Feature Photo: Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock.com
New Order was never meant to exist. In the early months of 1980, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris were reeling from the sudden loss of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic frontman of Joy Division. What had seemed like the start of a promising ascent into the post-punk world was suddenly cut short by tragedy. But instead of dissolving, the surviving members did something extraordinary: they regrouped, redefined themselves, and pushed their music in a bold new direction. Adding keyboardist Gillian Gilbert, they became New Order, a band that would not only evolve beyond their Joy Division roots but would set the blueprint for alternative dance music. Their ability to merge post-punk melancholy with cutting-edge electronic music made them one of the most influential bands of their era.
The first steps were tentative. Their debut album, Movement (1981), still carried the ghost of Joy Division, its sound moody and atmospheric. But by 1983, New Order found its true identity with Power, Corruption & Lies, an album that embraced synthesizers and dance beats without sacrificing the emotional depth that had defined their past work. This was the album that cemented their shift from post-punk to something entirely new. Songs like “Age of Consent” and “Your Silent Face” proved they were no longer just carrying Joy Division’s torch—they were lighting a new path.
Then came Blue Monday. The 1983 single was a game-changer, not just for New Order but for the entire music industry. A seven-minute, synth-driven epic that blurred the lines between rock and club music, it became the best-selling 12-inch single of all time. The song wasn’t just popular—it was groundbreaking. Its use of sequencers and drum machines influenced an entire generation of musicians, bridging the gap between new wave and the emerging electronic music scene. New Order had effectively reinvented themselves, proving that a band built from tragedy could create some of the most forward-thinking music of the decade.
New Order’s run through the 1980s was relentless. Low-Life (1985) and Brotherhood (1986) solidified their reputation, balancing atmospheric synth work with guitar-driven tracks that reminded fans they still had rock in their DNA. Then came Substance (1987), a compilation that wasn’t just a collection of singles—it was a manifesto. The album featured extended versions of their biggest songs, including “Bizarre Love Triangle” and “Temptation,” and introduced their music to an entirely new audience.
By the time the 1990s arrived, New Order had nothing left to prove, yet they kept evolving. Technique (1989) had already shown their ability to incorporate acid house influences, and Republic (1993) took them even further into electronic territory. But the band’s internal tensions began to surface, and by the mid-1990s, they went on hiatus. When they returned in 2001 with Get Ready, their sound had shifted again—this time embracing a heavier, guitar-driven style. Despite lineup changes, including Peter Hook’s departure in 2007, New Order continued to release new music, with albums like Music Complete (2015) proving they still had the ability to innovate.
Their impact on music is impossible to overstate. Without New Order, electronic music would not have evolved the way it did. Their influence can be heard in everything from synth-pop to techno to indie rock. But beyond their sound, what makes New Order so remarkable is their resilience. They emerged from loss, reinvented themselves, and remained relevant across decades.
Outside of music, New Order’s cultural impact is just as significant. They were instrumental in the rise of Manchester’s legendary Haçienda nightclub, a venue that became the epicenter of the UK’s rave movement.
(#)
“1963” – Non-album single / B-side to “True Faith” (1987)
“5 8 6” – Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
“60 Miles an Hour” – Get Ready (2001)
(A)
“Academic” – Music Complete (2015)
“Age of Consent” – Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
“All Day Long” – Brotherhood (1986)
“All the Way” – Technique (1989)
“Angel Dust” – Brotherhood (1986)
“Are You Ready For This?” – Movement (Definitive Edition) (2019)
“As It Is When It Was” – Brotherhood (1986)
“Avalanche” – Republic (1993)
(B)
“The B-Side” – Non-album single / B-side to “World in Motion” (1990)
“The Beach” – Non-album single / B-side to “Blue Monday” (1983)
“Be a Rebel” – Non-album single (2020)
“Behind Closed Doors” – Non-album single / B-side to “Crystal” (2001)
“Best & Marsh” – Non-album single / B-side to “Round & Round” (1989)
“Bizarre Love Triangle” – Brotherhood (1986)
“Blue Monday” – Non-album single (1983)
“Broken Promise” – Brotherhood (1986)
“Brutal” – The Beach (soundtrack) (2000)
(C)
“Californian Grass” – Lost Sirens (2013)
“Ceremony” – Non-album single (1981)
“Chemical” – Republic (1993)
“Chosen Time” – Movement (1981)
“Close Range” – Get Ready (2001)
“Confusion” – Non-album single (1983)
“Cries and Whispers” – Non-album single / B-side to “Everything’s Gone Green” (1981)
“Crystal” – Get Ready (2001)
(D)
“Denial” – Movement (1981)
“Don’t Do It” – Non-album single / B-side to “Fine Time” (1988)
“Doubts Even Here” – Movement (1981)
“Dracula’s Castle” – Waiting for the Sirens’ Call (2005)
“Dream Attack” – Technique (1989)
“Dreams Never End” – Movement (1981)
“Dub-vulture” – Non-album single / B-side to “Sub-culture” (1985)
(E)
“Ecstasy” – Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
“Elegia” – Low-Life (1985)
“Every Little Counts” – Brotherhood (1986)
“Everyone Everywhere” – Republic (1993)
“Everything’s Gone Green” – Non-album single (1981)
“Evil Dust” – Brotherhood (2008 Collector’s Edition bonus disc) (2008)
“Exit” – Control (soundtrack) (2007)
(F)
“Face Up” – Low-Life (1985)
“Fine Line” – Non-album single / B-side to “Fine Time” (1988)
“Fine Time” – Technique (1989)
(G)
“The Game” – Music Complete (2015)
“Get Out” – Control (soundtrack) (2007)
“Guilt Is a Useless Emotion” – Waiting for the Sirens’ Call (2005)
“Guilty Partner” – Technique (1989)
(H)
“Hellbent” – Lost Sirens (2013)
“Here to Stay” – 24 Hour Party People (soundtrack) (2002)
“Hey Now What You Doing” – Waiting for the Sirens’ Call (2005)
“The Him” – Movement (1981)
“Homage” – Movement (Definitive Edition) (2019)
“Hurt” – Non-album single / B-side to “Temptation” (1982)
“Hypnosis” – Control (soundtrack) (2007)
(I-J)
“I Told You So” – Waiting for the Sirens’ Call (2005)
“I’ll Stay with You” – Lost Sirens (2013)
“I’ve Got a Feeling” – Lost Sirens (2013)
“ICB” – Movement (1981)
“In a Lonely Place” – Non-album single / B-side to “Ceremony” (1981)
“Jetstream” – Waiting for the Sirens’ Call (2005)
(K-L)
“Kiss of Death” – Non-album single / B-side to “The Perfect Kiss” (1985)
“Krafty” – Waiting for the Sirens’ Call (2005)
“Leave Me Alone” – Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
“Let’s Go” – Salvation!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1988)
“Liar” – Republic (1993)
“Lonesome Tonight” – Non-album single / B-side to “Thieves Like Us” (1984)
“Love Less” – Technique (1989)
“Love Vigilantes” – Low-Life (1985)
(M-O)
“Mesh” – Non-album single / B-side to “Everything’s Gone Green” (1981)
“Morning Night and Day” – Waiting for the Sirens’ Call (2005)
“Mr. Disco” – Technique (1989)
“MTO” – Non-album single / B-side to “Run 2” (1989)
“Murder” – Non-album single (1984)
“Nothing but a Fool” – Music Complete (2015)
“Ode to Joy” – Merry Xmas from the Haçienda and Factory Records (1982)
(P)
“Paradise” – Brotherhood (1986)
“People on the High Line” – Music Complete (2015)
“The Perfect Kiss” – Low-Life (1985)
“Perfect Pit” – Non-album single / B-side to “The Perfect Kiss” (1985)
“The Peter Saville Show Soundtrack” – The Peter Saville Show Soundtrack (2003)
“Plastic” – Music Complete (2015)
“Player in the League” – Non-album single / B-side to “Here to Stay” (2002)
“Primitive Notion” – Get Ready (2001)
(R)
“Procession” – Non-album single (1981)
“Recoil” – Lost Sirens (2013)
“Regret” – Republic (1993)
“Restless” – Music Complete (2015)
“Rocking Carol” – Merry Xmas from the Haçienda and Factory Records (1982)
“Rock the Shack” – Get Ready (2001)
“Round & Round” – Technique (1989)
“Ruined in a Day” – Republic (1993)
“Run” – Technique (1989)
“Run Wild” – Get Ready (2001)
(S)
“Sabotage” – Non-album single / B-side to “60 Miles an Hour” (2001)
“Salvation Theme” – Salvation!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1988)
“Senses” – Movement (1981)
“Shake It Up” – Lost Sirens (2013)
“Shame of the Nation” – Non-album single / B-side to “State of the Nation” (1986)
“Shellshock” – Pretty in Pink (soundtrack) (1986)
“Singularity” – Music Complete (2015)
“Skullcrusher” – Salvation!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1988)
“Slow Jam” – Get Ready (2001)
“Someone Like You” – Get Ready (2001)
“Sooner Than You Think” – Low-Life (1985)
“Special” – Republic (1993)
“Spooky” – Republic (1993)
“Sputnik” – Salvation!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1988)
“State of the Nation” – Non-album single (1986)
“Stray Dog” – Music Complete (2015)
“Sub-culture” – Low-Life (1985)
“Such a Good Thing” – Non-album single / B-side to “World in Motion…” (2002)
“Sugarcane” – Lost Sirens (2013)
“Sunrise” – Low-Life (1985)
“Superheated” – Music Complete (2015)
(T)
“Temptation” – Non-album single (1982)
“Thieves Like Us” – Non-album single (1984)
“This Time of Night” – Low-Life (1985)
“Times Change” – Republic (1993)
“Too Late” – The Peel Sessions (1986)
“Touched by the Hand of God” – Salvation!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1987)
“True Faith” – Non-album single (1987)
“Truth” – Movement (1981)
“Turn” – Waiting for the Sirens’ Call (2005)
“Turn My Way” (featuring Billy Corgan) – Get Ready (2001)
“Turn the Heater On” – The Peel Sessions (1986)
“Tutti Frutti” (featuring Elly Jackson) – Music Complete (2015)
(U-V)
“Ultraviolence” – Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
“Unlearn This Hatred” – Music Complete (2015)
“Vanishing Point” – Technique (1989)
“Vicious Circle” – Non-album single / B-side to “Ruined in a Day” (1993)
“Vicious Streak” – Get Ready (2001)
“Video 5 8 6” – Non-album single (1997)
“Vietnam” (Jimmy Cliff cover) – Hope (2003)
“The Village” – Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
(W-Z)
“Waiting for the Sirens’ Call” – Waiting for the Sirens’ Call (2005)
“Way of Life” – Brotherhood (1986)
“We All Stand” – Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
“Weirdo” – Brotherhood (1986)
“Who’s Joe?” – Waiting for the Sirens’ Call (2005)
“Working Overtime” – Waiting for the Sirens’ Call (2005)
“World” – Republic (1993)
“World in Motion…” – Non-album single (1990)
“Young Offender” – Republic (1993)
“Your Silent Face” – Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)
Check out our fantastic and entertaining New Order articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
Complete List Of New Order Albums And Songs
Complete List Of New Order Band Members
Top 10 New Order Songs
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