Blue Monday (New Order song)
Encyclopedia
"Blue Monday" is a single released in 1983 by British band New Order
, and later remixed in 1988 and 1995. The song has been widely remixed and covered since its original release, and became a popular anthem in the dance club scene.
of all time. Despite selling well it was not eligible for an official gold disc
because Factory Records
was not a member of the British Phonographic Industry
association. However, the Official UK Chart Company (UK Singles Chart
) has estimated its total UK sales at over one million. In the all-time UK best-selling singles chart, published in 2002, "Blue Monday" came 76th.
The song begins with a distinctive semiquaver
kick drum intro, programmed on an Oberheim DMX
drum machine
. Gillian Gilbert
eventually fades in a sequencer melody. According to band interviews in NewOrderStory, she did so at the wrong time, so the melody is out of sync with the beat; however, the band considered it to be a happy accident that contributed to the track's charm. The verse section features the song's signature throbbing synth bass line, played by a Moog Source, overlaid with Peter Hook
's bass guitar leads. The synth bass line was sequenced on a Powertran Sequencer home built by Bernard. Bernard Sumner
delivers the lyrics in a deadpan
manner. "Blue Monday" is an atypical hit song in that it does not feature a standard verse-chorus
structure. After a lengthy introduction, the first and second verses are contiguous and are separated from the third verse only by a brief series of sound effects. A short breakdown section follows the third verse, which leads to an extended outro.
"Blue Monday" is often seen as one of the most important crossover tracks of the 1980s pop music scene. Synthpop had been a major force in British popular music for several years, but "Blue Monday" was arguably the first British dance record to exhibit an obvious influence from the New York club scene, particularly the work of producers like Arthur Baker
(who collaborated on New Order's follow-up single "Confusion").
According to Bernard Sumner
, "Blue Monday" was influenced by four songs: the arrangement
came from "Dirty Talk
", by Klein + M.B.O.
; the signature bassline with octaves came from Sylvester
's disco classic, "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
"; the house beat came from "Our Love", by Donna Summer
; and the long keyboard pad on the intro and outro was sampled from the Kraftwerk
song "Uranium", from the Radio-Activity
album. In an interview for Channel 4
's countdown of the biggest selling UK singles, the band claimed to have written the song in response to crowd disappointment at the fact that they never played encores. This song, they say, allowed them to return to the stage, press play on a synthesiser and leave the stage again. An example of this happening appears on New Order's concert video Pumped Full of Drugs.
sleeve, created by Factory designer Peter Saville, cost so much to produce that Factory Records
actually lost money on each copy sold. It is unlikely that Factory Records could have sustained the losses implied, and the sleeve was soon changed to a similar non-die-cut design that would cost no more than a regular sleeve. It is, however, probably true that New Order saw little profit from the single's success, since an investment in the Haçienda
nightclub swallowed much of the money they made from their hit.
Another notable feature of the sleeve is that it does not display either the group name nor song title in plain English anywhere. Instead the legend "FAC 73 BLUE MONDAY AND THE BEACH NEW ORDER" is represented in code
by a series of coloured blocks. The key enabling this to be deciphered was printed on the back sleeve of the album, Power, Corruption & Lies
. "Blue Monday" is one of three New Order releases from this time period to employ the colour code. The sleeve's spine simply reads "FAC SEVENTY THREE".
(reportedly the Apple II port). The colour blocks were created using Peter Saville's colour coded alphabet.
The music video for "Blue Monday '88" (the Quincy Jones re-recording and mix of the song), shortened by several minutes and featuring added vocal effects, appears on the Substance video collection released as a companion to the album of the same name. It features sketches by photographer William Wegman
and his Weimaraner
dog named Fay Ray doing balancing acts intercut with hand-drawn animation by Robert Breer
. The band members are shown standing around doing various tasks, such as walking a wooden plank over a floor that is painted blue, holding wire-mesh constructed art and milk crates over their faces, being hit by tennis balls, and standing still while they flip through various flip books (tying into the hand-drawn animation sequences).
On the Australian show Rage
, a video was shown containing footage taken from their Top of the Pops performance with the studio track dubbed over it. At other times, the aforementioned videos also get airings.
