How Ian Curtis’ Loss of Control Gave Rise to New Order

By Fenton Wright, Staff Writer

From Unknown Pleasures to Power, Corruption & Lies, how Ian Curtis' loss of control gave rise to New Order is an important chapter in rock history.

Introduction to Joy Division and Ian Curtis

Joy Division is one of the greatest and most influential bands of all time. The band consisting of Stephen Morris on drums, Bernard Sumner on guitar, Peter Hook on bass, and of course the legendary frontman of the group Ian Curtis, was at the forefront of music coming out of the United Kingdom in the late 70s going into the 80s. The music that they produced in such a short time span from 1977-1980 influenced the great bands of the 80s including The Smiths, The Cure, Tears for Fears, and many more New Wave bands. Out of the pain caused by the suicide by lead singer Ian Curtis rose a new band, New Order, which compromised of the same members of Joy Division, but changed their name out of respect for Curtis. New Order would go on to create their own legacy separate from that of Joy Division’s.

Wanting Control (1976-78)

In 1976 in Salford, England, a city a part of the greater Manchester area, Joy Division was born. The band formed out of the group already consisting of Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook added lead singer Ian Curtis after posting an ad in the paper which he responded to. From then on the group played with one another, and then it wasn’t until a little bit later that Stephen Morris joined the band, bringing it to completion. From then on in the early stages of their career as a band, they worked small, intimate venues across the Manchester area, which was where their cult following began.

While they might be known as Joy Division, it wasn’t until later that they were called so. Originally the band was named Warsaw, but to avoid confusion with another band of a similar name, they changed to Joy Division. This name was chosen due to the band’s bizarre and controversial fascination with World War II history and Nazi era fascism in general. After the passing of Curtis and name change to New Order, the band would claim that its name was to honor their grandparents and former generations so that no one would ever forget the tragedy of the second world war. 

The band would then go onto sign with Factory Records, famously signing the contract with the blood of Tony Wilson who convinced them to join the record label. From there on the band would continue to do more of the same, touring across England and spreading their name as one of the brightest up and coming bands of the time. One of the most remarkable aspects of the band was their ability to achieve all of this success while still being so young. However in the midst of their rising fame loomed a shadow over the band.

Losing Control (1979-1980)

This shadow would manifest itself in the form of the declining mental and physical health of Ian Curtis. While most would assume that the life of a lead singer who is an integral part of one of the fastest growing bands in England during the late 70s would be carefree, Curtis lived a life distinctly separate from that. He suffered from epilepsy and epileptic seizures, which could be seen in some of the old recordings of Joy Division concerts.

Oftentimes the dances that he would become so famous for were him quite literally losing control of himself. From the decaying mind of Curtis, some of the most popular Joy Division songs came about. The entirety of their discography hinged on his decaying state of his being. On top of his own health struggles, Curtis’ relationship with his wife Deborah had always been a tumultuous one, with there being stories of Curtis cheating on her during his time on the road. In a twisted ironic way, as Joy Division was getting stronger, the man Ian Curtis was dying. 

Despite the growing decline of Curtis’ health, Joy Division produced one of the greatest alternative albums of all time in Unknown Pleasures. The album truly captures what Joy Division was all about. Dark basslines and bone-shaking vocals, with tracks such as “She’s Lost Control” and “Disorder” being the capstones of the album. This album marked the beginning of true success for the band, as they began to be known not only in Europe, but also North America, with them finally being able to tap into the American market.

The downfall of the band in totality came on May 18, 1980 just one day before they were set to tour in North America when Ian Curtis tragically took his own life. The pressure of being a father, and being a husband at only the age of twenty-three piled up, and the guilt of having cheated on his wife weighed heavily on him. Also his aforementioned health problems only worsened as the band spent more and more time on the road, with the medication he was taking seemingly only worsening his problems rather than easing them. Shortly after the death of Curtis, the band released its second and final studio album Closer in July of 1980.

The legacy that Curtis left behind was both a blueprint of how to rise to stardom, but also a fair warning to those looking to lead the life of a musician. His death effectively ended Joy Division as the surviving members felt that with Curtis there was no “Joy Division”. The ability of Curtis to turn his own personal anguish into the lyrics on tracks such as “Love Will Tear Us Apart” is what set him and the band apart from other burgeoning bands of the time. 

Eternity (1980-Present)

Out of the corpse of Joy Division came New Order. The band was composed of the former members of Joy Division, with Sumner taking on the duties of being the lead vocalist and the girlfriend of Stephen Morris, GIllian Gilbert joining as a keyboardist. The band was remarkable for its ability to distinctly separate itself from Joy Division as an all-time great band. Early on in the new group's career, it was hard for them to escape the shadow of Joy Division and the man Ian Curtis. It was not until the release of Power, Corruption & Lies, that they were able to truly become recognized as a band outside of Joy Division. The band despite their own success never forgot Curtis and pays tribute to him on the song “Elegia” off of their album Low-Life, as well as many other songs throughout the years.

Just like Joy Division had a distinct darker sound, the same can be said for New Order. They took the very same topics that Ian Curtis sought to address, and updated their sound for the times of the 80s. More synthesizers were used in their work, the basslines while still dark in the majority of their songs, had a more upbeat feel to them which was more in tune with the 80s, and more and more throughout their discography they became their own band and not just the former members of Joy Division. 

Legacy

What was the legacy left behind by Joy Division and New Order? Why even though when Joy Division was active they were not wildly successful, did years later they grow to be one of the most praised and inspirational bands? The answer lies in the bass lines crafted by Peter Hook and the turbulent life of Ian Curtis. Hook famously has been able to capture the sense of existential dread in his bass lines that elevated the band and the way they were able to reach listeners emotionally.

Finally, the life and voice of Ian Curtis contributed massively to the long lasting influence of the bands. To this day, gothic culture and bands attempt to replicate the voice of Ian Curtis, many try but none are the man himself. It is for all of these reasons that I have mentioned, that we love them still. We love the band because of how tumultuous their lives were and how eerily accurate their depictions of everyday life were. We love Ian Curtis, because in a way he represents to us every aspect of what it means to be human, the love, the pain, the maturity, the immaturity, the feeling of wanting control over everything, but in reality having control of nothing.