BIOGRAPHY OF JOY DIVISION BY BIMO DWIANUGRAH
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form Copyright © 2012, 2013 by Bimo D. Prakoso Copyright © 2013 by Unknown Publishing and Bimo D. Prakoso Published by Unknown Publishing Kelapa Hijau X 4/9 Jakarta Timur www.unknownpublishing.com This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition incuding this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
BIOGRAPHY OF JOY DIVISION Bimo D. Prakoso
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION i FORMATION 1 - 2 IAN CURTIS 3 - 6 BERNARD SUMNER 7 - 8 PETER HOOK 9 - 10 STEPHEN MORRIS 11 - 12 EARLY RELEASES 13 - 14 AN IDEAL FOR LIVING 15 UNKNOWN PLEASURES 17 - 18 CLOSER 19 - 20 LYRICS 21 - 40
Biography of Joy Division
JOY DIVISION
Ian Curtis (vocals and occasional guitar) Bernard Sumner (guitar and keyboards) Peter Hook (bass guitar and backing vocals) Stephen Morris (drums and percussion)
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. The band rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences to develop a sound and style that pioneered the post-punk movement of the late 1970s. According to music critic Jon Savage, the band “were not punk but were directly inspired by its energy”. Their self-released 1978 debut EP, An Ideal for Living, drew the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson. Joy Division’s debut album, Unknown Pleasures, was released in 1979 on Wilson’s independent record label, Factory Records, and drew critical acclaim from the British press.
Introduction / i
HISTORY OF JOY DIVISION (Formation)
On 20 July 1976, Sumner and Hook (who had been friends since the age of eleven) separately attended the second Sex Pistols show at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall. The following day Hook borrowed £35 from his mother to buy his first bass guitar. Sumner later said that he felt that the Pistols “destroyed the myth of being a pop star, of a musician being some kind of god that you had to worship”.Inspired by the performance, Sumner and Hook formed a band with their friend Terry Mason, who had also attended the show. Sumner bought a guitar, and Mason a drum kit. They invited schoolfriend Martin Gresty to join as vocalist, but he turned them down after getting a job at a local factory. An advertisement was placed in the Virgin Records store in Manchester for a vocalist. Ian Curtis, who knew the three from meeting at earlier gigs, responded and was hired without audition. According to Sumner, “I knew he was all right to get on with and that’s what we based the whole group on. If we liked someone, they were in.” Buzzcocks manager Richard Boon and frontman Pete Shelley have both been credited with suggesting the band call themselves the Stiff Kittens, and they were billed under this name for their first public performance, but the band instead chose the name Warsaw shortly before the gig, in reference to the song “Warszawa” by David Bowie. Warsaw played their first gig on 29 May 1977, supporting the Buzzcocks, Penetration, and John Cooper Clarke at the Electric Circus.[9] The band received national exposure due to reviews of the gig in the NME by Paul Morley and in Sounds by Ian Wood. Tony Tabac played drums that night after joining the band two days earlier. Mason
was soon made the band’s manager and Tabac was replaced on drums in June 1977 by Steve Brotherdale, who also played in the punk band Panik. During his tenure with Warsaw, Brotherdale tried to get Curtis to leave the band and join Panik and even got Curtis to audition for the band. In July 1977, Warsaw recorded a set of five demo tracks at Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham. Uneasy with Brotherdale’s aggressive personality, the band fired him soon after the demo sessions. Driving home from the studio, they pulled over and asked Brotherdale to check on a flat tyre; when he got out of the car, they sped off. In August 1977, the band placed an advertisement in a music shop window seeking a replacement drummer. Stephen Morris, who had attended the same school as Curtis, was the sole respondent. Deborah Curtis, Ian’s wife, stated that Morris “fitted perfectly” with the other men, and that with his addition Warsaw became a “complete ‘family’”. In order to avoid confusion with the London punk band Warsaw Pakt, the band renamed themselves Joy Division in early 1978, borrowing their new name from the prostitution wing of a Nazi concentration camp mentioned in the 1955 novel The House of Dolls. In December, the group recorded what became their debut EP, An Ideal for Living at Pennine Sound Studio and played their final gig as Warsaw on New Year’s Eve at The Swinging Apple in Liverpool. Billed as Warsaw to ensure an audience, the band played their first gig as Joy Division on 25 January 1978 at Pip’s Disco in Manchester.
Biography of Joy Division / 01
Formation / 02
Biography of Joy Division / 03
Ian Curtis (vocals and occasional guitar)
Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 — 18 May 1980) was an English musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division. Curtis, who suffered from epilepsy and depression, committed suicide on 18 May 1980, on the eve of Joy Division’s first North American tour. He was known for his baritone voice, dance style, and songwriting filled with imagery of desolation, emptiness and alienation. In 1976 at a Sex Pistols gig, Curtis met Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook. They were trying to form a band, and Curtis immediately proposed himself as vocalist and lyricist. The trio then unsuccessfully recruited a number of drummers before selecting Stephen Morris as their final member. Initially the band was called Warsaw, but as their name conflicted with that of another group, Warsaw Pakt, the name was changed to Joy Division. The moniker was derived from a 1955 novel The House of Dolls, which featured a Nazi concentration camp with a sexual slavery wing called the “Joy Division”. After starting Factory Records with Alan Erasmus, Tony Wilson signed the band to his label following the band’s appearance on Wilson’s Something Else television programme, itself prompted by an abusive letter sent to Wilson by Curtis. Whilst performing for Joy Division, Curtis became known for his quiet and awkward demeanour, as well as a unique dancing style reminiscent of the epileptic seizures he experienced, sometimes even on stage. There were several incidents when he collapsed and had to be helped off stage. In an interview for Northern Lights cassette magazine in November 1979, Ian Curtis
made his only public comment on his dancing and performance. He explained the dance as a type of sign language with which to further express a song’s emotional and lyrical content: “Instead of just singing about something you could show it as well, put it over in the way that it is, if you were totally involved in what you were doing”. Curtis’ writing was filled with imagery of emotional isolation, death, alienation, and urban decay. [original research?] He sang in a baritone voice, in contrast to his speaking voice, which fell in the tenor range. Earlier in their career, Curtis would sing in a loud snarling voice similar to shouting; it is best displayed on the band’s debut EP, An Ideal for Living (1978). producer Martin Hannett developed Joy Division’s sparse recording style, and some of their most innovative work was created in Strawberry Studios in Stockport (owned by Manchester act 10cc) and Cargo Recording Studios Rochdale in 1979), which was developed from John Peel’s investing money into the music business in Rochdale.[citation needed] Although predominantly a vocalist, Curtis also played guitar on a handful of tracks (usually when Sumner was playing synthesizer; “Incubation” and a Peel Session version of “Transmission” were rare instances when both played guitar). Curtis’ last live performance was on 2 May 1980, at High Hall of Birmingham University, a show that included Joy Division’s first and only performance of “Ceremony”, later recorded by New Order and released as their first single. The last song Curtis performed on stage was “Digital”. The recording of this performance is on the Still album. Detailed in Debbie Curtis’ Touching from a Distance, Curtis was staying at his parents’ house at this time and attempted to talk his wife into staying with him on 17 May 1980, to no avail. He
Ian Curtis / 04
told her to leave him alone in the house until he caught his train to Manchester the next morning. In the early hours of 18 May 1980, Curtis hanged himself in the kitchen of his house at 77 Barton Street, Macclesfield. He had just viewed Werner Herzog’s film Stroszek and listened to Iggy Pop’s The Idiot. At the time of his death, his health was failing as a result of the epilepsy and, attempting to balance his musical ambitions with his marriage, which was foundering in the aftermath of his close relationship with journalist Annik Honoré (who in 2010 would claim it was not an “affair” and merely a close and platonic relationship). His wife found Ian’s body the next morning; he had used the kitchen’s washing line to hang himself. Curtis was cremated at Macclesfield Crematorium and his ashes were buried. His memorial stone, inscribed with “Ian Curtis 18 – 5 – 80” and “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, was stolen in July 2008 from the grounds of Macclesfield Cemetery. The missing memorial stone was later replaced by a new stone. In a 1987 interview with Option, Stephen Morris commented on how he would describe Curtis to those who asked what he was like: “An ordinary bloke just like you or me, liked a bit of a laugh, a bit of a joke.”
