"Love Will Tear Us Apart" is a song by the British post-punk band Joy Division. It was written in August and September 1979, and debuted when the band supported Buzzcocks on their UK tour in September and October 1979. It is one of the few songs in which singer Ian Curtis played guitar (albeit somewhat minimally). The lyrics ostensibly reflect the problems in Ian Curtis's marriage to Deborah Curtis, as well as his general frame of mind in the time leading up to his suicide in May 1980.[citation needed] The title is an ironic reference to "Love Will Keep Us Together". Deborah Curtis had the phrase "Love Will Tear Us Apart" inscribed on Ian Curtis's memorial stone.
The song was first released in April 1980 and, after Curtis's suicide that May, became the band's first chart hit, reaching number 13 in the UK. Later that summer, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" peaked at #42 on the American disco/dance charts [1]. It also debuted at #1 in New Zealand in June 1981. The band postponed their US tour after his death, performed a few short sets as The No-Names, then finally renamed the group as New Order. "Love" was re-released in 1983 and reached number 19 on the UK charts and re-appeared at #3 in New Zealand during March 1984. In 1986 the 7" single was released in Poland by Tonpress in different sleeve under license from Factory and sold over 20000 copies.[2] In November 1988, it made one more Top 40 appearance in New Zealand, peaking at #39. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" appears on the Substance compilation album. It was first recorded for a John Peel session in November 1979, then re-recorded in January 1980 and March 1980. It is the latter version that appears on Substance. The January 1980 version originally appeared as the single's B-side.
In 1995, to publicise the release of Permanent, the track was reissued, complete with a new remix done by Arthur Baker and a new radio edit, also known as the Permanent Mix. On 24 September 2007, the single was again reissued, in its original configuration. This time, it was to publicise the Collector's Edition re-issues of the band's three albums. Although the single was now issued on the Warner label, it retained all the classic Factory packaging, down to the FAC 23 catalogue number.
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Original release
- 7" vinyl (Factory FAC 23)
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" – 3:18
- "These Days" – 3:21
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" – 3:06
- 12" vinyl (Factory FAC 23.12)
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" – 3:18
- "These Days" – 3:21
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" – 3:06
- Track 1 recorded at Strawberry Studios, Stockport, early March 1980
- Tracks 2 and 3 recorded at Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham, 8 January 1980
- In her biography "Touching from a Distance", Deborah Curtis explains that the reason for the two versions of the song, one on each side, was a result of Curtis's slightly different singing in each one; one vocal take was allegedly done when other band members told Curtis to sing "like Frank Sinatra".
- 7" vinyl (Tonpress S-590) Polish edition under license from Factory (1986)
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" – 3:18
- "She's Lost Control" – 3:57
[edit] 1995 re-release
- Cassette (London YOJMC 1)
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (radio version) – 3:38
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (original version) – 3:25
- 12" vinyl (London YOJX1)
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (original version) – 3:25
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (radio version) – 3:38
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (Arthur Baker Remix) – 4:12
- "Atmosphere" (Original Hannett 12") – 4:08
- CDS (London YOJCD1)
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (radio version) – 3:38
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (original version) – 3:25
- "These Days" – 3:25
- "Transmission" (live) – 3:44
[edit] 2007 re-release
- 7" vinyl (Warner FAC 23)
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (original version) – 3:18
- "These Days" – 3:21
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" – 3:06
- CDS (Warner / FAC 23CD)
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (original version) – 3:18
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart '95" (radio version) – 3:38
- "Atmosphere" – 4:08
The video was shot by the band themselves as they recorded the song. At the start of the video the door that opens and shuts is carved the initials of the band members. The video has production errors with colour being 'browned out' at some points. Another production error led to Curtis' vocals not sounding as intended. The song as originally recorded in the video sounds much more like their Peel Session version. Curtis later re-recorded the vocals separately with distinctive hint of melancholy. The oddly-shaped guitar played by Curtis is a Vox Phantom, often mistaken as the Vox Mark III.[citation needed]
[edit] Popularity
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" has remained popular and was listed by NME as the best single of all time in 2002. The song was listed by Rolling Stone magazine at number 179 in its top 500 songs of all time.[3] In May 2007, NME placed it at number 19 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever, one place ahead of another Joy Division song, "Transmission". The song reached number 1 in the inaugural Triple J Hottest 100 music poll of 1989 and again in 1990. When being interviewed for New Order Story, Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys stated that "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was his favourite pop song of all time.
