Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart (12" @ 45 rpm Factory UK) Vinyl rip in 24 Bit/ 96 Khz + CD

A chilling tale of love set adrift with an equally cool, precise accompaniment, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was the last single recorded by Joy Division, mere months before doomed frontman Ian Curtis committed suicide in May 1980. It's presumed – perhaps rather hastily – that the lyrics are autobiographical, an insight into Curtis' fragmenting marriage and his growing relationship with a Belgian girl who followed the band. Whatever the nature of the material, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" functions as an insight into what made Joy Division the most unique band during the era of punk aggression and extremism. Undoubtedly the closest they ever came to a pop song (and subsequently their biggest hit), the single highlights Curtis' fragile ego ("You cry out in your sleep, all my failings expose") and reliance on an often dangerous fatalism ("And we're changing our ways, taking different roads/Then love, love will tear us apart again"). The backing is at mid-tempo pace, propelled by Stephen Morris' mechanistic drumming, Peter Hook's trademarked plaintive bass line, and a wave of haunting synthesizers that echo Curtis' every word on the choruses. The single, first released on 7" on April 18, 1980 (exactly one month before Curtis' death), hit the charts later that summer after its release on 12" – even though, according to prior agreement within the band, Joy Division ceased to exist the day Curtis died. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" eventually reached the Top 20 on Britain's singles charts (and re-entered 15 years later when London/ Polygram acquired the catalog and reissued the single ). Though it's often dangerous to look for any real-world confirmation in a songwriter's words, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" reflects both the tragedy of Ian Curtis' demise and the spark that made Joy Division the first, best post-punk band. Allmusic.

Track listing


12" vinyl (Factory FAC 23.12)

1. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" – 3:18
2. "These Days" – 3:21
3. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" – 3:06

* Track 1 recorded at Strawberry Studios, Stockport, early March 1980
* Tracks 2 and 3 recorded at Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham, January 8, 1980
* In her biography "Touching From A Distance", Deborah Curtis explains that the reason for the two versions of the song, one on each side, was a result of Curtis's slightly different singing in each one; one vocal take was allegedly done when other band members told Curtis to sing "like Frank Sinatra".