.
New Order appeared on the BBC's Top of the Pops
, on 31 March 1983, to promote the song. It had long been the show's policy that artists would mime to a backing track, but New Order insisted on performing Blue Monday live. The performance was dogged by technical problems, and was unrepresentative of the recording. In the words of drummer Stephen Morris, "Blue Monday was never the easiest song to perform, anyway, and everything went wrong. The synthesisers went awry. It sounded awful". In 1985, "Blue Monday" and "Thieves Like Us" were officially released in Poland as a 7" single in different sleeve by Tonpress under license from Factory Records and sold over 50 000 copies and reached number 5 on end of year single chart In 1988, "Blue Monday" was officially remixed by Quincy Jones
and John Potoker under the title "Blue Monday 88" (with the instrumental flip being titled "Beach Buggy"). The single reached number 3 in the British charts, number 4 in the Australian charts, and topped the dance charts in the United States. A further official remix/reissue in 1995, with a mix by Hardfloor
as the lead track, also made the British Top 20.
. Meanwhile, "Blue Monday '88" and "Beach Buggy" appear on the Collector's Edition of 1986's Brotherhood.
"Blue Monday" appears on almost every New Order compilation. This is a brief rundown of what versions appear where.
Compilation appearences include
PL 7" – Tonpress S-534
US 7" – Qwest 7-27979
UK 12" – FAC73R
US 12" – Qwest 0-20869
UK CD – FACD73R
UK video CD – FACDV73R
US cassette – Qwest 4-27979
Canadian cassette – Qwest 4-27979 – Q-west
UK 12" – NUOX7
UK CD – NUOCD 7
Notes:
band Orgy
,. A cover version
of the New Order song it was released on December 14, 1998. Internationally, the song was a hit, appearing on music charts worldwide. It has been attributed with providing industrial and metal music with a fresh connection.
said that upon working on the song they "wanted to do the original 'Blue Monday' justice" and had expected more criticism. He went on to say that they felt lucky to have covered it and that they felt it could have been something that they had written. The fact that their first major hit was a cover of the 80's electronica/dance song did not bother the band.
Their first official single release featured various versions of "Blue Monday" and upon the success of the song the band decided to include their previous single "Stitches" on the second release. With the label's support this release was an enhanced CD that featured the music video for "Blue Monday" on February 9, 1999, which was in Quicktime format. "Blue Monday" has been made into several dance remixes, some which were produced to appeal to the underground dance club scene, and was even advertised under "Club Mix" 2000, a popular dance compilation series.
The music video for "Blue Monday" also appeared on several music television stations, and it was also released on vinyl.
and TRL
, in which it reached No. 8 on February 22, 1999. The song was perceived as the bands gateway to success, allowing them to tour in Ozzfest
. and in the Family Values Tour
and led to the rerelease of the song "Stitches". The song appeared in Spin Magazine's "Hits of the Year" for 1999. "Blue Monday" is also said to have helped pave the way for the cyberpunk
trend, as best exemplified in the popularity of the movie The Matrix
, which appeared soon afterwards. In an interview of Joel Gallen
in Los Angeles Magazine, the music supervisors were discussing the use of Orgy's "Blue Monday" for a football scene in Not Another Teen Movie
, among others. Stating that the song "had energy", they eventually selected it for the movie, and it appeared in the soundtrack as well.
"Blue Monday" charted internationally, some of which included CMJ's "Commercial Alternative Cuts" and Billboard's Alternative, Pop, and Dance song charts as well as others. It also appeared in Time Magazine and Newsweek
in 2000 as featured song clips.
's cover of Dead or Alive
's "You spin me round". Many critics attribute the success of the album Candyass to "Blue Monday", and some anticipated that Orgy would become a one-hit wonder
, believing that it would be difficult for the band to followup with another hit song. Many believed it to be their best song. Porter W. Richards of Sputnik felt that even though many of the songs off of Candyass sounded similar, "Blue Monday" was a great song that should not be overlooked.
