Song: "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
Artist: Joy Division
Year: 1980
Sometimes a band is ahead of their time. Read any present-day review of anything related to Joy Division and that very sentiment will be reverently echoed on numerous occasions. In my opinion, the band was light-years ahead of their time. Whether you're a fan of indie rockers like Interpol or mainsteam darlings like the Killers, the influence of Joy Division is far-reaching. They perfected a sound that many of their disciples were able to emulate but none were able to master. In a stark contrast to many of their more complex arrangements, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is a simple tune with simple lyrics. It's the straightforwardness of it all that kills. After reading the title, is there any question as to the content? This song gets a lot of flak from some music "purists" because it was arguably the band's most popular. Released as a single between phenomenal albums Unknown Pleasures and Closer, the song generated a lot of press for the band and received a lot of praise from music critics. I would venture to say that when a song is really good, it shouldn't be surprising if it becomes popular.
In the future, I plan on only posting my favorite lyric from these "songs I love." But since Ian Curtis's drone may be difficult to understand for those who aren't familiar with his work, here are all of the lyrics to this gem. Sadly beautiful.
Lyrics:
When the routine bites hard
and ambitions are low
And the resentment rides high
but emotions won't grow
And we're changing our ways,
taking different roads
Then love, love will tear us apart again
Why is the bedroom so cold
Turned away on your side?
Is my timing that flawed,
our respect run so dry?
Yet there's still this appeal
That we've kept through our lives
Love, love will tear us apart again
Do you cry out in your sleep
All my failings exposed
Get a taste in my mouth
As desperation takes hold
Is it something so good
Just can't function no more?
When love, love will tear us apart again
Sunday, November 18, 2007
I Love This Song...
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2 comments:
This is a great song. It's what got me into Joy Division. Ian's voice sounds so haunted to me, but it's not something that turns me off. It's somehow empathetically haunting. I'm not sure how one pulls that off.
Its difficult for fans like myself to fathom what may have came for Joy Divsion. This token is rang true when thinking of what Curtis' bandmates were able to accomplish in New Order, however their full potential still lies as a mystery. That's assuming that they could get better than 'Love...' which would indeed be something.
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