Song: "Ceremony"
Artist: New Order
Album: (single) b/w "In a Lonely Place"
Year: 1981
Length: 4:23
Label: Factory Records
Rating: Reached #34 on the UK Singles chart in 1981
First available on CD on Substance, 1987's compilation of singles that included new track "True Faith," which became their first Top 40 album here in the "States."
- Download New Order - "Ceremony".mp3
- Download New Order - "Ceremony (live)".mp3
- Download Joy Division - "Ceremony (live)".mp3
This is the report of the song on Wikipedia...
After the death of Ian Curtis the remaining three members of Joy Division renamed themselves New Order. Their first act was to complete and release the single Ceremony. The two songs, "Ceremony" and "In a Lonely Place", were written as Joy Division and originally intended to be released as such. For this record Bernard Sumner took the role of vocalist by singing the elegiac lyrics of Ian Curtis. "Ceremony" is written in the key of C-major but has a duality of tone, with the second version being brighter, more typical of New Order.
In March 1981, the first version of "Ceremony" was released on Factory Records (FAC 33). Martin Hannett (Joy Division's producer) produced the record.
In September 1981, "Ceremony" was re-recorded. Gillian Gilbert played keyboards on the recording, just before she formally joined the group. The single was re-issued as a 12" only in September 1981 with the same catalogue number (FAC 33).
There are significant differences in the recordings. The original is approximately 4:34 in length while the re-recording is 4:23. The original has a much more "Joy Division" sound, with throbbing bass, distorted guitar, spacy vocals, and solid drums also contributing a wash of cymbals.
In the re-recording the bass is diminished, cymbals restrained, and the vocals are "drier". The guitar has a sound typical of that used on the album Movement. Drum hits in the opening verse are dramatically panned in the mix. There is a greater contrast between verse and chorus, with the latter sections reaching some of the emotional pitch of the original.
The re-recorded version was used on all subsequent compilations until the 2005 compilation Singles.
Joy Division performed "Ceremony" live only once, at their final show 2 May 1980 at High Hall, Birmingham University, sixteen days before Curtis's suicide. This is available on Still. This performance features a slightly different lyric in the last verse; Curtis sings 'picture me in ten years time watching' whereas the New Order version lyric is ' picture me and then you start watching'.
#38 of all time
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 asks is the strength to hold me,
Then again the same old story,
World will travel, oh so quickly,
Travel first and lean towards this time.
Oh, Ill 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 Ill break them down, no mercy shown
Heaven knows, its 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.
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