In a January 2000 Spin Magazine interview, Buckcherry
's vocalist Josh Todd
and guitarist Keith Nelson did not speak highly of the song, likening its sound to a Nine Inch Nails
rip-off and calling the sound "mechanical". The song is also viewed somewhat negatively by author of the comic book series Blue Monday Chynna Clugston
, who in an interview also expresses dislike for the misconception that she borrowed the title for her book.
starring Dwayne Johnson.
The song was subsequently remixed, with at least 7 remixes along with the original version available. The original release was on the 2002 EP titled Blue Monday.
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
, and later remixed in 1988 and 1995. The song has been widely remixed and covered since its original release, and became a popular anthem in the dance club scene.
Background
At nearly seven-and-a-half minutes, "Blue Monday" is one of the longest tracks ever to chart in the UK, and is the biggest-selling 12" single12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
of all time. Despite selling well it was not eligible for an official gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
because Factory Records
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...
was not a member of the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
association. However, the Official UK Chart Company (UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
) has estimated its total UK sales at over one million. In the all-time UK best-selling singles chart, published in 2002, "Blue Monday" came 76th.
The song begins with a distinctive semiquaver
Sixteenth note
thumb|right|Figure 1. A sixteenth note with stem facing up, a sixteenth note with stem facing down, and a sixteenth rest.thumb|right|Figure 2. Four sixteenth notes beamed together....
kick drum intro, programmed on an Oberheim DMX
Oberheim DMX
The DMX is a programmable digital drum machine introduced in 1981 by Oberheim Electronics.The Oberheim DMX was the second digital drum computer ever to be sold to the public as a product, following the Linn LM-1 in 1980...
drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
. Gillian Gilbert
Gillian Gilbert
Gillian Lesley Gilbert is an English musician, keyboardist, guitarist and singer, best known as a member of New Order and a founding member of The Other Two.-Biography:...
eventually fades in a sequencer melody. According to band interviews in NewOrderStory, she did so at the wrong time, so the melody is out of sync with the beat; however, the band considered it to be a happy accident that contributed to the track's charm. The verse section features the song's signature throbbing synth bass line, played by a Moog Source, overlaid with Peter Hook
Peter Hook
Peter Hook is an English bass player, musician and author.He was a co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division along with Bernard Sumner in the mid-1970s. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis, the band reformed as New Order, and Hook played bass with them throughout their career until...
's bass guitar leads. The synth bass line was sequenced on a Powertran Sequencer home built by Bernard. Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....
delivers the lyrics in a deadpan
Deadpan
Deadpan is a form of comic delivery in which humor is presented without a change in emotion or body language, usually speaking in a casual, monotone, solemn, blunt, disgusted or matter-of-fact voice and expressing an unflappably calm, archly insincere or artificially grave demeanor...
manner. "Blue Monday" is an atypical hit song in that it does not feature a standard verse-chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
structure. After a lengthy introduction, the first and second verses are contiguous and are separated from the third verse only by a brief series of sound effects. A short breakdown section follows the third verse, which leads to an extended outro.
"Blue Monday" is often seen as one of the most important crossover tracks of the 1980s pop music scene. Synthpop had been a major force in British popular music for several years, but "Blue Monday" was arguably the first British dance record to exhibit an obvious influence from the New York club scene, particularly the work of producers like Arthur Baker
Arthur Baker (musician)
Arthur Baker is an American record producer and DJ best known for his work with hip hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Planet Patrol, and the British group New Order.-Early career:...
(who collaborated on New Order's follow-up single "Confusion").
According to Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....
, "Blue Monday" was influenced by four songs: the arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
came from "Dirty Talk
Dirty Talk (Klein + M.B.O. song)
"Dirty Talk" is a song by Klein + M.B.O. released as the first single from their debut studio album First.-Critical reception:Slant Magazine placed "Dirty Talk" at number thirty-seven on its 100 Greatest Dance Songs, commenting, "That the lack of effective sex banter doesn't at all hinder 1982's...
", by Klein + M.B.O.
Klein + M.B.O.
Klein + M.B.O. were an Italian post-disco musical group formed by producers, songwriters, and arrangers Mario Boncaldo and Tony Carrasco . Rossana Casale, a jazz singer along with American chorus singer Naimy Hacket, provided vocals on their records.They are best known for their single "Dirty...
