Ceremony (song)
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| "Ceremony" | ||||
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| Single by New Order | ||||
| B-side | "In a Lonely Place" | |||
| Released | March 6, 1981 | |||
| Format | 7", 12" | |||
| Genre | Post-punk | |||
| Length | 4:34 (original), 4:23 (re-recorded) |
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| Label | Factory - FAC 33 | |||
| Writer(s) | Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris | |||
| Producer | Martin Hannett, New Order | |||
| New Order singles chronology | ||||
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"Ceremony" is a single by New Order, the band's first ever release.
The song and its B-side, "In a Lonely Place", were originally written by Ian Curtis when the band were still Joy Division and were carried over to the band's re-incarnation as New Order, after Curtis' death.
New Order released the song as a single twice, first in March 1981 and then a different recording featuring new member Gillian Gilbert in September 1981.
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[edit] History
[edit] Joy Division
"Ceremony" was one of the last Joy Division songs to be composed, with lyrics written by Ian Curtis. There are two recorded Joy Division versions of the song in existence. The first available on the Still album is from their final concert at High Hall, Birmingham University on May 2, 1980, sixteen days before Curtis' suicide. The second, available on the Heart and Soul four-disc box set is from a rehearsal tape made in April/May 1980. In both recordings, the vocals are only partially audible.
[edit] New Order
After the death of Ian Curtis, the remaining three members of Joy Division renamed themselves "New Order". Their first release was a re-recording of "Ceremony" as a stand-alone single backed with "In a Lonely Place", with guitarist Bernard Sumner taking over lead vocals. Sumner said that he had to put the "Ceremony" rehearsal tape as sung by Curtis through a graphic equalizer to transcribe the lyrics.[1]
[edit] March 1981 version
In March 1981, the first version of "Ceremony" was released on Factory Records (FAC 33). Martin Hannett (Joy Division's producer) produced the record and Peter Saville designed the sleeve graphics.
The 7" record was issued in a stamped gold-bronze sleeve. The 12" sleeve was a completely separate design: gold typography on a green background.
[edit] September 1981 version
In September 1981, "Ceremony" was re-recorded. Gillian Gilbert played guitar on the recording, just before she formally joined the band. Martin Hannett again produced the record. The single was re-issued as a 12" only, with the same catalogue number (FAC 33). The original is approximately 4:34 minutes in length while the re-recording is 4:23. The re-recorded version was used on all subsequent compilations until Singles in 2005, when the original recording was released on CD for the first time.
There are differences in the recordings. The original has a more "Joy Division sound", with throbbing bass, distorted guitar, spacey vocals, and solid drums also contributing a wash of cymbals. In the re-recording the bass is diminished, cymbals restrained, and the vocals are "drier". The guitar has a sound typical of that used on the album Movement. Drum hits in the opening verse are dramatically panned in the mix. There is a greater contrast between verse and chorus, with the latter sections reaching some of the emotional pitch of the original.
The sleeve (pictured) was changed to a light cream with a vertical blue stripe, though with the same motif and typography as the original 12" single. After supply of the re-designed sleeve ran out, copies of the originally-designed sleeve were re-used.[citation needed] Accordingly, the two versions of the song were packaged indiscriminately in the original sleeve. However, the run-groove notation (phrases pressed onto the vinyl) differ according to the version. The original says "Watching love grow forever".[citation needed] The re-recording says "This is why events unnerve me".[citation needed] Both phrases are excerpts from the lyrics in "Ceremony".
[edit] Composition
Ceremony is a mid tempo uplifting rock song in the key of C Major. The song contains two implied chords, C Major and F Major, shown through the driving bassline. The song does not contain any keyboards, which became a common staple in Joy Divisions later sound, and New Orders eventual sound. The song, in its original recording, featured a faster tempo than that of the September re-record, as well as clearer production and a more processed guitar tone. Ceremony utilises quiet-loud dynamics and artificial reverb to give the song its trademark flowing atmosphere. Interestingly, the song reverts to its quieter stage for the guitar solo, a practise carried over to New Order by Bernard.
The song was composed when the band were still Joy Division, with Ian Curtis providing the vocal melody and the second chorus. Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook rewrote the lyrics for the first verse and chorus when Ians original lyrics could not be found. Bernard tried unsuccessfully to boost Ians vocals in a badly recorded home demo. The attempt to uncover the lyrics at this point was used to record the original demo of Ceremony, featuring Steven Morris on vocals, as part of the bands Western Works Demo.
[edit] Cover versions
The song has been covered by a number of artists, including:
- Radiohead for their "Thumbs Down" webcast on November 9, 2007.
- Galaxie 500 on their 1989 "Blue Thunder" EP (available on the re-issue of On Fire).
- Xiu Xiu on their debut EP from 2002, Chapel of the Chimes
- The Echoing Green.
- The Morning Benders
- Skywave on their live LP, Ice Storm.
[edit] TV Commercials
In Summer 2009, a cover of the song by the band Fall on Your Sword was being used in television and web-based advertisements for Absolut Vodka.[2] [3]
[edit] Track listing
[edit] UK 7" - FAC 33
- "Ceremony" – 4:34
- "In a Lonely Place" – 4:35
[edit] UK 12" - FAC 33
- "Ceremony" – 4:34
- "In a Lonely Place" – 6:12
- Usually a green sleeve.
[edit] UK 12" - FAC 33 (Second pressing)
- "Ceremony" – 4:22
- "In a Lonely Place" – 6:12
- Usually a cream and blue sleeve.
[edit] Chart positions
| Chart (1981) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 7 |
| UK Singles Chart | 34 |
| UK Indie singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 61 |
[edit] References
- ^ New Order Story. Documentary copyright London Records 1993.
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRYvRdPKbhA
- ^ http://adtunes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97317
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