I do?
Expressing helplessness in the situation.
Hold her in your hand
Reiterating the importance of holding onto what's precious.
Feel her in your heart
Emphasizing the importance of cherishing what's dear.
Don't ever let her drift away (let her drift away)
Don't allow someone you care about to slip away, otherwise regret will follow.
Don't let her drift away
Another plea to keep the person they care about in their life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BERNARD SUMNER, GILLIAN LESLEY GILBERT, PHILLIP CUNNINGHAM, STEPHEN PAUL DAVID MORRIS, THOMAS LOUIS CHAPMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@arielkings2835
I saw her face
In a dream last night
And it hurts so much
Yes, it hurts so much
She was in my mind
As I drank my wine
And now I count the costs
Of the one I lost
She went away
To a different place
And she was never to return
Whatever happened to that girl?
Sometimes you don't know what you've got
You think you're better than the rest
And the world belongs to you
But you're nothing but a fool
If you can hold her in your hands
If you can feel her in your heart
Don't ever let her run away
Don't ever let her drift away
'Cause it will break you later on
When you're left there on your own
Don't ever let her slip away
Don't ever let her drift away
It's a crying shame
It caused so much pain
It's sad that way
It was me that day
'Cause I turned you away
@lupacchiottalunare3319
3
I saw her face
In a dream last night
And it hurts so much
Yes, it hurts so much
She was in my mind
As I drank my wine
And now I count the costs
Of the one I lost
She went away
To a different place
And she was never to return
Whatever happened to that girl?
Sometimes you don't know what you've got
You think you're better than the rest
And the world belongs to you
But you're nothing but a fool
If you can hold her in your hands
If you can feel her in your heart
Don't ever let her run away
Don't ever let her drift away
'Cause it will break you later on
When you're left there on your own
Don't ever let her slip away
Don't ever let her drift away
It's a crying shame
It caused so much pain
It's sad that way
It was me that day
'Cause I turned you away
Like I didn't know who you were
I was such a fool
I was so cruel
And the years went by
And without a word of lie
I still love you
But what can I do?
Sometimes you don't know what you've got
You think you're better than the rest
And the world belongs to you
But you're nothing but a fool
If you can hold her in your hands
If you can feel her in your heart
Don't ever let her run away
Don't ever let her drift away
'Cause it will break you later on
When you're left there on your own
Don't ever let her slip away
Don't ever let her drift away
Hold her in your hand
Feel her in your heart
Don't ever let her drift away (let her drift away)
Sometimes you don't know what you've got
You think you're better than the rest
And the world belongs to you
But you're nothing but a fool
If you can hold her in your hands (hold her in your hand)
Feel her in your heart
Don't ever let her run away
Don't ever let her drift away
Hold her in your hand
Feel her in your heart
Don't ever let her drift away
Don't ever let her drift away
Don't let her drift away
Don't let her drift away
@pjlazic8284
Okay I just heard this for the first time and freaking balled on the street trying to contain it. For the people who think this is cheese, I cant imagine youve ever lost anything important. This hit me like a cross bow through the chest. Plain and simple genius as usual. New Order and Bernard Sumner have MASTERED the art of saying just enough with lyrics overlaying absolutley brilliant unmistakable NO music. Not to mention, this song feels like it could be a response to SUB CULTURE, where he is young, arrogant, and stubborn. "In the end you will submit..." Well, they didn't, and this song is the result. "One of these days when you sit by yourself, you'll realize you cant shaft with out someone else"...woooops, Nothing But A Fool is Bernard admitting he was wrong in retrospect. Just brilliant some 30 years later... Thank you New Order.
@sunsetman22
People who dislike Bernard's lyrics in general just haven't lived long enough to relate to them........
Your analysis is spot on m8. Bernard is one of the most underrated lyricists ever, his work in general is quite underappreciated. I hate how people just dismiss him as "not Ian Curtis" and New Order as "not Joy Division". I mean, both bands are excellent (I actually consider them to be the same band but in different stages). Less poetic but more relatable
@maryannbashaw1646
Awesome song. I have been listening to New Order since the 80s. This new album is extraordinary. They've still go it!
@RickNelsonMn
+Mary Ann Bashaw Me too, and I've been buying all their new, since then. Never enough!
@Jayster18
totally agree..I go back far enough to have enjoyed joy division ..and this just may be my favorite song they ever recorded..and they have many
@davek5899
Just for the chorus portions alone, this is my favorite song on the album. Fantastic!
@robhaunui3343
Dave K Those girls absolutely nailed it,and maybe that's why they don't do this live.Such a shame,as it's the best song on the album.
@robhaunui3343
By far,their best song in years,and should've been a single.I have no idea why they release some of their lesser tracks as singles,and leave the real beauties as album tracks.The backing vocals and strings on this are just pure heaven,and have they even played this live yet ?
@johnwilliams2920
100% agreed, my friend. You've nailed it. 👌🙌
@stevetaylor6481
In the past you'd be lucky if the singles they released where even on the album.
Part of the charm is their wilful contrariness