; the signature bassline with octaves came from Sylvester
Sylvester James
-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilation albums:* Mighty Real UK #62* 12 By 12 * Immortal -Singles:-Additional recordings:*Lights Out San Francisco...
's disco classic, "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
"You Make Me Feel " is the title of a 1978 single by American disco singer Sylvester James, who performed using just his first name, Sylvester...
"; the house beat came from "Our Love", by Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
; and the long keyboard pad on the intro and outro was sampled from the Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
song "Uranium", from the Radio-Activity
Radio-Activity
Radio-Activity is the fifth studio album by German electronic band Kraftwerk, released in October 1975. Unlike Kraftwerk's later albums, which featured language-specific lyrics, only the titles differ between the English and German editions...
album. In an interview for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's countdown of the biggest selling UK singles, the band claimed to have written the song in response to crowd disappointment at the fact that they never played encores. This song, they say, allowed them to return to the stage, press play on a synthesiser and leave the stage again. An example of this happening appears on New Order's concert video Pumped Full of Drugs.
Sleeve notes
A popular misconception about "Blue Monday" holds that the single's die-cutDie (manufacturing)
A die is a specialized tool used in manufacturing industries to cut or shape material using a press. Like molds, dies are generally customized to the item they are used to create...
sleeve, created by Factory designer Peter Saville, cost so much to produce that Factory Records
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...
actually lost money on each copy sold. It is unlikely that Factory Records could have sustained the losses implied, and the sleeve was soon changed to a similar non-die-cut design that would cost no more than a regular sleeve. It is, however, probably true that New Order saw little profit from the single's success, since an investment in the Haçienda
The Haçienda
Fac 51 Haçienda was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester, England. It became most famous during the "Madchester" years of the late 1980s and early 1990s, during the 1990s it was labelled the most famous club in the world by Newsweek magazine...
nightclub swallowed much of the money they made from their hit.
Another notable feature of the sleeve is that it does not display either the group name nor song title in plain English anywhere. Instead the legend "FAC 73 BLUE MONDAY AND THE BEACH NEW ORDER" is represented in code
Code
A code is a rule for converting a piece of information into another form or representation , not necessarily of the same type....
by a series of coloured blocks. The key enabling this to be deciphered was printed on the back sleeve of the album, Power, Corruption & Lies
Power, Corruption & Lies
Power, Corruption & Lies is the second studio album by New Order, released in May 1983 on Factory Recordings. It is more electronic-based than their previous album Movement, with heavier use of synthesizers...
. "Blue Monday" is one of three New Order releases from this time period to employ the colour code. The sleeve's spine simply reads "FAC SEVENTY THREE".
Music videos
A music video for a shortened version of the original song was created in 1983, featuring military clips with false colour, simple computer-generated graphics such as colour blocks and geometric lines, digitised video of band members at very low resolution and framerate, and a short appearance of the game ZaxxonZaxxon
Zaxxon is a 1982 arcade game developed and released by Sega. Some sources claim that Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki also worked on the development of Zaxxon...
(reportedly the Apple II port). The colour blocks were created using Peter Saville's colour coded alphabet.
The music video for "Blue Monday '88" (the Quincy Jones re-recording and mix of the song), shortened by several minutes and featuring added vocal effects, appears on the Substance video collection released as a companion to the album of the same name. It features sketches by photographer William Wegman
William Wegman (photographer)
William Wegman is an artist best known for creating series of compositions involving dogs, primarily his own Weimaraners in various costumes and poses.-Life and career:...
and his Weimaraner
Weimaraner
The Weimaraner is a dog that was originally bred for hunting in the early 19th century. Early Weimaraners were used by royalty for hunting large game such as boar, bear, and deer. As the popularity of large game hunting began to decline, Weimaraners were used for hunting smaller animals like...
dog named Fay Ray doing balancing acts intercut with hand-drawn animation by Robert Breer
Robert Breer
Robert Carlton Breer was an experimental filmmaker, painter, and sculptor."A founding member of the American avant-garde," Breer was most well known for his films, which combine abstract and representational painting, hand-drawn rotoscoping, original 16mm and 8mm film footage, photographs, and...