Biography of Joy Division / 05
Ian Curtis / 06
Bernard Sumner (guitar and keyboards)
Bernard Edward Sumner (born 4 January 1956), also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and producer. Sumner is also known for being a founding member of the bands Joy Division, a post-punk band formed in 1976. The band are widely considered one of the most influential bands of the era. Primarily known as the band’s lead guitarist (his main guitars were a Gibson SG and a Shergold Custom Masquerader), Sumner also played keyboards for synth parts and made his first vocal appearance on record singing the chorus of “They Walked In Line” on the Warsaw album. In May 1980, the band’s vocalist Ian Curtis committed suicide. An early Joy Division bootleg credited him as “Barney Rubble”.
Biography of Joy Division / 07
Bernard Sumner / 08
Peter Hook (bass guitar and backing vocals)
Peter Hook (born 13 February 1956) is an English bass player, musician, singer, DJ, nightclub owner, record company boss and author. He is currently lead vocalist and bassist for Peter Hook and The Light. Hook was a co-founder of the seminal post-punk band Joy Division along with Bernard Sumner in the mid-1970s. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis, the band reformed as the legendary modern rock band, New Order, and Hook played bass with them until his departure in 2007. Hook has said that he developed his high bass lines when he started playing with Joy Division because the speaker that he used initially (bought from his former art teacher for £10) was so poor he had to play that high to be able to hear what he was doing, as Bernard Sumner’s guitar was so loud.
Biography of Joy Division / 09
Peter Hook / 10
Stephen morris (drum and percussions)
Stephen Paul David Morris (born 28 October 1957) is a musician best known for his work in the Salford-based rock band New Order and, previously, Joy Division. He also drummed in The Other Two, a band made up of Morris and his wife, Gillian Gilbert. Morris also performed live with the New Order spin-off band, Bad Lieutenant. He is known for his machine-like drumming that seamlessly wove with New Order’s and Joy Division’s drum machine sounds. He was ranked No. 5 on Stylus magazine’s 50 Greatest Rock Drummers of All Time. Morris was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England. He attended The King’s School, Macclesfield (the same school as the late Ian Curtis who was also in Joy Division). After Joy Division went through several drummers, they eventually settled on Morris. In 1979, Morris was arrested as a suspect in the Yorkshire Ripper case. Joy Division’s touring schedule happened to be similar to Peter Sutcliffe’s movements which led to the police’s suspicion. Following gigs in Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds and Manchester, both Morris and bassist Peter Hook were questioned.
Biography of Joy Division / 11
Stephen Morris / 12
RECORDS HISTORY (Early Releases)
Joy Division were approached by RCA Records to record a cover of Nolan “N.F.” Porter’s “Keep On Keepin’ On” and were afforded recording time at a professional Manchester studio in return. Joy Division spent late March and April 1978 writing and rehearsing material. During the Stiff/Chiswick Challenge concert at Manchester’s Rafters Club on 14 April, the group caught the attention of Tony Wilson and Rob Gretton. Curtis berated Wilson for not putting the group on his defunct Granada Television show So It Goes; Wilson responded that Joy Division would be the next band he would showcase on TV. Gretton, the venue’s resident DJ, was so impressed by the band’s performance that he convinced them to take him on as their manager. Gretton, whose “dogged determination” would later be credited for much of the band’s public success, contributed the business skills that Joy Division lacked to provide them with a better foundation for creativity. Joy Division spent the first week of May 1978 recording at Manchester’s Arrow Studios. The band were unhappy with the Grapevine Records head John Anderson’s insistence on adding synthesiser into the mix to soften the sound, and asked to be dropped from the contract that they had recently signed with RCA. Joy Division made their recorded debut in June 1978 when the band self-released An Ideal for Living, and two weeks later a track of theirs, “At a Later Date”, was featured on the compilation album Short Circuit: Live at the Electric Circus (which had been recorded live in October 1977). In the Melody Maker review of the EP, Chris Brazier said that it “has the familiar rough-hewn nature of home-produced records but they’re no mere drone-vendors—there are a lot of good ideas here, and they could be a
very interesting band by now, seven months on”. The packaging of An Ideal for Living—which featured a drawing of a Hitler Youth member on the cover—coupled with the nature of the band’s name, fuelled speculation about their political affiliations. While Hook and Sumner later admitted to being intrigued by fascism at the time, Morris insisted that the group’s obsession with Nazi imagery came from a desire to keep memories of the sacrifices of their parents and grandparents during World War II alive. He argued that accusations of neo-Nazi sympathies merely provoked the band “to keep on doing it, because that’s the kind of people we are”. In September 1978, Joy Division made their television performance debut on the local news show Granada Reports, hosted by Tony Wilson. In October, Joy Division contributed two tracks recorded with producer Martin Hannett to the compilation double-7” EP A Factory Sample, the first release by Tony Wilson’s record label, Factory Records. Joy Division soon joined Factory’s roster, after buying themselves out of the deal with RCA. Rob Gretton was made a partner in the label to represent the interests of the band. On 27 December, Ian Curtis suffered his first recognisable epileptic episode. During the ride home after a show at the Hope and Anchor pub in London, Curtis had a seizure and was taken to a hospital. In spite of his illness, Joy Division’s career continued to progress. Curtis appeared on the front cover of the 13 January 1979 issue of the NME due to the persistence of music journalist Paul Morley; that same month the band recorded their first radio session for BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel. According to Deborah Curtis, “Sandwiched in between these two important landmarks was the realization that Ian’s illness was something we would have to learn to accommodate.”
