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.
Perfect Kiss
New Order Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thinking hard about the weather
Then came by a friend of mine
Suggested we go out together
Then I knew it from the start
This friend of mine would fall apart
Pretending not to see his gun
I said let's go out and have some fun
I know you know
We believe in a land of love
I know you know
We believe in a land of love
I have always thought about
Staying here and going out
Tonight I should have stayed at home
Playing with my pleasure zone
He has always been so strange
I'd often thought he was deranged
Pretending not to see his gun
I said let's go out and have some fun
I know you know
We believe in a land of love
I know you know
We believe in a land of love
When you are alone at night
You search yourself for all the things
That you believe are right
If you give it all away
You throw away your only chance to be here today
Then a fight breaks out on your street
You lose another broken heart in a land of meat
My friend, he took his final breath
Now I know the perfect kiss is the kiss of death
The Perfect Kiss by New Order is a song that talks about a night that didn't turn out as expected. The song starts with the singer standing alone, thinking about the weather, when a friend approaches him and suggests they go out together. From the very beginning, the singer knows his friend is not in the best state of mind and will fall apart. However, he pretends not to realize that his friend has a gun and convinces him to go out and have some fun. The chorus gives us an insight into the singer's belief in a land of love.
The second verse talks about the singer's thought process about staying in or going out, and how he regrets not choosing the former. It is followed by his reflection on how his friend has always been strange, and he thought he was deranged. The chorus repeats what we already know about their belief in a land of love. The final verse talks about how we search for what we believe is right, and if we give it all away, we lose our chance to be here today. It is followed by a fight breaking out on the street, and the singer losing his friend. The perfect kiss he was searching for turned out to be the kiss of death.
Line by Line Meaning
I stood there beside myself
I was lost in my own thoughts
Thinking hard about the weather
Musing on things outside of my control
Then came by a friend of mine
A friend appeared on the scene
Suggested we go out together
Offered the idea of going out with me
Then I knew it from the start
I had a feeling that things would go wrong
This friend of mine would fall apart
My friend couldn't handle the pressure
Pretending not to see his gun
Ignoring the danger
I said let's go out and have some fun
I suggested we enjoy ourselves despite the risk
I know you know
You understand what I'm saying
We believe in a land of love
We believe in a better world
I have always thought about
I've frequently considered
Staying here and going out
Deciding whether to stay in or go out
Tonight I should have stayed at home
I regret coming out tonight
Playing with my pleasure zone
Indulging in self-pleasure at home
He has always been so strange
My friend's behavior is unusual
I'd often thought he was deranged
I sometimes wondered if he was mentally ill
When you are alone at night
When you're by yourself in the dark
You search yourself for all the things
You contemplate your values and beliefs
That you believe are right
What's important to you
If you give it all away
If you lose sight of your values
You throw away your only chance to be here today
You miss out on the present moment
Then a fight breaks out on your street
Suddenly, a violent altercation occurs nearby
You lose another broken heart in a land of meat
You face another disappointment in a cruel world
My friend, he took his final breath
My friend died
Now I know the perfect kiss is the kiss of death
I realize that perfect moments can lead to tragedy
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEPHEN PAUL DAVID MORRIS, PETER HOOK, BERNARD (GB 2) SUMNER, GILLIAN LESLEY GILBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jilln880
@@Moody801 My list (as of this moment, subject to change aside from the first song)
1. Temptation
2. Procession
3. Ceremony
4. Leave Me Alone
5. Lonesome Tonight
6. Run
7. Perfect Kiss
8. Bizarre Love Triangle
9. Regret
10. Dream Attack
Though Subculture, Shellshock, and lots of other songs could easily be swapped in.
@dulbertvelenciayazzie
The Perfect Kiss (lyrics)
I stood there beside myself
Thinking hard about the weather
Then came by a friend of mine
Suggested we go out together
Then I knew it from the start
This friend of mine would fall apart
Pretending not to see his guilt
I said, "Let's go out and have some fun"
I know, you know, we believe in a land of love
I know, you know, we believe in a land of love
I have always thought about
Staying here and going out
Tonight I should have stayed at home
Playing with my pleasure zone
He has always been so strange
I often thought he was deranged
Pretending not to see his gun
I said, "Let's go out and have some fun"
I know, you know, we believe in a land of love
I know, you know, we believe in a land of love
When you are alone at night
You search yourself for all the things
That you believe are right
If you give it all away
You throw away your only chance to be here today
Then a fight breaks out on your street
You lose another broken heart in a land of meet
My friend took his final breath
Now I know the perfect kiss is the kiss of death
@dean8705
New Order were my dad's favourite band. This was his favourite song of theirs. RIP Dad.
@jumofi
God rests his soul mate
@dean8705
@@jumofi ty sir
@liliencalvel6151
He had great taste in music. When did he leave this place?
@dean8705
@@liliencalvel6151 he did indeed. Last January unfortunately
@TommyShaddock
After reading your comment just now. It touched me so much as I can relate with my dad. I have just played this song on guitar as tribute for you and your dad, as I can relate to what you have gone through and most likely are still going through. Keep pushing on. You've got this brother x
@jasonowens1504
Bernard's faltering peformance as he repeatedly misses out on the right note is absolutely perfect imperfection. Joyous.
@modifiedcontent
Yes, he can't sing to save his life and it really works well here.
@iranign
Acho tão lindo tb.... ❤
@lbukem4259
@@modifiedcontent 100% - and that is why New Order are so fucking cool.