. The band members are shown standing around doing various tasks, such as walking a wooden plank over a floor that is painted blue, holding wire-mesh constructed art and milk crates over their faces, being hit by tennis balls, and standing still while they flip through various flip books (tying into the hand-drawn animation sequences).
On the Australian show Rage
Rage (TV program)
Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still...
, a video was shown containing footage taken from their Top of the Pops performance with the studio track dubbed over it. At other times, the aforementioned videos also get airings.
Official releases
"Blue Monday" has been a hit several times in the UK. In 1983, it charted twice, initially reaching number 12, then re-entering the chart later in the year and climbing to number 9, helped by the fact that neither side of the single (the B-side "The Beach" was an instrumental re-working of "Blue Monday") was featured on the UK version of the group's subsequent album, Power, Corruption & LiesPower, Corruption & Lies
Power, Corruption & Lies is the second studio album by New Order, released in May 1983 on Factory Recordings. It is more electronic-based than their previous album Movement, with heavier use of synthesizers...
.
New Order appeared on the BBC's Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, on 31 March 1983, to promote the song. It had long been the show's policy that artists would mime to a backing track, but New Order insisted on performing Blue Monday live. The performance was dogged by technical problems, and was unrepresentative of the recording. In the words of drummer Stephen Morris, "Blue Monday was never the easiest song to perform, anyway, and everything went wrong. The synthesisers went awry. It sounded awful". In 1985, "Blue Monday" and "Thieves Like Us" were officially released in Poland as a 7" single in different sleeve by Tonpress under license from Factory Records and sold over 50 000 copies and reached number 5 on end of year single chart In 1988, "Blue Monday" was officially remixed by Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
and John Potoker under the title "Blue Monday 88" (with the instrumental flip being titled "Beach Buggy"). The single reached number 3 in the British charts, number 4 in the Australian charts, and topped the dance charts in the United States. A further official remix/reissue in 1995, with a mix by Hardfloor
Hardfloor
Hardfloor is a German techno and acid trance duo, consisting of Oliver Bondzio and Ramon Zenker. Their most famous track is "Acperience 1" ....
as the lead track, also made the British Top 20.
Appearances
In 2008, Collector's Editions of all New Order's 1980s albums were released. The result is that remastered versions of the original 12" "Blue Monday" and its B-side "The Beach" appear on the Collector's Edition of Power, Corruption & LiesPower, Corruption & Lies
Power, Corruption & Lies is the second studio album by New Order, released in May 1983 on Factory Recordings. It is more electronic-based than their previous album Movement, with heavier use of synthesizers...
. Meanwhile, "Blue Monday '88" and "Beach Buggy" appear on the Collector's Edition of 1986's Brotherhood.
"Blue Monday" appears on almost every New Order compilation. This is a brief rundown of what versions appear where.
- 1987: Substance 1987 – Original 12" version
- 1994: Best of New Order – 1988 7" version
- 1995: Rest of New Order – Hardfloor Mix [note: some versions come with a disc of "Blue Monday" remixes]
- 2002: International – Original 12" version
- 2002: Retro – Original 12" version and Jam and Spoon Manuela Mix
- 2005: Singles – Original 12" version [note: this version omits the opening seconds] and 1988 7" version
- 2011: Total - Original 12" version
Compilation appearences include
- 1996 The Best...Album in the World...Ever! - New edited version of 12" mix (runs at 6:45 length)
- 2001 MixmagMixmagMixmag is a British dance music and clubbing magazine. It styles itself as "the world's biggest selling dance music magazine", with an Audit Bureau of Circulations audited circulation of approximately 21,250...
B!g Tunes - Original 12" version - 2008 Anthems II 1991-2009Ministry of Sound AnthemsAnthems 1991-2008 is a compilation album released by Ministry of Sound in Australia and the UK. The three CD set features popular dance singles from the period of 1991-2007 . It was a very successful album, and led it to become the first in a series.-UK Series:Anthems 1991-2008 is the first in a...
- 1988 7" mix (mixed into "ChimeChime (song)"Chime" was the first single from the UK dance group Orbital, allegedly recorded for less than £1. It was recorded on a cassette deck and was originally released in late 1989 and had moderate success...