Biography of Joy Division / 13
Records History / 14
DEBUT ep ALBUM An Ideal For Living
and the words “Joy! Division” printed in a blackletter font. The cover design, coupled with the nature of the band’s name, fuelled controversy over whether the band had Nazi sympathies. As the cover hints, the release reflects the band’s early punk influences, as opposed to the post-punk style the band would later develop. The 12” version was released later with an image of scaffolding, in an attempt to distance the band from perceived Nazi overtones.
An Ideal for Living is the debut EP released by Joy Division in 1978, shortly after changing their name from Warsaw. All tracks were recorded at the Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham, on 14 December 1977. A 7” version was released in June on the band’s own Enigma Records label (not to be confused with the American record label of the same name), followed by a 12” version in October on the band’s own Anonymous Records label. All tracks were re-released on the band’s 1988 singles compilation Substance. The song Leaders of Men appears in the film Newsmakers.
Track Listing
The cover has a black-and-white picture of a blonde Hitler Youth member beating a drum, which was drawn by guitarist Bernard Sumner (called “Bernard Albrecht” on the poster sleeve),
7” vinyl (Enigma PSS139) and 12” vinyl (Anonymous Record ANON 1)
All tracks written by Joy Division. “Warsaw” – 2:26 “No Love Lost” – 3:42 “Leaders of Men” – 2:34 “Failures” – 3:44
Biography of Joy Division / 15
first studio album Unknown Pleasures
went on to say that Hannett was only as good as the material he had to work with, “We gave him great songs, and like a top chef, he added some salt and pepper and some herbs and served up the dish. But he needed our ingredients.”
Unknown Pleasures is the debut studio album by English post-punk band Joy Division. It was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport in April 1979, with Martin Hannett as producer, and was released on 15 June 1979 by Factory Records. It followed an abandoned album for RCA Records. The recording of Unknown Pleasures took place at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England between 1 and 17 April 1979, with Martin Hannett producing. Describing Hannett’s production techniques, Hook said, “He didn’t think straight, he thought sideways. He confused you and made you do something you didn’t expect.” Hook went on to say, “Derek Bramwood of Strawberry Studios said that you can take a group that have got on brilliantly for 20 years, put them in a studio with Martin and within five minutes, they’ll be trying to slash each other’s throats.” However, Hook
Hannett used a number of unusual sound effects and production techniques on the album; including the sound of a bottle smashing, someone eating crisps, backwards guitar and the sound of the Strawberry Studios lift with a Leslie speaker “whirring inside”. He also used the sound of a basement toilet, as well as an ASM Neve (a prototype digital delay), tape echo and bounce. Hannett recorded Curtis’s vocals for “Insight” down a telephone line so he could achieve the “requisite distance”. Referring to the recording sessions, Hook remembered, “Sumner started using a kit-built Powertran Transcendent 2000 synthesiser, most notably on ‘I Remember Nothing’, where it vied with the sound of Rob Gretton smashing bottles with Steve and his Walther replica pistol.” He continued, “Morris ... had invested in a syndrum because he thought he saw one on the cover of Can’s Tago Mago: “you triggered it by hitting it. Hannett frowned on it because he wasn’t the one doing the triggering.” The four members of Joy Division had different opinions on the production of Unknown Pleasures. Sumner said, “The music was loud and heavy, and we felt that Martin had toned it down, especially with the guitars. The production inflicted this dark, doomy mood over the album: we’d drawn this picture in black and white, and Martin had coloured it in for us. We resented it ...”[2] Hook said, “I couldn’t hide my disappointment then, it sounded like Pink Floyd.”[10] Morris disagreed, saying, “I was happy with Unknown
Biography of Joy Division / 17
Pleasures. My theory on things at the time was that the two things—listening to a record and going to a gig—were quite different. You don’t want to hear a record when you go to a gig: you want something with a bit of energy.”Curtis was also happy with the production of the album and was impressed with Hannett’s work. The band initially disliked the “spacious, atmospheric sound” of the album, which did not reflect their more aggressive live sound. Hook said in 2006, “It definitely didn’t turn out sounding the way I wanted it ... But now I can see that Martin did a good job on it ... There’s no two ways about it, Martin Hannett created the Joy Division sound.” Hook also noted that he was able hear Curtis’s lyrics and Sumner’s guitar parts for the first time on the record, because during gigs the band played too loudly. In 1994 Jon Savage described the music as “a definitive Northern Gothic statement: guilt-ridden, romantic, claustrophobic”. Analysing Curtis’s work, music journalist Richard Cook remarked in 1983: “sex has disappeared from these unknown pleasures; it is an aftermath of passion where everything’s (perhaps) lost”.
Track Listing All songs written by Joy Division. “Disorder” – 3:32 “Day of the Lords” – 4:49 “Candidate” – 3:05 “Insight” – 4:29 “New Dawn Fades” – 4:47 “She’s Lost Control” – 3:57 “Shadowplay” – 3:55 “Wilderness” – 2:38 “Interzone” – 2:16 “I Remember Nothing” – 5:53
First Studio Album / 18
Biography of Joy Division / 19
final album Closer
When Closer came out, McCullough remarked were “dark strokes of
Closer is the second and final studio album by English post-punk band Joy Division. It was released on 18 July 1980, through record label Factory, following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis two months earlier.
Track Listing
The Atrocity Exhibition by J.G. Ballard was an influence on the album, and the novel shares its title with the opening track. The album cover was designed by Martyn Atkins and Peter Saville, with photography by Bernard Pierre Wolff. The photograph on the cover is of the Appiani family tomb in the Cimitero Monumentale di Staglieno in Genoa, Italy. In a 2007 documentary on the band, designer Martyn Atkins commented that he, upon learning of singer Ian Curtis’s suicide, expressed immediate concern over the album’s design as it depicted a funeral theme remarking “the album cover... it’s a tomb!”
Side one “Atrocity Exhibition” - 6:06 “Isolation” - 2:53 “Passover” - 4:46 “Colony” - 3:55 “A Means to an End” - 4:07
Sounds’ Dave that there gothic rock”.
All songs written and composed by Joy Division.
Side two “Heart and Soul” - 5:51 “Twenty Four Hours” - 4:26 “The Eternal” - 6:07 “Decades” - 6:10
Final Album / 20
lyrics (A - Z)
A MEANS TO AN END
Only one thing wrong with that, what it don’t buy I don’t use
A legacy so far removed, One day will be improved. Eternal rights we left behind, We were the better kind. Two the same, set free too, I always looked to you, I always looked to you, I always looked to you.
Only thing I’m thinking of is “Why are we all here?” There must be more to do at night than drinking rotten beer The world’s a very shady place, and you can’t trust a soul “Grin and bear it” seemed the thing, when it just gets a hold At a later date - it might come out a fright At a later date - I hope that you’re alright
We fought for good, stood side by side, Our friendship never died. On stranger waves, the lows and highs, Our vision touched the sky, Immortalists with points to prove, I put my trust in you. I put my trust in you. I put my trust in you. A house somewhere on foreign soil, Where ageing lovers call, Is this your goal, your final needs, Where dogs and vultures eat, Committed still I turn to go. I put my trust in you. I put my trust in you...
