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.
sunrise
New Order Lyrics
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One way conversations do not work somehow
Tell me how does one get your soul in touch with the one above
When one way conversations pay a price for the use of love
I tried so hard last night you would not talk to me
I live with the fear of the few with the gift
And I know what's going to be
You gave a gift that you then took away
Like you never did before
Your name might be God but you don't say that much to me
Your name might be God but you don't say that much to me
We might be your black sheep
But you forgot us a long time ago
We might be your lost sheep
But it's time you remembered us now
As we spend our days together, nothing can go wrong
No one told the truth about it because it was so strong
If you ever think of me, if you hear my name
If you read between the lines, you'll hang your head in shame
These ? ears will never hear, the ice will never freeze
Whatever I have done for you I did because you complained
(Whatever you may think of me whatever you may say
I've lived my whole life in danger,
You've lived your life in hate)
The song "Sunrise" by New Order is a deeply emotional plea for spiritual guidance and communion. The lyrics describe a person waiting to hear from God, but frustrated because they feel that their prayers and attempts at communication go unanswered. The first verse talks about the futility of one-way conversations, and laments the price that love sometimes requires us to pay. The singer of the song is haunted by the fear of the few with the gift of hearing God's voice, and knows that something is going to happen soon, but is not sure what.
The second verse includes a series of questions directed to God, and expresses a sense of betrayal or abandonment. The singer wonders why God never speaks their name in front of their family, and accuses him of giving a gift and then taking it away. The chorus then repeats the phrase "your name might be God but you don't say that much to me" twice, before shifting to a more assertive tone. The bridge or third verse urges God to remember his "black sheep" or "lost sheep," who are still waiting for his guidance and love.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been waiting to hear your voice for too long now
I have been longing for a two-way conversation with you for an extremely long time now.
One way conversations do not work somehow
One-sided conversations are not effective in conveying emotions or conveying what is truly in our hearts.
Tell me how does one get your soul in touch with the one above
How do we connect our soul with you, the divine being above?
When one way conversations pay a price for the use of love
Having one-sided conversations comes at a cost to our relationships, particularly those built on love and affection.
I tried so hard last night you would not talk to me
I put in a lot of effort last night to contact you but I received no response from you.
I live with the fear of the few with the gift
I am afraid of those individuals who claim they have a special gift or connection to you.
And I know what's going to be
And I am aware of what is going to happen.
Why did you never speak my name in front of my family
Why have you never acknowledged me in front of my family?
You gave a gift that you then took away
You bestowed upon me a gift, only to later take it away from me.
Like you never did before
This was something that you have never done in the past.
Your name might be God but you don't say that much to me
Although you are the divine being, you do not speak to me as often as I would like.
We might be your black sheep
We could be seen as the outcasts or the ones who have strayed from your path.
But you forgot us a long time ago
However, it seems as though you have forgotten about us for quite some time now.
We might be your lost sheep
We might be your followers who have lost their way or have become separated from your guidance.
But it's time you remembered us now
It is time for you to acknowledge our existence and the struggles we face.
As we spend our days together, nothing can go wrong
When we are together, everything feels perfect and we believe that nothing can go wrong.
No one told the truth about it because it was so strong
The reason no one spoke the truth about our relationship is that our bond was so intense and profound.
If you ever think of me, if you hear my name
If you ever come across the thought of me or hear my name, please remember me.
If you read between the lines, you'll hang your head in shame
If you analyze our relationship carefully and with sincerity, you will feel regret for your actions.
These ? ears will never hear, the ice will never freeze
No matter what happens, my ears will never stop hearing or my heart will never stop feeling emotions.
Whatever I have done for you I did because you complained
Anything I have done for you was because you expressed a concern or grievance to me.
(Whatever you may think of me whatever you may say
I've lived my whole life in danger,
You've lived your life in hate)
Regardless of what others may say or think about me, my life has been full of risks and dangers, whereas yours has been filled with negativity and animosity.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEPHEN PAUL DAVID MORRIS, PETER HOOK, GILLIAN LESLEY GILBERT, BERNARD (GB 2) SUMNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind