The New Order song that carried on the legacy of Joy Division
In the modern day, New Order is a global sensation. With legions of fans strewn across the globe and multiple top-selling albums under their belt, it is often easy to forget the tragic circumstances which led to their formation. The fact is that New Order would have likely never existed without the tragic death of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, but the band never lost sight of the incredible legacy left by the frontman.
The members of Joy Division were left in a difficult position in 1980. Following the suicide of their friend and bandmate Ian Curtis, the group were left without their lead singer and primary songwriter. Replacing a frontman is something that few acts recover from, especially if said frontman was also responsible for songwriting. Nevertheless, the decision was eventually made to carry on the group, reforming as New Order and recruiting drummer Stephen Morris’ girlfriend (now wife) Gillian Gilbert.
Although the decision was made to carry on, it remained unclear which member would take up vocal responsibilities. While Curtis was not the most technically gifted vocalist, he had a certain emotion and unique performance that would have been nearly impossible to recreate.
Beginning to work on New Order’s debut album Movement, every member had a shot at leading the group, including bassist Peter Hook, though it did not suit Hooky. In a later interview with TeamRock, the bassist revealed, “It’s amazing how vulnerable and naked you feel singing.”
Hook continued: “I realise now why people play and sing because it’s so much better. Even now, if I break a string and I lose the guitar, I really feel like my pants have fallen down.”
Eventually, it was decided that guitarist Bernard Sumner would take up the helm, a position with which he remains to this day. However, the band were keen to carry on the legacy of Joy Division and their dear departed friend Ian. In fact, some of New Order’s early material from Movement was simply repurposed from the later days of Joy Division.
The opening track of Movement, ‘Dreams Never End’, evokes the spirit of Joy Division. Built around a bassline provided by Hooky, who originally sang vocals on the track too, the song’s title is based upon the line, “Guess your dreams always end”. from Joy Division’s track ‘Insight’. Sharing the process of constructing the track, Hook said, “The whole song was written on a six-string bass, and I sang as well, which was quite unusual. So it was unusual for me to play – I was a singing bass player, which I always think is the kiss of death.”
Although New Order soon moved away from the post-punk sound of Joy Division to something more akin to dance music and synthpop, the group consistently paid tribute to Curtis. Across their career, they penned multiple tracks in tribute to the Joy Division frontman, but ‘Dreams Never End’ remains the first signifier of their continuation of Joy Division’s legacy.