Human beings are dangerous and they call me in the dark But everything gets twice as cold in marching for a lark There’s loads of things I’d like to do if I could find the time Working really tires me and I think I’ll turn to crime At a later date - I hope they start it soon At a later date - before we hit the moon I just can’t be bothered to make an effort here at all People make you feel your contributions are too small At a later date - I’ll be awful great At a later date - someone somewhere blew it At a later date - at a later date
AT A LATER DATE Why must we be put down when we try to get away? Why must we all grow up when we could just play and play? Good things in life are free, can’t buy everything, that’s true Biography of Joy Division / 21
ATMOSPHERE
This is the way, step inside...
Walk in silence, Don’t walk away, in silence. See the danger, Always danger, Endless talking, Life rebuilding, Don’t walk away.
This is the way, step inside. This is the way, step inside...
Walk in silence, Don’t turn away, in silence. Your confusion, My illusion, Worn like a mask of self-hate, Confronts and then dies. Don’t walk away.
This is the way, step inside. This is the way, step inside...
You’ll see the horrors of a faraway place, Meet the architects of law face to face. See mass murder on a scale you’ve never seen, And all the ones who try hard to succeed.
And I picked on the whims of a thousand or more, Still pursuing the path that’s been buried for years, All the dead wood from jungles and cities on fire, Can’t replace or relate, can’t release or repair, Take my hand and I’ll show you what was and will be.
People like you find it easy, Naked to see, Walking on air. Hunting by the rivers, Through the streets, Every corner abandoned too soon, Set down with due care. Don’t walk away, in silence, Don’t walk away.
ATROCITY EXHIBITION
AUTOSUGGESTION
Asylums with doors open wide, Where people had paid to see inside, For entertainment they watch his body twist, Behind his eyes he says, ‘I still exist.’
Here, here, Everything is by design, Everything is by design.
This is the way, step inside. This is the way, step inside... In arenas he kills for a prize, Wins a minute to add to his life. But the sickness is drowned by cries for more, Pray to God, make it quick, watch him fall. This is the way, step inside.
Here, here, Everything is kept inside. So take a chance and step outside, Your hopes, your dreams, your paradise. Heroes, idols, cracked like ice. Here, here, Everything is kept inside. So take a chance and step outside.
Lyrics / 22
Pure frustration face to face. A point of view creates more waves, So take a chance and step outside.
I tried to get to you.
Take a chance and step outside. Lose some sleep and say you tried. Meet frustration face to face. A point of view creates more waves.
CEREMONY
So lose some sleep and say you tried. So lose some sleep and say you tried...
CANDIDATE Forced by the pressure, The territories marked, No longer the pleasure, Oh, I’ve since lost the heart. Corrupted from memory, No longer the power, It’s creeping up slowly, That last fatal hour. Oh, I don’t know what made me, What gave me the right, To mess with your values, And change wrong to right. Please keep your distance, The trail leads to here, There’s blood on your fingers, Brought on by fear. I campaigned for nothing, I worked hard for this, I tried to get to you, You treat me like this. It’s just second nature, It’s what we’ve been shown, We’re living by your rules, That’s all that we know. I tried to get to you, I tried to get to you, I tried to get to you,
This is why events unnerve me, They find it all, a different story, Notice whom for wheels are turning, Turn again and turn towards this time, All she ask’s the strength to hold me, Then again the same old story, Word will travel, oh so quickly, Travel first and lean towards this time. Oh, I’ll break them down, no mercy shown, Heaven knows, it’s got to be this time, Watching her, these things she said, The times she cried, Too frail to wake this time. Oh, I’ll break them down, no mercy shown, Heaven knows, it’s got to be this time, Avenues all lined with trees, Picture me and then you start watching, Watching forever, forever, Watching love grow, forever, Letting me know, forever.
COLONY A cry for help, a hint of anaesthesia, The sound from broken homes, We used to always meet here. As he lays asleep, she takes him in her arms, Some things I have to do, but I don’t mean you harm. A worried parent’s glance, a kiss, a last goodbye, Hands him the bag she packed, the tears she tries to hide, A cruel wind that bows down to our lunacy, Biography of Joy Division / 23
And leaves him standing cold here in this colony. I can’t see why all these confrontations, I can’t see why all these dislocations, No family life, this makes me feel uneasy, Stood alone here in this colony. In this colony, in this colony, in this colony, in this colony.
I guess you were right, when we talked in the heat, There’s no room for the weak, no room for the weak. Where will it end? Where will it end? Where will it end? Where will it end?
Dear God in his wisdom took you by the hand, God in his wisdom made you understand. God in his wisdom took you by the hand, God in his wisdom made you understand. God in his wisdom took you by the hand, God in his wisdom made you understand. God in his wisdom took you by the hand, God in his wisdom made you understand. In this colony, in this colony, in this colony, in this colony.
This is the room, the start of it all, Through childhood, through youth, I remember it all, Oh, I’ve seen the nights filled with bloodsport and pain, And the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained. Where will it end? Where will it end? Where will it end? Where will it end?
DAY OF THE LORDS
DEAD SOULS
This is the room, the start of it all, No portrait so fine, only sheets on the wall, I’ve seen the nights, filled with bloodsport and pain, And the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained.
Someone take these dreams away, That point me to another day, A duel of personalities, That stretch all true realities.
Where will it end? Where will it end? Where will it end? Where will it end? These are your friends from childhood, through youth, Who goaded you on, demanded more proof, Withdrawal pain is hard, it can do you right in, So distorted and thin, distorted and thin. Where will it end? Where will it end? Where will it end? Where will it end? This is the car at the edge of the road, There’s nothing disturbed, all the windows are closed,
That keep calling me, They keep calling me, Keep on calling me, They keep calling me. Where figures from the past stand tall, And mocking voices ring the halls. Imperialistic house of prayer, Conquistadors who took their share. That keep calling me, They keep calling me Keep on calling me They keep calling me...
Lyrics / 24
DECADES Here are the young men, the weight on their shoulders, Here are the young men, well where have they been? We knocked on the doors of Hell’s darker chamber, Pushed to the limit, we dragged ourselves in, Watched from the wings as the scenes were replaying, We saw ourselves now as we never had seen. Portrayal of the trauma and degeneration, The sorrows we suffered and never were free. Where have they been? Where have they been? Where have they been? Where have they been?
DIGITAL Feel it closing in, Feel it closing in, The fear of whom I call, Every time I call I feel it closing in, I feel it closing in, Day in, day out, day in, day out... I feel it closing in, As patterns seem to form.
I’d have the world around, To see just whatever happens, Stood by the door alone, And then it’s fade away, I see you fade away. Don’t ever fade away. I need you here today. Don’t ever fade away. Don’t ever fade away...