" by OrbitalOrbitalOrbital may refer to:In chemistry and physics:* Atomic orbital* Molecular orbitalIn astronomy and space flight:* Orbit* Orbital resonance* Orbital period* Orbital plane * Orbital elements* Orbital speed...
)
Blue Monday '1983'
UK 12" – FAC73- "Blue Monday" – 7:29
- "The Beach" – 7:19
PL 7" – Tonpress S-534
- "Blue Monday" – 7:29
- "Thieves Like Us" – 6:36
Blue Monday 1988
UK 7" – FAC73-7- "Blue Monday 1988" – 4:09
- "Beach Buggy" – 4:18
US 7" – Qwest 7-27979
- "Blue Monday 1988" (single mix) – 4:10
- "Touched by the Hand of God" (single version) – 3:41
UK 12" – FAC73R
- "Blue Monday 1988" (12" version) – 7:09
- "Beach Buggy" – 6:52
- "Blue Monday 1988" (7" version) – 4:09
US 12" – Qwest 0-20869
- "Blue Monday 1988" (12" Mix) – 7:09
- "Blue Monday 1988" (Dub) – 7:16
- "Touched by the Hand of God" (Remix) – 7:02
- "Touched by the Hand of God" (Dub) – 5:30
UK CD – FACD73R
- "Blue Monday 1988" (12-inch) – 7:09
- "Beach Buggy" (12-inch) – 6:52
- "Blue Monday 1988" (7-inch) – 4:09
UK video CD – FACDV73R
- "Blue Monday 1988" (12-inch) – 7:09
- "Blue Monday 1988" (dub) – 7:18
- "Blue Monday 1988" (7-inch) – 4:09
- "Blue Monday 1988" (video) – 4:09
US cassette – Qwest 4-27979
- "Blue Monday 1988" (single mix) – 4:10
- "Touched by the Hand of God" (single version) – 3:41
Canadian cassette – Qwest 4-27979 – Q-west
- "Blue Monday 1988" (12" mix) – 7:09
- "Touched by the Hand of God" (single version) – 4:10
- "Blue Monday 1988" (single version) – 4:10
- "Blue Monday 1988" (Dub version) – 7:16
Blue Monday-95
UK 7" – NUO 7- "Blue Monday-95" (Hardfloor radio edit) – 4:16
- "Blue Monday" (original radio edit) – 4:09 (Actually "Blue Monday 1988" (7-inch))
UK 12" – NUOX7
- "Blue Monday-95" (Hardfloor Mix) – 8:34
- "Blue Monday-95" (Andrea Mix) – 8:26
- "Blue Monday-95" (Manuella Mix) – 7:31
- "Blue Monday" (Original Mix) – 7:26
UK CD – NUOCD 7
- "Blue Monday-95" (Hardfloor Mix) – 8:37
- "Blue Monday" (Original Mix) – 7:26
- "Blue Monday-95" (Manuella Mix) – 7:32
- "Blue Monday-95" (Andrea Mix) – 8:28
- "Blue Monday-95" (Plutone Mix) – 6:29
Chart positions
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
13 |
| German Media Control Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... Singles Chart |
2 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
4 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Singles Chart |
2 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
9 |
| UK Independent Singles Chart UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 5 |
| End of year chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Poland | 5 |
| Chart (1988, "Blue Monday 1988") | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart | 4 |
| German Media Control Singles Chart | 3 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 2 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 3 |
| UK Independent Singles Chart | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
68 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 1 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes... 1 |
9 |
Notes:
- 1 - Charted with "Touched by the Hand of God"
| Chart (1995, "Blue Monday-95") | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Media Control Singles Chart | 54 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 29 |
| UK Singles Chart | 17 |
Orgy version
"Blue Monday" is the second single of the rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Orgy
Orgy (band)
Orgy is an American synth rock band formed in 1996, from Los Angeles, California. Orgy described their music as "death pop".-History:Orgy was formed in 1996 by vocalist Jay Gordon and guitarist Ryan Shuck. Bassist Paige Haley, guitarist Amir Derakh, and drummer Bobby Hewitt soon completed the line-up...
,. A cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the New Order song it was released on December 14, 1998. Internationally, the song was a hit, appearing on music charts worldwide. It has been attributed with providing industrial and metal music with a fresh connection.
Background
In an interview with Billboard Magazine guitarist Amir DerakhAmir Derakh
Amir Davidson is an American musician. He is currently guitar/synthesizer player for the band Orgy and guitar player for the band Dead by Sunrise...
said that upon working on the song they "wanted to do the original 'Blue Monday' justice" and had expected more criticism. He went on to say that they felt lucky to have covered it and that they felt it could have been something that they had written. The fact that their first major hit was a cover of the 80's electronica/dance song did not bother the band.
Their first official single release featured various versions of "Blue Monday" and upon the success of the song the band decided to include their previous single "Stitches" on the second release. With the label's support this release was an enhanced CD that featured the music video for "Blue Monday" on February 9, 1999, which was in Quicktime format. "Blue Monday" has been made into several dance remixes, some which were produced to appeal to the underground dance club scene, and was even advertised under "Club Mix" 2000, a popular dance compilation series.
The music video for "Blue Monday" also appeared on several music television stations, and it was also released on vinyl.
Success
The song appeared on modern rock radio stations, and was a hit on MTV; it appeared on MTV's alternative music program 120 minutes120 Minutes
120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
and TRL
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
, in which it reached No. 8 on February 22, 1999. The song was perceived as the bands gateway to success, allowing them to tour in Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
. and in the Family Values Tour
Family Values Tour
The Family Values Tour was created by the band Korn in 1998 to be an annual rock & rap tour.The tour began in 1998 and would take the year off in 2000, due to heavy competition from other tours, such as the Anger Management Tour and the Summer Sanitarium Tour. After a four year hiatus, the Family...
and led to the rerelease of the song "Stitches". The song appeared in Spin Magazine's "Hits of the Year" for 1999. "Blue Monday" is also said to have helped pave the way for the cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
trend, as best exemplified in the popularity of the movie The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
, which appeared soon afterwards. In an interview of Joel Gallen
Joel Gallen
Joel Gallen is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He has produced the MTV Movie Awards between 1995 and 2006, as well as many of the Comedy Central Roasts. Gallen directed the film Not Another Teen Movie...
in Los Angeles Magazine, the music supervisors were discussing the use of Orgy's "Blue Monday" for a football scene in Not Another Teen Movie
Not Another Teen Movie
Not Another Teen Movie is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Joel Gallen, released on December 14, 2001 by Columbia Pictures. It is a parody of teen movies which have accumulated in Hollywood over the last few decades...
, among others. Stating that the song "had energy", they eventually selected it for the movie, and it appeared in the soundtrack as well.
"Blue Monday" charted internationally, some of which included CMJ's "Commercial Alternative Cuts" and Billboard's Alternative, Pop, and Dance song charts as well as others. It also appeared in Time Magazine and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
in 2000 as featured song clips.
Reception
"Blue Monday" has been called the "aggro-fied-for-the-90's" version of New Orders' song, and it is considered to be part of a resurgence of new wave covers in gloomcore, along with DopeDope (band)
Dope is an American rock band from Villa Park, Illinois, formed in 1997 in Chicago, Illinois.To date, the band has released five full-length studio albums, their most recent being No Regrets which was released on March 10, 2009.-History:...
's cover of Dead or Alive
Dead or Alive (band)
Dead or Alive were a British New Wave band from Wirral, England, United Kingdom, Europe. The band rose to fame in the 1980s with their number one single on the UK Singles Chart, "You Spin Me Round ". They were the first group to have a number one single under the production team Stock Aitken Waterman...
's "You spin me round". Many critics attribute the success of the album Candyass to "Blue Monday", and some anticipated that Orgy would become a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
, believing that it would be difficult for the band to followup with another hit song. Many believed it to be their best song. Porter W. Richards of Sputnik felt that even though many of the songs off of Candyass sounded similar, "Blue Monday" was a great song that should not be overlooked.
In a January 2000 Spin Magazine interview, Buckcherry
Buckcherry
Buckcherry is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1995. The band released two albums, Buckcherry and Time Bomb , before partially dissolving in the summer of 2002. In 2005, lead vocalist Josh Todd and lead guitarist Keith Nelson reformed Buckcherry and released a new album...
