10 Best Joy Division Songs

Manchester post-punk band Joy Division appeared so ordinary – in their music videos they look like four young civil servants playing music in their work clothes. But the music that they created was unique and deeply unsettling. Steven Morris’ drumming was robotic, while Peter Hook’s bass was busy and melodic, at the centre of these ten tunes. Bernard Sumner’s guitar and synths played a supporting, textural role, but the focus was squarely on vocalist Ian Curtis. Curtis’ chilling baritone delivered gloom-laden lyrics that became bleaker and bleaker through the band’s brief tenure.

Despite these unique ingredients, the band’s early EP An Ideal for Living betrays their punk roots. By the time they recorded their 1979 debut album, they were working with producer Martin Hannett, who drenched their instruments in reverb and allowed space, helping to create post-punk. Joy Division’s tenure was short – they only recorded two studio albums and some crucial non-album singles before Ian Curtis committed suicide in June 1980.

Joy Division aren’t merely notable for Curtis’ unflinching lyrics – the band have memorable riffs and hummable tunes, something that would serve the remaining members well as they formed New Order.

10 Best Joy Division Songs

#10 Decades/The Eternal

from Closer, 1980
Joy Division recorded much of Closer during the second half of 1979. When they returned to the studio to finish the record in 1980, their new er songs were different in character. The two closing tracks of Closer have their own distinct identities, but share the same feel – slow tempos and dominated by keyboards. ‘The Eternal’ was written about a child with Down’s Syndrome while ‘Decades’ was written about soldiers suffering PTSD

#9 New Dawn Fades

from Unknown Pleasures, 1979
Joy Division sounded terrific when they blended driving rock with atmosphere, and ‘New Dawn Fades’ is a prime example. Hook and Sumner play off each other with lovely interlocking parts, while Curtis’ vocals drive the song’s ebbs and flows. ‘New Dawn Fades’ has been covered by Moby and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ guitarist John Frusciante.

#8 Transmission

non-album single, 1979
Joy Division’s first single features the chorus “dance, dance, dance to the radio”. On paper it sounds like a carefree 1960s oldie, but Curtis’ baritone makes it sound frightening rather than inviting. The song was originally recorded for an abandoned 1978 album – the eventual version is faster. ‘Transmission’ almost topped the New Zealand charts.

#7 I Remember Nothing

from Unknown Pleasures, 1979
Joy Division closed their debut album with the stark and unsettling ‘I Remember Nothing’. It’s a bare skeleton of a song, showcasing Hannett’s eerie production and Curtis’ vocals. Bernard Sumner employs a Powertran Transcendent 2000 synthesiser; Peter Hook told Jon Savage that the synth “vied with the sound of Rob Gretton smashing bottles with Steve and his Walther replica pistol.”

#6 Passover

from Closer, 1980
Other Joy Division songs are more musically intense, but the more measured sound of ‘Passover’ is one of their most affecting pieces. Peter Hook’s bass rises and swoops, but the song never wavers from its medium-paced plod. The repetitive music puts the focus on Curtis’ lyrics, and they’re typically both accomplished and frightening. The title refers to the Jewish tradition, as Curtis sings “left with a mark on the door”. Utter despair has never sounded so eloquent.

#5 She’s Lost Control

from Unknown Pleasures, 1979
During 1978 and 1979, Curtis worked as the Assistant Disablement Resettlement Officer at a Macclesfield occupational rehabilitation centre. A woman with epilepsy frequently came looking for work – when she stopped, he learned that she’d passed away. Curtis, who also suffered from epilepsy, was disturbed and inspired to write ‘She’s Lost Control’. There are two different versions of ‘She’s Lost Control’ – I prefer the rock-oriented version on Unknown Pleasures to the more electronic single version released in 1980.

#4 Love Will Tear Us Apart

non-album single, 1980
‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ is Joy Division’s best-known song – not surprising, as it’s the hookiest track they ever released. In particular, the introduction is magical – starting with a bass riff, dramatic strummed chords, and then drum fills before the signature synth riff arrives. Because Sumner plays synth on the song, the band taught Ian Curtis how to play a D chord on the guitar for live performances. NME declared that ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ was the most excellent single of all time in 2002, while the title was an ironic nod to Captain & Tennille’s ‘Love Will Keep Us Together’.

#3 Atmosphere

non-album single, 1980
The haunting ‘Atmosphere’ wasn’t released until a few months after Curtis’ death in the UK. In this context it sounds like an elegy for Curtis; celebrated DJ John Peel played the song when he announced Curtis’ death on air. ‘Atmosphere’ was a chart topping hit in New Zealand – capital city Wellington also boasts a long-standing “Ian Curtis Lives” wall.

It got voted the favourite rock song to be played at funerals, which was a very dubious honour! The other one was Robbie Williams, Angels, which was the song most likely to be played at weddings. I must admit, every time I go to a funeral and hear Atmosphere, I do wish we’d have written Angels, without a shadow of a doubt. 

Peter Hook, Louder Sound

#2 Twenty Four Hours

from Closer, 1980
‘Twenty Four Hours’ is an expertly arranged song, shifting gears from driving rocker to eerie resignation between stanzas. It’s held together by Hook’s bass riffs. In 2007, Bernard Sumner said that “While we were working on Closer, Ian said to me that doing this album felt very strange, because he felt that all his words were writing themselves. He also said that he had this terrible claustrophobic feeling that he was in a whirlpool and being pulled down, drowning.”

24 Hours was such an individual and unique bass riff, and funnily enough I’ve noticed that over the years that it’s a song that a lot of bass players quote as being their favourite bass riff…. But again it has the wonderful elements that you die for in a song – melodic drop downs and really rocky highs. And again, if I say so myself, the song is lead by the bass. It’s just an absolutely fantastic riff.”

Peter Hook, Louder Sound

#1 Dead Souls

b-side of ‘Atmosphere’, 1980
‘Dead Souls’ is named after the 19th-century Russian novel by Nikolai Gogol. Based on its title, you’d expect a dark novel, but it’s picaresque satire. The Joy Division song, on the other hand, is pure intensity. Like a bunch of Joy Division’s best work, ‘Dead Souls’ is both driving and atmospheric. Sumner and Hook take different roles than usual – Sumner’s guitar is more upfront than usual for Joy Division, while Hook’s bass sits back and holds the rhythm down. The long introduction is thrilling, but Curtis commands full attention when he finally arrives with the terrific opening line “someone take these dreams away”.

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