DISORDER
Weary inside, now our heart’s lost forever, Can’t replace the fear, or the thrill of the chase, Each ritual showed up the door for our wanderings, Open then shut, then slammed in our face. Where have they been? Where have they been? Where have they been? Where have they been?
I feel it cold and warm. The shadows start to fall. I feel it closing in, I feel it closing in, Day in, day out, day in, day out...
I’ve been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand, Could these sensations make me feel the pleasures of a normal man? These sensations barely interest me for another day, I’ve got the spirit, lose the feeling, take the shock away. It’s getting faster, moving faster now, it’s getting out of hand, On the tenth floor, down the back stairs, it’s a no man’s land, Lights are flashing, cars are crashing, getting frequent now, I’ve got the spirit, lose the feeling, let it out somehow. What means to you, what means to me, and we will meet again, I’m watching you, I’m watching her, I’ll take no pity from your friends, Who is right, who can tell, and who gives a damn right now, Until the spirit new sensation takes hold, then you know, Until the spirit new sensation takes hold, then you know, Until the spirit new sensation takes hold, then
Biography of Joy Division / 25
you know, I’ve got the spirit, but lose the feeling, I’ve got the spirit, but lose the feeling. Feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling.
Sees the failures of the Modern Man. Wise words and sympathy, Tell the story of our history. New strength gives a real touch, Sense and reason make it all too much. With a strange fatality, Broke the spirits of a lesser man, Some other race can see, In his way he was the only one, In his way he was the only one.
EXERCISE ONE
He no longer denies, All the failures of the Modern Man, No, no, no, he can’t pick sides, Sees the failures of the Modern Man. Now that it’s right to decide, In his time he was a total man, Taken from Caesar’s side, Kept in silence just to prove who’s wrong. He no longer denies, All the failures of the Modern Man, No, no, no, he can’t pick sides, Sees the failures of the Modern Man. All the failures of the Modern Man.
When you’re looking at life, In a strange new room, Maybe drowning soon, Is this the start of it all? Turn on your TV, Turn down your pulse, Turn away from it all, It’s all getting too much. When you’re looking at life, Deciphering scars, Just who fooled who, Sit still in their cars, The lights look bright, When you reach outside, Time for one last ride, Before the end of it all.
FAILURES Don’t speak of safe Messiahs, A failure of the Modern Man, To the centre of all life’s desires, As a whole not an also ran. Love in a hollow field, Break the image of your father’s son, Drawn to an inner feel, He was thought of as the only one, He was thought of as the only one. He no longer denies, All the failures of the Modern Man, No, no, no, he can’t pick sides,
FROM SAFETY TO WHERE No I don’t know just why No I don’t know just why Which way to turn I’ve got this ticket to use Through childlike ways rebellion and crime To reach this point and retreat back again The broken hearts, all the wheels that have turned The memories scarred and the vision is blurred No I don’t know which way Don’t know which way to turn The best possible use Just passing through ‘till we reach the next stage Lyrics / 26
But just to where, well it’s all been arranged Just passing through but the break must be made Should we move on or stay safely away? Through childlike ways rebellion and crime To reach this point and retreat back again The broken hearts all the wheels that have turned The memories scarred and the vision is blurred
Do it again...
GUTZ Warsaw!
Just passing through ‘till we reach the next stage But just to where, well it’s all been arranged Just passing through but the break must be made Should we move on or stay safely away?
Don’t talk to me girl - you know it’s not nice Don’t laugh at murder - I won’t pay the price The facts are too high-powered - it’s such a big thrill I’d do it myself, ‘cause it makes you so ill
GLASS
Don’t be a puppet - always rush you around One just for your photo - try and tie me down I won’t tell him I talk like this all night He must be worried ‘cause you’re sounding so trite
Hearts fail, young hearts fail, Anytime, pressurised, Overheat, overtired, Take it quick, take it neat, Clasp your hands, touch your feet, Take it quick, take it neat, Take it quick, take it neat. Hearts fail, young hearts fail, Anytime, wearing down, On the run, underground, Put your hand where it’s safe, Leave your hand where it’s safe.
Blame bad things on me, whatever you do When I come home my world is different from you You’re such a chic tart - you’re really dressed up Don’t wanna talk to you - just left with your mum
Respect is only normal - the way to your lives Ever tried to sleep around - once I begged for a wife Wouldn’t have to change you - start acting that way If we don’t keep our heads alive, I’ll never get a say You know what’s special - it’s as black as I say Can you see me, just ourselves - no comment, copycat!
Do it again, Do it again and again and again... Anytime, that’s your right. Don’t you wish you do it again, Overheat, overtired. Don’t you wish you do it again... Anytime, that’s your right... Don’t you wish you do it again... I bet you wish you do it again Biography of Joy Division / 27
HEART AND SOUL
Were strangers.
Instincts that can still betray us, A journey that leads to the sun, Soulless and bent on destruction, A struggle between right and wrong. You take my place in the showdown, I’ll observe with a pitiful eye, I’d humbly ask for forgiveness, A request well beyond you and I.
Get weak all the time, may just pass the time, Me in my own world, and you there beside, The gaps are enormous, we stare from each side, We were strangers for way too long.
Heart and soul, one will burn. Heart and soul, one will burn. An abyss that laughs at creation, A circus complete with all fools, Foundations that lasted the ages, Then ripped apart at their roots. Beyond all this good is the terror, The grip of a mercenary hand, When savagery turns all good reason, There’s no turning back, no last stand.
Violent, more violent, his hand cracks the chair, Moves on reaction, then slumps in despair, Trapped in a cage and surrendered too soon, Me in my own world, the one that you knew, For way too long. We were strangers for way too long. We were strangers, We were strangers for way too long, For way too long.
Heart and soul, one will burn. Heart and soul, one will burn. Existence well what does it matter? I exist on the best terms I can. The past is now part of my future, The present is well out of hand. The present is well out of hand. Heart and soul, one will burn. Heart and soul, one will burn. One will burn, one will burn. Heart and soul, one will burn.
I REMEMBER NOTHING We were strangers. We were strangers, for way too long, for way too long, We were strangers, for way too long. Violent, violent,
ICE AGE I’ve seen the real atrocities, Buried in the sand, Stockpiled safety for a few, While we stand holding hands. I’m living in the Ice age, I’m living in the Ice age, Nothing will hold, Nothing will fit, Into the cold, It’s not an eclipse. Living in the Ice age, Living in the Ice age, Living in the Ice age. Searching for another way, Hide behind the door, We’ll live in holes and disused shafts, Hopes for little more.
Lyrics / 28
I’m living in the Ice age, I’m living in the Ice age, Nothing will hold, Nothing will fit, Into the cold, No smile on your lips, Living in the Ice age, Living in the Ice age, Living in the Ice age...