The song has also been used in television programs and in films, such as the 2001 film Donnie Darko, in a pivotal scene before Donnie has to leave his girlfriend in order to save her. The song is included in the indie film Wristcutters, which takes place in an afterlife for people who have committed suicide. It was also included in a film about the Manchester music scene, 24 Hour Party People, during several scenes about the band and Curtis's suicide. It is heard in the Doctor Who episode "School Reunion". The film Series 7: The Contenders features a music video for the song which characters explain as being part of a school project. Their homemade music video is in the style of a cheaply made '80s video with actors dressed in stereotypical goth fashion. In the sci-fi comedy radio series Undone, the song is performed as a chime on an ice cream van.[4] On 11 November 2009 it was featured in the opening scene of episode 7 of season 5 ("The Performer") of the television series Criminal Minds. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was also featured at the beginning of UK police drama, Silent Witness in the episode "Voids: Part 1". The song is featured in the American Dad! episode "Escape from Pearl Bailey".
An edited version of the chorus is sung by Manchester United fans about winger Ryan Giggs ("Giggs, Giggs will tear you apart again"), along with Stoke City who began to sing an altered version against West Ham. A similar version is sung by the Barmy Army, English cricket's official supporters group when spinner Graeme Swann is bowling.
[edit] Cover versions
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" was first performed by New Order (at the Edgbaston Tower Ballroom, Birmingham on 9 May 1983) and has been covered by many artists including Thom Yorke, Mark Owen, Björk, Nerina Pallot, Hawksley Workman, Calexico, Bloc Party, The Cure, Swans, Unbroken, Broken Social Scene, Nouvelle Vague, Heavens, Fall Out Boy, José González, Red Mecca, Yat-Kha, Stanton Miranda, U2, David Gahan, Adam Green, John Frusciante, Arcade Fire, Revere, Squarepusher, Honeyroot, Chris Edwards, Susanna and the Magical Orchestra, Moonspell, The Blood Divine, Simple Minds, Oysterband with June Tabor, Paul Young, Jamie Cullum, Evelyn Evelyn, In the Nursery, Apoptygma Berzerk and The Mulhollands.[5] The song "Let's Dance to Joy Division" by UK act The Wombats was inspired by "Love Will Tear Us Apart", and includes "let love tear us apart" in the lyrics; similarly, Kasper Bjørke's song "Alcatrez" references "Love Will Tear Us Apart": "Do you think it's true that our love will tear us apart?"; the song "Tiny Skeleyons" by An Horse also references "Love Will Tear Us Apart" in the lyric "Ian Curtis said it would tear us apart".
Serbian rock musician, journalist and writer Dejan Cukić wrote about "Love Will Tear Us Apart" as one of the forty-six songs that changed history of popular music in his 2007 book 45 obrtaja: Priče o pesmama.
Broken Social Scene's cover was featured in the soundtrack for The Time Traveler's Wife.
Bush covered the song as a bonus track on their album The Sea of Memories, having previously covered the song In a Lonely Place.
[edit] Swans version
Love Will Tear Us Apart is an EP by the New York band Swans, its ninth release. It features a cover version of the Joy Division song. It was originally released in two different versions with Jarboe (black sleeve) and Gira (red sleeve) providing vocals, along with two semi-acoustic versions of songs from their 1987 LP Children of God. On some versions, a fourth song was appended: A solo acoustic version of "New Mind".
[edit] EP track listing
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" – 3:40
- "Trust Me" – 3:07
- "Our Love Lies" – 6:56
[edit] Musicians
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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