's vocalist Josh Todd
Josh Todd
Josh Todd is an American musician and actor, best known as the lead singer of the rock band Buckcherry.-Background:...
and guitarist Keith Nelson did not speak highly of the song, likening its sound to a Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
rip-off and calling the sound "mechanical". The song is also viewed somewhat negatively by author of the comic book series Blue Monday Chynna Clugston
Chynna Clugston
Chynna Clugston is an American comic book creator known for her manga-influenced teen comedy series Blue Monday.-Early life:Clugston grew up in Fresno, California and attended the Roosevelt School of the Arts...
, who in an interview also expresses dislike for the misconception that she borrowed the title for her book.
Track listing
Information on Blue Monday (single).- Information on Blue Monday/Stitches.
Chart performance
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 56 | |
| 30 | |
| 32 | |
| 4 | |
| 18 | |
| 2 | |
| 5 | |
| 4 | |
| 36 | |
| 30 | |
| 83 |
Appearances
- Blue Monday (single) (1998)
- Blue Monday/Stitches (1998)
- CandyassCandyassCandyass is the debut album of the rock band Orgy. It was released on August 18, 1998.- Track listing :# "Social Enemies" – 4:05# "Stitches" – 3:18# "Dissention" – 3:31# "Platinum" – 3:42# "Fetisha" – 4:02# "Fiend" – 4:29# "Blue Monday" – 4:26...
(1998) - I Still Know What You Did Last SummerI Still Know What You Did Last SummerI Still Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1998 slasher film and sequel to the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer. The screenplay was written by Trey Callaway, based on characters originally created in a popular novel by Lois Duncan. Callaway's script was published in an edited "young adult"...
(1998) - Big Shiny Tunes, Vol. 4Big Shiny Tunes 4"Big Shiny Tunes " is the fourth edition of the MuchMusic compilation series, Big Shiny Tunes. The album was very successful in Canada, reaching #1 on the Canadian Albums Chart and being certified 8x Platinum by the CRIA.-Track listing:...
(1999) - Club Mix 2000 (K-Tel) (1999)
- Family Values Tour '98 CDFamily Values Tour '98 CDFamily Values Tour '98 CD is a live album released on March 30, 1999 by Immortal/Epic Records. It was released on the same day as the DVD version.-Lineup:Artists who participated in 1998 Family Values Tour were:*Korn*Ice Cube...
(1999) - Shades of Technology (1999)
- The F111 House Session (2000)
- Kerrang: Life Is Loud (2001)
- Not Another Teen MovieNot Another Teen MovieNot Another Teen Movie is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Joel Gallen, released on December 14, 2001 by Columbia Pictures. It is a parody of teen movies which have accumulated in Hollywood over the last few decades...
(2001) - Ultimate Teen Flick Soundtrack (2002)
- Nevermind the Originals, Here's the Covers (2003)
- X-Treme Rock (2003)
- All That Alternative (2005)
- Trans Global Spectacle (2005)
- Information on appearances.
Flunk version
In this version, Flunk slows down Blue Monday making it a popular hit for Flunk, based in part on the song's wide recognition. The lyrics become the focus for this version rather than the danceable beat (which was emphasized in the original version). The single was well received by electronic music critics and was included in the 2004 movie Walking TallWalking Tall (2004 film)
Walking Tall is a 2004 remake of the 1973 film of the same name. It stars Dwayne Johnson and Johnny Knoxville. Like the original film, it was based on real-life Sheriff Buford Pusser, however, the main character's name was changed to "Chris Vaughn"...
starring Dwayne Johnson.
The song was subsequently remixed, with at least 7 remixes along with the original version available. The original release was on the 2002 EP titled Blue Monday.
2002 EP track listing
- Blue Monday
- Eight Days A Freak
- Blue Monday (Howard Maple Mess Up Mix)
Sources
CMJ New Music Report]]|date=February 8, 1999|volume=57|issue=604|pages=60|publisher=CMJ Network, Inc|issn=0890-0795}}CMJ New Music Monthly]]|date=November 2000|issue=87|pages=112|publisher=CMJ Network, Inc|issn=1074-6978}}External links
- New Order discography (includes images of sleeve)
- Fan site