True Faith (song)

"True Faith"
Single by New Order
from the album Substance
B-side	"1963"
Released	20 July 1987
Format	7", 12", CD
Recorded	1987
Genre	Synthpop, alternative dance
Length	4:02 (7"), 5:53 / 9:02 (12")
Label	Factory - FAC 183
Writer(s)	Gillian Gilbert Stephen Hague Peter Hook Stephen Morris Bernard Sumner
New Order singles chronology
"Bizarre Love Triangle" (1986) "True Faith" (1987) "Touched by the Hand of God" (1987)

"True Faith-94"
Single by New Order
from the album The Best of New Order
Released	7 November 1994
Format	7", 12", cassette, CD
Recorded	1987
Genre	Dance
Length	4:30 (7") / 5:35 (12")
Label	London Records
Writer(s)	Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Gillian Gilbert, Stephen Hague
Producer	New Order, Stephen Hague
New Order singles chronology
"Spooky" (1993) "True Faith-94" (1994) "Nineteen63" (1995)

"True Faith" is a 1987 track from New Order, produced by Stephen Hague. It was the first New Order single since their debut "Ceremony" to be issued in the UK as two separate 12" singles. The second 12" single features two remixes of "True Faith" by Shep Pettibone. Both versions of the 12" (and also the edited 7") also include the song "1963". "True Faith" is one of New Order's most popular songs.

The single peaked at number four in the United Kingdom on its original release in 1987. The single also became the first New Order single to chart on the Hot 100 in the United States that same year and their first ever Top 40 hit, peaking at number 32.

A "True Faith" remix 12" single and CD single were released in 1994, and another "True Faith" remix 12" single and CD single were released in 2001. The 1994 remix charted in the UK at number 9.

Original releases

New Order wrote and recorded "True Faith" and "1963" during a 10-day studio session with producer Stephen Hague. The two songs were written as new material for New Order's first singles compilation album, Substance 1987. After the two songs were recorded, the band's US management decided that "True Faith" was the stronger track and would be released as the new single, with "1963" as the B-side. "1963" was remixed and issued as a single in its own right in 1994.

"True Faith" was never used as a track on a regular album, though it did appear on most of New Order's "best of" collections (Substance 1987, The Best of New Order, Retro, Singles and International). The first public performance of the song took place at the 1987 Glastonbury Festival; this version appears on the group's BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert album.

The original 7" version of the song did not appear on any album until 2011's "Total from Joy Division to New Order".

Music video

The release of "True Faith" was accompanied by a surreal music video directed and choreographed by Philippe Decouflé. In it, bizarrely costumed dancers leap about, fight and slap each other in time to the music; while a girl in dark green makeup emerges from an upside down boxer's speed bag and signs the lyrics. The video has often been voted amongst the best music videos of its year. Sky Television's channel The Amp, for instance, has it rated as the best video of 1987, and it won the BPI award for Best Promotional Video in 1988. The video was inspired by Bauhaus artist Oskar Schlemmer's Triadische Ballet.

The overall tonality, themes and various elements from the video re-occurred in Decouflé's scenography and choreography for the inauguration ceremonies of the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.

The band was surprised by the fact that the single widened their audience with younger children despite the mature subject matter, because the video's characters, some of them in primary bauhaus colours, were reminiscent of children's programming.^{[citation needed]}

Lyrics

As is the case for many New Order songs, the words in the title do not appear anywhere in the lyrics.

The original lyrics included a verse that read "Now that we've grown up together/They're all taking drugs with me". Hague convinced Sumner to change the latter line to "They're afraid of what they see" because he was worried that otherwise it would not get played on the radio. When performing the song live, the band have usually used the original line.

Cover versions

• The Boo Radleys as "Boo! Faith" (Learning to Walk, 1993)
• Dreadful Shadows (Homeless, 1994)
• Ghoti Hook (Songs We Didn't Write, 1998)
• Donots (Better Days Not Included, 1999)
• Flunk (Morning Star, 2004)
• Waking (The Maze EP, 2004)
• Code 64 ("Leaving Earth" single, 2005)
• Liz Kay (2008)(Andoria Radio edit)
• Anew Revolution (Rise, 2008)
• And One (Bodypop 1 1/2, 2009)
• Anberlin (2009) iTunes digital single
• George Michael (2011) UK: #27, IRE: #38
• LorD and Master (2011) using the original lyrics vetoed by Stephen Hague.

In film

This track was used in the opening nightclub scene in Mary Harron's film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's novel American Psycho and in James Bridges's 1988 film adaptation of Jay McInerney's novel Bright Lights, Big City. It also appears at the end of the 14th episode of the third season of the American TV series Queer as Folk and in the season finale of the first season of the series The Vampire Diaries.

Track listing

1987 release

UK 7" - FAC 183/7

1. "True Faith" – 4:02
2. "1963" – 5:32

US 7" - Qwest 7-28271

1. "True Faith (The Morning Sun)" – 4:02
2. "1963" – 5:32

UK 12" 1 - FAC 183

1. "True Faith" – 5:55
2. "1963" – 5:32

UK 12" 2 - FAC 183R True Faith Remix

1. "True Faith" (Remix) – 8:59 (US title: "True Faith (The Morning Sun Extended Remix)")
2. "1963" – 5:32
3. "True Dub" – 10:41 (US title: "True Faith (Alternate Faith Dub) ")

UK Video CD (PAL) - FACDV 183

1. "True Faith" (12-inch remix) – 8:59
2. "Evil Dust" – 3:43
3. "True Faith" (7-inch) – 4:06 (actually Shep Pettibone's 'The Morning Sun Remix/Edit' and not the regular UK 7" version)
4. "True Faith" (Video) – 4:20

True Faith-94 release

UK & Europe 7" - NUO5 / UK & Europe 7" - NUOMC 5

1. "True Faith-94" (Radio Edit) – 4:28
2. "True Faith-94" (Perfecto Radio Edit) – 4:05

UK & Europe 12" - NUOX 5

1. "True Faith-94" (Perfecto Mix) – 6:23
2. "True Faith-94" (Sexy Disco Dub) – 5:49
3. "True Faith-94" (TWA Grim Up North Mix) – 6:11
4. "True Faith-94" (The 94 Remix) – 5:34

UK & Europe CD - NUOCD 5

1. "True Faith-94" (Radio Edit) – 4:28
2. "True Faith-94" (Perfecto Radio Edit) – 4:05
3. "True Faith-94" (Perfecto Mix) – 6:23
4. "True Faith-94" – 5:34
5. "True Faith-94" (TWA Grim Up North Mix) – 6:11

Chart positions

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Australia ARIA Singles Chart	8
German Media Control Singles Chart	8
Irish Singles Chart	5
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart	4
UK Singles Chart	4
UK Independent Singles Chart	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	32
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	3
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales	10

Chart (1994, True Faith-94)	Peak position
Irish Singles Chart	11
UK Singles Chart	9

External links

• Stephen Hague talks about recording "True Faith"