I can’t even seem to find the room to move Shackled up in fantasy Hoping for some time to breathe Suffocation comes too easy I just want some time to breathe Dirt sticks close to you - it’s all around me Everything I do - they’re always trying to crowd me I can’t even seem to find the room to move
IN A LONELY PLACE Caressing the marble and stone, Love that was special for one, The waste in the fever I heat, How I wish you were here with me now. Body that curls in and dies, And shares that awful daylight, Warm like a dog round your feet, How I wish you were here with me now. Hangman looks round as he waits, Cord stretches tight then it breaks, Someday we will die in your dreams, How I wish we were here with you now.
INSIDE THE LINE Hey you! You too! I could make the choice for you Dirt sticks close to you - it’s all around me Everything I try to do I can’t even seem to find the room to move But you think you’re number one Actors though the film has gone Crowded in a room for one Darkness when the lights are on Turn me on for good - it’s so exciting Slogans on the wall don’t need no advertising
Watching every move I make Choice of one that’s hard to take In fact it’s just a big mistake The effects that make it feel like you Maggots run inside the line Ready for the perfect crime Say there is no right or wrong I don’t know what’s right or wrong I don’t know what’s right or wrong
INSIGHT Guess your dreams always end. They don’t rise up just descend, But I don’t care anymore, I’ve lost the will to want more, I’m not afraid not at all, I watch them all as they fall, But I remember when we were young. Those with habits of waste, Their sense of style and good taste, Of making sure you were right, Hey don’t you know you were right? I’m not afraid anymore, I keep my eyes on the door, But I remember... Tears of sadness for you, More upheaval for you, Reflects a moment in time, A special moment in time,
Biography of Joy Division / 29
Yeah we wasted our time, We didn’t really have time, But we remember when we were young.
Had to think again, Trying to find a clue, trying to find a way to get out! Trying to move away, had to move away and keep out.
And all God’s angels beware, And all you judges beware, Sons of chance, take good care, For all the people not there, I’m not afraid anymore, I’m not afraid anymore, I’m not afraid anymore, Oh, I’m not afraid anymore.
Four, twelve windows, ten in a row, Behind a wall, well I looked down low, The lights shined like a neon show, Inserted deep felt a warmer glow, No place to stop, no place to go, No time to lose, had to keep on going, I guessed they died some time ago. I guessed they died some time ago. And I was looking for a friend of mine. And I had no time to waste. Yeah, looking for some friends of mine.
INTERZONE I walked through the city limits, Someone talked me in to do it, Attracted by some force within it, Had to close my eyes to get close to it, Around a corner where a prophet lay, Saw the place where she’d a room to stay, A wire fence where the children played. Saw the bed where the body lay, And I was looking for a friend of mine. And I had no time to waste. Yeah, looking for some friends of mine.
ISOLATION
The cars screeched hear the sound on dust, Heard a noise just a car outside, Metallic blue turned red with rust, Pulled in close by the building’s side, In a group all forgotten youth, Had to think, collect my senses now, Are turned on to a knife edged view. Find some places where my friends don’t know, And I was looking for a friend of mine. And I had no time to waste. Yeah, looking for some friends of mine. Down the dark streets, the houses looked the same, Getting darker now, faces look the same, And I walked round and round. No stomach, torn apart, Nail me to a train,
In fear every day, every evening, He calls her aloud from above, Carefully watched for a reason, Painstaking devotion and love, Surrendered to self preservation, From others who care for themselves. A blindness that touches perfection, But hurts just like anything else. Isolation, isolation, isolation. Mother I tried please believe me, I’m doing the best that I can. I’m ashamed of the things I’ve been put through, I’m ashamed of the person I am. Isolation, isolation, isolation. But if you could just see the beauty, These things I could never describe, These pleasures a wayward distraction,
Lyrics / 30
This is my one lucky prize.
All the noise is too much, And the seeds that are sown, Are no longer your own.
Isolation, isolation, isolation...
Just a minor operation, To force a final ultimatum. Thousand words are spoken loud, Reach the dumb to fool the crowd.
KOMAKINO This is the hour when the mysteries emerge. A strangeness so hard to reflect. A moment so moving, goes straight to your heart, The vision has never been met. The attraction is held like a weight deep inside, Something I’ll never forget. The pattern is set, her reaction will start, Complete but rejected too soon. Looking ahead in the grip of each fear, Recalls the life that we knew. The shadow that stood by the side of the road, Always reminds me of you. How can I find the right way to control, All the conflict inside, all the problems beside, As the questions arise, and the answers don’t fit, Into my way of things, Into my way of things.
When you walk down the street, And the sound’s not so sweet, And you wish you could hide, Maybe go for a ride, To some peep show arcade, Where the future’s not made. A nightmare situation, Infiltrate imagination, Smacks of past Holy wars, By the wall with broken laws. The leaders of men, Born out of your frustration. The leaders of men, Just a strange infatuation. The leaders of men, Made a promise for a new life. No saviour for our sakes, To twist the internees of hate, Self induced manipulation, To crush all thoughts of mass salvation.
LOVE WILL TEAR US APART LEADERS OF MEN Born from some mother’s womb, Just like any other room. Made a promise for a new life. Made a victim out of your life.
When routine bites hard, And ambitions are low, And resentment rides high, But emotions won’t grow, And we’re changing our ways, Taking different roads.
When your time’s on the door, And it drips to the floor, And you feel you can touch,
Then love, love will tear us apart again. Love, love will tear us apart again. Biography of Joy Division / 31
Why is the bedroom so cold? You’ve turned away on your side. Is my timing that flawed? Our respect runs so dry. Yet there’s still this appeal That we’ve kept through our lives.
NO LOVE LOST So long sitting here, Didn’t hear the warning. Waiting for the tape to run. We’ve been moving around in different situations, Knowing that the time would come. Just to see you torn apart, Witness to your empty heart. I need it. I need it. I need it.
But love, love will tear us apart again. Love, love will tear us apart again. You cry out in your sleep, All my failings exposed. And there’s a taste in my mouth, As desperation takes hold. Just that something so good Just can’t function no more. But love, love will tear us apart again. Love, love will tear us apart again.
Through the wire screen, the eyes of those standing outside looked in at her as into the cage of some rare creature in a zoo. In the hand of one of the assistants she saw the same instrument which they had that morning inserted deep into her body. She shuddered instinctively. No life at all in the house of dolls. No love lost. No love lost.
NEW DAWN FADES A change of speed, a change of style. A change of scene, with no regrets, A chance to watch, admire the distance, Still occupied, though you forget. Different colours, different shades, Over each mistakes were made. I took the blame. Directionless so plain to see, A loaded gun won’t set you free. So you say. We’ll share a drink and step outside, An angry voice and one who cried, ‘We’ll give you everything and more, The strain’s too much, can’t take much more.’ I’ve walked on water, run through fire, Can’t seem to feel it anymore. It was me, waiting for me, Hoping for something more, Me, seeing me this time, Hoping for something else.
