Ceremony (song)
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| “Ceremony” | |||||
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| Single by New Order | |||||
| Released | March 6, 1981 | ||||
| Format | 7", 12" | ||||
| Genre | Post-punk | ||||
| Length | 4:34 (original), 4:23 (re-recorded) |
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| Label | Factory - FAC 33 | ||||
| Producer | Martin Hannett, New Order | ||||
| New Order singles chronology | |||||
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Ceremony is a song written by Ian Curtis, vocalist in the band Joy Division. After Curtis' suicide Joy Division reformed as New Order and they released Ceremony as their first single. Two Joy Division live recordings were released on separate compilation albums. New Order released the song as a single twice, first in March 1981 and then a different recording featuring new member Gillian Gilbert in September 1981. At a Q&A with Peter Hook in London in 2007 it was confirmed that Ceremony was the final song ever to be written by Joy Division.
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[edit] History
[edit] Joy Division recordings
Joy Division created the song, with lyrics written by Ian Curtis. There are two recorded versions of the song by Joy Division. The first available on the Still album is from their final concert at High Hall, Birmingham University on May 2nd 1980, 16 days before Curtis' suicide. The second available on the Heart and Soul 4 CD box set is from a rehearsal tape made in April/May 1980. In both recordings the vocals are partially inaudible. The song was brighter in tone than typical Joy Division songs and a departure from their earlier recordings.
[edit] New Order
After the death of Ian Curtis the remaining three members of Joy Division renamed themselves New Order. Their first release was the single Ceremony. The two songs, "Ceremony" and "In a Lonely Place", were created by Joy Division and the New Order recordings were similar, except with Bernard Sumner singing the lyrics. Sumner said that he had to put the Ceremony rehearsal tape as sung by Curtis through a graphic equalizer in order to determine the lyrics.[1] "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.
[edit] March 1981 version
In March 1981, the first version of "Ceremony" was released on Factory Records (FAC 33). Martin Hannett (Joy Division's producer) produced the record. Peter Saville designed the sleeve graphics.
The 7" record was issued in a stamped gold-bronze sleeve. The 12" sleeve was a completely separate design: typography on a green background.
[edit] September 1981 version
In September 1981, "Ceremony" was re-recorded. Gillian Gilbert played guitar on the recording, just before she formally joined the group. Martin Hannett produced the record. The single was re-issued as a 12" only in September 1981 with the same catalogue number (FAC 33).
The sleeve (pictured) was changed to a light cream with a vertical blue stripe, though with the same motif and typography as the original 12" single. After supply of the re-designed sleeve ran out, copies of the originally-designed sleeve were re-used.[citation needed] Accordingly, the two versions of the song were packaged indiscriminately in the original sleeve. However, the run-groove notation (phrases pressed onto the vinyl) differ according to the version. The original says "Watching love grow forever".[citation needed] The re-recording says "This is why events unnerve me".[citation needed] Both phrases are excerpts from the words in "Ceremony".
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, spacey 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.
[edit] Re-issues
- It is featured in the Sofia Coppola film Marie Antoinette. It is also on the film's soundtrack.
[edit] Cover versions
The song has been covered by a number of artists, including
- Radiohead for their "Thumbs Down" webcast on November 9th, 2007.
- Galaxie 500 on their 1989 "Blue Thunder" EP.
- Xiu Xiu on their debut EP from 2002, Chapel of the Chimes
- The Echoing Green.
[edit] Tracklisting
[edit] UK 7" - FAC 33
- "Ceremony" (4:34)
- "In a Lonely Place" (4:35)
[edit] UK 12" - FAC 33
- "Ceremony" (4:34)
- "In a Lonely Place" (6:12)
- Usually a green sleeve.
[edit] UK 12" - FAC 33 [Second Pressing]
- "Ceremony" (4:22)
- "In a Lonely Place" (6:12)
- Usually a cream and blue sleeve.
[edit] References
- ^ New Order Story. Documentary copyright London Records 1993.
| New Order |
| Singles |
|---|
| Singles: "Ceremony" | "Procession" | "Everything's Gone Green" | "Temptation" | "Blue Monday" | "Confusion" | "Thieves Like Us" | "Murder" | "The Perfect Kiss" | "Sub-culture" | "Shellshock" | "State of the Nation" | "Bizarre Love Triangle" | "True Faith" | "Touched by the Hand of God" | "Blue Monday 1988" | "Fine Time" | "Round & Round" | "Run 2" | "World in Motion" | "Regret" | "Ruined in a Day" | "World (The Price of Love)" | "Spooky" | "True Faith-94" | "1963" | "Blue Monday-95" | "Bizarre Love Triangle" (US re-release) | "Video 5 8 6" | "Crystal" | "60 Miles an Hour" | "Someone Like You" | "Here to Stay" | "Krafty" | "Jetstream" | "Waiting for the Sirens' Call" | "Guilt Is a Useless Emotion" |
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