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.
Times Change
New Order Lyrics
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Yellow fever, yellow hay
Feel the rhythm, sweetest sound
Making, breaking sacred ground
I'd give you a piece of my love for free
But whatever I say, you'll never see
Acquire a taste for a different sound
Life will never be the same
In Port-Royal town
I hear it coming
The shaking of the ground
They're stealing in the day
In Port-Royal town
The children are running
Ever strange the lives we lead
So detached from the things we need
Signs of greed in everyone
Instant eviction and the blood on a gun
Just when you think you've found it
Spinning world I want to spin around it
What is wrong?
This pain won't peel
The fibers of my life won't heal
Life will never be the same
In Port-Royal town
I hear it coming
The shaking of the ground
They're stealing in the day
In Port-Royal town
The children are running
Life will never be the same
In Port-Royal town
I hear it coming
The shaking of the ground
They're stealing in the day
In Port-Royal town
The children are running
The lyrics to New Order's "Times Change" present a series of images that are open to interpretation but have an underlying sense of foreboding and uncertainty. The opening lines, "In a manger like Christ I lay, yellow fever, yellow hay," suggest a sense of sickness or decay, both physical and metaphorical. The singer seems to be grappling with the meaning of life as they try to make sense of the world around them.
The imagery in the song is powerful and evocative, with the rhythm of the music and the lyrics working in tandem to create a sense of urgency and alarm. The phrase "making, breaking sacred ground" suggests a struggle between opposing forces, with the singer caught in the middle. They want to give away a piece of their love, but they fear that it will be rejected or misunderstood. The line "life will never be the same in Port-Royal town" hints at a sense of impending doom, with the shaking of the ground and the stealing in the day all adding to the sense of unease and danger.
The overall effect of the song is one of mystery and ambiguity. The singer seems to be searching for answers, but they are elusive and hard to come by. The song suggests that times are changing and that the future is uncertain, but it leaves the listener to make their own sense of what that might mean.
Line by Line Meaning
In a manger like Christ I lay
I feel helpless and vulnerable, like an infant in a manger.
Yellow fever, yellow hay
I am surrounded by illness and death.
Feel the rhythm, sweetest sound
Despite the chaos around me, there is still beauty and music that brings me peace.
Making, breaking sacred ground
The world is changing rapidly and nothing is safe or sacred anymore.
I'd give you a piece of my love for free
I am willing to share my love and affection with others without expecting anything in return.
But whatever I say, you'll never see
It's frustrating that my words and actions are not always understood or appreciated by others.
Acquire a taste for a different sound
I am open-minded and willing to try new things, especially when it comes to music.
Make or break it this side of town
Success or failure depends on where you are and who you know.
Life will never be the same
Things have changed and will never go back to how they used to be.
In Port-Royal town
Refers to a specific place where the artist is experiencing these changes.
I hear it coming
There is a sense of impending doom, change, or danger approaching.
The shaking of the ground
A metaphor for the upheaval and chaos that is happening.
They're stealing in the day
There are people taking advantage of the chaos and stealing from others, even in broad daylight.
The children are running
The innocent and vulnerable are trying to escape the danger and chaos around them.
Ever strange the lives we lead
Our lives are unpredictable and full of unexpected twists and turns.
So detached from the things we need
We often forget what is truly important and focus on things that don't matter in the grand scheme of things.
Signs of greed in everyone
In times of crisis, people often become selfish and greedy.
Instant eviction and the blood on a gun
There is violence and danger all around, and people are forced to leave their homes and possessions behind at a moment's notice.
Just when you think you've found it
Sometimes we think we have everything figured out, but then something unexpected happens and throws us off track again.
Spinning world I want to spin around it
The world keeps moving and changing, and sometimes it's hard to keep up or find a sense of stability.
What is wrong?
The artist is questioning why things have gotten so bad and chaotic.
This pain won't peel
The artist is hurting and the pain is not going away easily or quickly.
The fibers of my life won't heal
The singer's life has been permanently altered or damaged by the events happening around them.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bernard (gb 2) Sumner, Peter Hook, Gillian Lesley Gilbert, Stephen Paul David Morris
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind