The pioneering post-punk/new wave group formed out of tragedy to reach incredible heights of critical and commercial success. After Joy Division singer Ian Curtis' death by suicide in 1980, the surviving members of the band—bassist Peter Hook, guitarist/vocalist Bernard Sumner, drummer Stephen Morris—formed New Order alongside Gillian Gilbert.
New Order's 'Blue Monday' Is The Best-Selling 12-Inch Single Of All Time
Released on March 7, 1983, "Blue Order" was a revelation—and a hit! It reached No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart, no small feat for a song released on the independent label, Factory Records.
A shortened, 4:09 version was also released on 7" vinyl.
The band even tried to use a digitized voice to sing the lines, but Sumner ended up doing the vocals himself. "He says the lyric came about because he was fed up with journalists asking him how he felt," added Gilbert, likely referring to the loss of Ian Curtis. As for the bits about ships in the harbor?
"The lines about the beach and the harbor were the start of his many nautical references – he loves sailing," explained Gilbert.
Bernard Sumner of New Order performs at Sydney Opera House on March 14, 2025Photo by Don Arnold on Getty Images
"The day that we wrote ['Blue Monday'] was the day that we brought the circuit in, hooked it all up and pressed 'GO' on the drum machine," said Summer. "Then, the synthesizer started chattering away, and somehow it all worked."
The Donna Summer song in question? 1979's "Our Love," the B-side to "Bad Girls." The Guardianbroke down the multiple ingredients that went into "Blue Monday," from the stuttering rhythm from Donna and producer Giorgio Moroder to Kraftwerk's "Uranium" to Ennio Morricone's "For A Few Dollars More."
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"We were at the vanguard with that song – stuff like that wasn't being played on the radio or in clubs," said Bernard Summer. "There was electronic music, but not much electronic dance music…suddenly, this track came along that sounded different to everything else, so DJ's started playing it. And it kept coming back into the charts. We actually never got any radio play off Blue Monday; it was a hit in spite of the radio."
Did 'Blue Monday' Actually End Up Losing Money?
The 12" single came in a special record sleeve designed by renowned graphic designer Peter Saville, one that looked like an 8-inch/5.25 floppy disc (the larger version of the 3.5-inch design that younger generations only know as the "SAVE" icon).
Related: 48 Years Ago Today, One of Rock’s Most Influential Bands Made Their Live Debut
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