You’ve been seeing things, In darkness, not in learning, Hoping that the truth will pass. No life underground, wasting never changing, Wishing that this day won’t last. To never see you show your age, To watch until the beauty fades. I need it. I need it. I need it. Two-way mirror in the hall, They like to watch everything you do, Transmitters hidden in the walls, So they know everything you say is true, Turn it on, Don’t turn it on, Turn it on.
Lyrics / 32
PASSOVER
NOVELTY When the people listen to you, don’t you know it means a lot ‘Cause you’ve got to work so hard for everything you’ve got Can’t rest on your laurels now - not when you’ve got none You’ll find yourself in the gutter, right back where you came from Someone told me being in the know is the main thing We all need the security that belonging brings Can’t stand on your own in these times against all the odds I don’t want to act uncool like all the other sods You slap our backs and pretend you knew About all the things that we were gonna do What ya gonna do, what ya gonna do when it’s over? You’re all on your own now - don’t you think that it’s a shame But you’re the only one responsible to take the blame When ya gonna grow up and act, and be yourself Cause pretty soon you’ll find yourself nailed to the shelf Grab it while you can, but don’t ever relax Cause there’s always someone gonna stab your back What ya gonna do, what ya gonna do when it’s over?
This is a crisis I knew had to come, Destroying the balance I’d kept. Doubting, unsettling and turning around, Wondering what will come next. Is this the role that you wanted to live? I was foolish to ask for so much. Without the protection and infancy’s guard, It all falls apart at first touch. Watching the reel as it comes to a close, Brutally taking its time, People who change for no reason at all, It’s happening all of the time. Can I go on with this train of events? Disturbing and purging my mind, Back out of my duties, when all’s said and done, I know that I’ll lose every time. Moving along in our God given ways, Safety is sat by the fire, Sanctuary from these feverish smiles, Left with a mark on the door, Is this the gift that I wanted to give? Forgive and forget’s what they teach, Or pass through the deserts and wastelands once more, And watch as they drop by the beach. This is the crisis I knew had to come, Destroying the balance I’d kept, Turning around to the next set of lives, Wondering what will come next.
SHADOW PLAY To the centre of the city where all roads meet, waiting for you, To the depths of the ocean where all hopes sank, searching for you,
Biography of Joy Division / 33
I was moving through the silence without motion, waiting for you, In a room with a window in the corner I found truth. In the shadowplay, acting out your own death, knowing no more, As the assassins all grouped in four lines, dancing on the floor, And with cold steel, odour on their bodies made a move to connect, But I could only stare in disbelief as the crowds all left. I did everything, everything I wanted to, I let them use you for their own ends, To the centre of the city in the night, waiting for you, To the centre of the city in the night, waiting for you.
SHE’S LOST CONTROL
She’s lost control again. She’s lost control. Well I had to phone her friend to state my case, And say she’s lost control again. And she showed up all the errors and mistakes, And said I’ve lost control again. But she expressed herself in many different ways, Until she lost control again. And walked upon the edge of no escape, And laughed I’ve lost control. She’s lost control again. She’s lost control. She’s lost control again. She’s lost control. I could live a little better with the myths and the lies, When the darkness broke in, I just broke down and cried. I could live a little in a wider line, When the change is gone, when the urge is gone, To lose control. When here we come.
Confusion in her eyes that says it all. She’s lost control. And she’s clinging to the nearest passer by, She’s lost control. And she gave away the secrets of her past, And said I’ve lost control again, And of a voice that told her when and where to act, She said I’ve lost control again. And she turned around and took me by the hand And said I’ve lost control again. And how I’ll never know just why or understand She said I’ve lost control again. And she screamed out kicking on her side And said I’ve lost control again. And seized up on the floor, I thought she’d die. She said I’ve lost control. She’s lost control again. She’s lost control.
SISTER RAY Jimmy came from Carolina - Wants to know a way to earn a dollar Says he’s suffering with a fever, just like Sister Ray says I’m searching for my mainline, I couldn’t hit it sideways Jimmy’s got a new piece, lying cold for a quar-
Lyrics / 34
ter hour Took it out of his suitcase, shot him dead right on the floor Hey man, you shouldn’t do that, don’t you know you’ll stain the carpet Hey man, you shouldn’t do that, just like Sister Ray says Too busy sucking on a ding dong, hey don’t you know you’ll stain the carpet Too busy sucking on my ding dong, hey you know you shouldn’t do that I’m searching for my mainline, I couldn’t hit it sideways I’m searching for my mainline, going to count one, two, three, four Jimmy came from Carolina, wants to know a way to earn a dollar Says he didn’t like the weather, it’s just like Sister Ray says Hit on it Jim Had a good night Jimmy’s got a new piece, cold hearted for the fingering Took it out in front of him, shot him dead right on the floor Hey man, you shouldn’t do that, hey don’t you know you’ll stain the carpet It’s just like Sister Ray said Just like Sister Ray said Had a good night Just like Sister Ray said
Two ways to choose, Which way to go, Decide for me, Please let me know. Looked in the mirror, saw I was wrong, If I could get back to where I belong, where I belong. Two ways to choose, Which way to go, Had thoughts for one Designs for both. But we were immortal, we were not there, Washed up on the beaches, struggling for air. I see your face still in my window, Torments yet calms, won’t set me free, Something must break now, This life isn’t mine, Something must break now, Wait for the time, Something must break.
THE DRAWBACK
SOMETHING MUST BREAK Two ways to choose, On a razor’s edge, Remain behind, Go straight ahead.
Room full of people, room for just one, If I can’t break out now, the time just won’t come.
Seen the troubles and the evils of this world I’ve seen the stretches between godliness and sin I’ve had the promise and confessions of true faith And the hypocrisy that always lies within And they left it for you - all of this for you I’ve seen the products and the other world of waste I’ve seen the colour of corruption deep within
Biography of Joy Division / 35
I’ve seen them lose themselves in dignity and taste To see in black and white and through to black again And they left it for you - all of this for you And they left it for you - all of this for you And they left it for you - everything for you I’ve seen the troubles and the evils of this world I’ve seen the ones who can succeed but always lose I’ve seen what’s left of poor technology and work And watched them dying as they leave their ship of fools And they left it for you - all of this for you -
THE KILL Moved in a hired car, And I find no way to run, Adds every moment longer, Had no time for fun, Just something that I knew I had to do, But through it all I left my eyes on you. I had an impulse to clear it all away, Oh I used the tactics, make everybody pay, Just something that I knew I had to do, But through it all I kept my eyes on you. Oh, I keep it all clean, I’ve paid the graces there, No kings of misuse, No sellers of flesh, Just something that I knew I had to do, But through it all I kept my eyes on you, Yeah through it all I kept my eyes on you, But through it all I kept my eyes on you.
THE ETERNAL Procession moves on, the shouting is over, Praise to the glory of loved ones now gone. Talking aloud as they sit round their tables, Scattering flowers washed down by the rain. Stood by the gate at the foot of the garden, Watching them pass like clouds in the sky, Try to cry out in the heat of the moment, Possessed by a fury that burns from inside. Cry like a child, though these years make me older, With children my time is so wastefully spent, A burden to keep, though their inner communion, Accept like a curse an unlucky deal. Played by the gate at the foot of the garden, My view stretches out from the fence to the wall, No words could explain, no actions determine, Just watching the trees and the leaves as they fall.
THE ONLY MISTAKE Made the fatal mistake, Like I did once before, A tendency just to take, Till the purpose turned sour, Strain, take the strain, these days we love, Strain, take the strain, these days we love. Yeah, the only mistake was that you ran away, Avenues lined with trees, strangled words for
Lyrics / 36
the day, Yeah, the only mistake, like I made once before, Yeah, the only mistake, could have made it before.
Higher, higher, higher, higher, Higher, higher, higher, higher, Love of life, makes you feel higher.
Strain, take the strain, these days we love, Strain, take the strain, these days we love. And the only mistake, led to rumours unfound, Led to pressures unknown, different feelings and sounds, Yeah, the only mistake, like I made once before, Yeah, the only mistake, could have made it before.
THESE DAYS Morning seems strange, almost out of place. Searched hard for you and your special ways. These days, these days. Spent all my time, learnt a killer’s art. Took threats and abuse ‘till I’d learned the part. Can you stay for these days? These days, these days.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC See my true reflection, Cut off my own connections, I can see life getting harder, So sad is this sensation, Reverse the situation, I can’t see it getting better. I’ll walk you through the heartbreak, Show you all the out takes, I can’t see it getting higher, Systematically degraded, Emotionally a scapegoat, I can’t see it getting better. Perverse and unrealistic, Try to make it all stick, I can’t see it getting better, Hollow now, I’m burned out, All I need to break out, I can’t see life getting higher, Love, life, makes you feel higher, Love, of life, makes you feel higher,
Used outward deception to get away, Broken heart romance to make it pay. These days, these days. We’ll drift through it all, it’s the modern age. Take care of it all now these debts are paid. Can you stay for these days?
TRANSMISSION Radio, live transmission. Radio, live transmission. Listen to the silence, let it ring on. Eyes, dark grey lenses frightened of the sun. We would have a fine time living in the night, Left to blind destruction, Waiting for our sight.
Biography of Joy Division / 37
And we would go on as though nothing was wrong. And hide from these days we remained all alone. Staying in the same place, just staying out the time. Touching from a distance, Further all the time. Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio. Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio... Well I could call out when the going gets tough. The things that we’ve learnt are no longer enough. No language, just sound, that’s all we need know, To synchronise love to the beat of the show.
Destiny unfolded, I watched it slip away Excessive flashpoints, beyond all reach Solitary demands for all I’d like to keep Let’s take a ride out, see what we can find A valueless collection of hopes and past desires I never realised the lengths I’d have to go All the darkest corners of a sense I didn’t know Just for one moment, I heard somebody call Looked beyond the day in hand, there’s nothing there at all Now that I’ve realised how it’s all gone wrong Gotta find some therapy, this treatment takes too long Deep in the heart of where sympathy held sway Gotta find my destiny, before it gets too late
And we could dance. Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio. Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to the radio...
WALKED IN LINE All dressed in uniforms so fine, They drank and killed to pass the time, Wearing the shame of all their crimes, With measured steps, they walked in line.
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS
They walked in line...
So this is permanence, love’s shattered pride What once was innocence, turned on its side A cloud hangs over me, marks every move Deep in the memory, of what once was love
They carried pictures of their wives, And numbered tags to prove their lives, They walked in line...
Oh how I realised how I wanted time Put into perspective, tried so hard to find Just for one moment, thought I’d found my way
Full of glory never seen, They made it through the whole machine,
Lyrics / 38
To never question anymore, Hypnotic trance, they never saw, They walked in line...
WARSAW 3, 5, 0, 1, 2, 5, Go! I was there in the back stage, When first light came around. I grew up like a changeling, To win the first time around. I can see all the weakness. I can pick all the faults. Well I concede all the faith tests, Just to stick in your throats. 31G, 31G, 31G I hung around in your soundtrack, To mirror all that you’ve done, To find the right side of reason, To kill the three lies for one, I can see all the cold facts. I can see through your eyes. All this talk made no contact. No matter how hard we tried. 31G, 31G, 31G I can still hear the footsteps. I can see only walls. I slid into your man-traps, With no hearing at all. I just see contradiction, Had to give up the fight, Just to live in the past tense, To make believe you were right. 31G, 31G, 31G 3, 5, 0, 1, 2, 5
WILDERNESS I travelled far and wide throguh many different times, What did you see there? I saw the saints with their toys, What did you see there? I saw all knowledge destroyed. I travelled far and wide through many different times. I travelled far and wide through prisons of the cross, What did you see there? The power and glory of sin, What did you see there? The blood of Christ on their skins, I travelled far and wide through many different times. I travelled far and wide and unknown martyrs died, What did you see there? I saw the one sided trials, What did you see there? I saw the tears as they cried, They had tears in their eyes, Tears in their eyes, Tears in their eyes, Tears in their eyes.
YOU’RE NO GOOD FOR ME Don’t know what I’m doing - don’t know where I’m going Leading me to ruin - I should have traded you in Yeah you think you’re something but you’re no good for me Don’t know if I care - don’t know if I’m there I just sit and stare - making love to thin air Biography of Joy Division / 39
Yeah you’re being insulted but you’re no good for me Na na na na na na na na no good I do lots of good - surprised at what you would Don’t call me no crud - I really think I’m good Yeah you think you’re something but you’re no good for me Try to call the tune - I’ll probably go and rue it I’ll just get it groomed - all sorts of other clues Yeah you’re being insulted but you’re no good for me I get by the local peer group and their pressures I can wash the dishes - my soups can taste delicious Yeah you think you’re something but you’re no good for me I’ve forgotten how you feel - to me you’re looking real Come on let’s make a deal - think of where you live Yeah you think you’re something but you’re no good for me Na na na na na na na na no good I’ve forgotten how you feel - to me you’re looking real Come on let’s make a deal - think of what you need Yeah you’re being insulted but you’re no good for me Yeah you’re being insulted but you’re no good for me
Lyrics / 40
Joy Division changed the face of music. Godfathers of alternative rock, they reinvented music in the
post-punk era, creating a new sound—dark, hypnotic, and intense—that would influence U2, Morrissey, R.E.M., Radiohead, and numerous others. The story is now legendary: in 1980, on the heels of their groundbreaking debut, Unknown Pleasures, and on the eve of their first U.S. tour, the band was rent asunder by the tragic death of their enigmatic lead singer, Ian Curtis. Yet in the mere three years they were together, Joy Division produced two landmark albums and a handful of singles—including the iconic anthem "Love Will Tear Us Apart"—that continue to have a powerful resonance.
Rp 250.000,$ 25
Written & designed by Bimo D. Prakoso Published by Unknown Publishing. Kelapa Hijau X 4/9 Jakarta Timur www.unknownpublishing.com