Ceremony (song)
Encyclopedia
"Ceremony" is a song by Joy Division
, released as New Order
's debut single
in 1981. The song, as well as the B-side, "In a Lonely Place", were written as Joy Division
prior to the death of Ian Curtis
. Both were carried over to the band's re-incarnation as New Order.
New Order released the song as a single twice, firstly in March 1981 and secondly in September 1981 featuring new member Gillian Gilbert
.
album, from their final concert at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980, sixteen days before Curtis' suicide. The second, available on the Heart and Soul four-disc box set is from a rehearsal tape made in April/May 1980. The third is a version recorded at the soundcheck on the afternoon of 2 May 1980 (along with "Decades") and is only available on bootleg. In all recordings, the vocals are only partially audible.
(Joy Division's producer) produced the record and 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: gold typography on a green background.
in 2005, when the original recording was released on CD for the first time.
There are differences in the recordings. The original has a 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 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. 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". The re-recording says "This is why events unnerve me". Both phrases are excerpts from the lyrics in "Ceremony".
in a white sleeve. This limited edition release (only 800 copies) plays at 33rpm. It features the New Order recordings of "Ceremony" (the pre-Gillian Gilbert take) and "In a Lonely Place" on one side, with the rare Joy Division recordings of the same tracks on the flip side—"Ceremony" comes from the 1997 Heart & Soul box set but the version of "In a Lonely Place" is a recently discovered complete take and not the same as the version featured on Heart & Soul . The Heart And Soul version is cut short at 2 mins 32 seconds, whereas this newly discovered take runs for 5 mins 45 secs and the full Ian Curtis vocal of In A Lonely Place is heard here for the first time, complete with the missing 'Hangman' verse.
The song was composed when the band were still Joy Division, with Ian Curtis providing the vocal melody and the second chorus. Sumner and Peter Hook rewrote the lyrics for the first verse and chorus when Curtis's original lyrics could not be found. Bernard tried unsuccessfully to boost Curtis's vocals in a badly recorded home demo. The attempt to uncover the lyrics at this point was used to record the original demo of "Ceremony", featuring Stephen Morris on vocals, as part of the band's Western Works Demo, 7 September 1980.
Notes:
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
, released as New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
's debut single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1981. The song, as well as the B-side, "In a Lonely Place", were written as Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
prior to the death of Ian Curtis
Ian Curtis
Ian Kevin Curtis was an English singer and lyricist, famous for leading the post-punk band Joy Division. Joy Division released their debut album, Unknown Pleasures, in 1979 and recorded their follow-up, Closer, in 1980...
. Both were carried over to the band's re-incarnation as New Order.
New Order released the song as a single twice, firstly in March 1981 and secondly in September 1981 featuring new member 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:...
.
Joy Division
"Ceremony" was one of the last Joy Division songs to be composed, with lyrics written by Ian Curtis. There are three recorded versions by Joy Division in existence. The first is a live version, available on the StillStill (Joy Division album)
Still is a compilation album by Joy Division, consisting of previously unused studio material and a live recording of Joy Division's last concert, performed at Birmingham University. Originally planned for release in August, it was eventually released on 8 October 1981. The CD version was...
album, from their final concert at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980, sixteen days before Curtis' suicide. The second, available on the Heart and Soul four-disc box set is from a rehearsal tape made in April/May 1980. The third is a version recorded at the soundcheck on the afternoon of 2 May 1980 (along with "Decades") and is only available on bootleg. In all recordings, the vocals are only partially audible.
New Order
After the death of Ian Curtis, the remaining members of Joy Division renamed the band New Order. Their first release was a re-recording of "Ceremony" as a stand-alone single backed with "In a Lonely Place", with guitarist Bernard Sumner taking over lead vocals. Sumner said that he had to put the "Ceremony" rehearsal tape as sung by Curtis through a graphic equalizer to transcribe the lyrics.March 1981 version
In March 1981, the first version of "Ceremony" was released on Factory Records (FAC 33). Martin HannettMartin Hannett
Martin Hannett , sometimes credited as Martin Zero, was a record producer and an original partner in Factory Records with Tony Wilson...
(Joy Division's producer) produced the record and 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: gold typography on a green background.
September 1981 version
In September 1981, "Ceremony" was re-recorded. Gillian Gilbert played guitar on the recording, just before she formally joined the band. Martin Hannett again produced the record. The single was re-issued as a 12" only, with the same catalogue number (FAC 33). The original is approximately 4:34 minutes in length while the re-recording is 4:23. The re-recorded version was used on all subsequent compilations until SinglesSingles (New Order album)
-Chart positions:...
in 2005, when the original recording was released on CD for the first time.
There are differences in the recordings. The original has a 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 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. 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". The re-recording says "This is why events unnerve me". Both phrases are excerpts from the lyrics in "Ceremony".
Re-issue
The single was re-issued again in April 2011 for Record Store DayRecord Store Day
Record Store Day is an internationally celebrated day observed the third Saturday of April each year. Its purpose, as conceived by independent record store employee Chris Brown, is to celebrate the art of music...
in a white sleeve. This limited edition release (only 800 copies) plays at 33rpm. It features the New Order recordings of "Ceremony" (the pre-Gillian Gilbert take) and "In a Lonely Place" on one side, with the rare Joy Division recordings of the same tracks on the flip side—"Ceremony" comes from the 1997 Heart & Soul box set but the version of "In a Lonely Place" is a recently discovered complete take and not the same as the version featured on Heart & Soul . The Heart And Soul version is cut short at 2 mins 32 seconds, whereas this newly discovered take runs for 5 mins 45 secs and the full Ian Curtis vocal of In A Lonely Place is heard here for the first time, complete with the missing 'Hangman' verse.
Composition
"Ceremony" is a mid-tempo uplifting rock song in the key of C major. The song contains two implied chords, C major and F major, shown through the driving bassline. The song does not contain any keyboards, which became a common staple in Joy Division's later sound, and New Order's eventual sound. The song, in its original recording, featured a faster tempo than that of the September re-record, as well as clearer production and a more processed guitar tone. "Ceremony" utilises quiet-loud dynamics and artificial reverb to give the song its trademark flowing atmosphere. Interestingly, the song reverts to its quieter stage for the guitar solo, a practise carried over to New Order by Bernard Sumner.The song was composed when the band were still Joy Division, with Ian Curtis providing the vocal melody and the second chorus. Sumner and Peter Hook rewrote the lyrics for the first verse and chorus when Curtis's original lyrics could not be found. Bernard tried unsuccessfully to boost Curtis's vocals in a badly recorded home demo. The attempt to uncover the lyrics at this point was used to record the original demo of "Ceremony", featuring Stephen Morris on vocals, as part of the band's Western Works Demo, 7 September 1980.
Cover versions
The song has been covered by a number of artists, including:- RadioheadRadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
for their "Thumbs Down" webcastWebcastA webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand...
on 9 November 2007. - Galaxie 500Galaxie 500Galaxie 500 was an American alternative rock band that formed in 1987 and split up in 1991 after releasing three albums.-History:Guitarist Dean Wareham, drummer Damon Krukowski and bassist Naomi Yang had met at the Dalton School in New York City in 1981, but began playing together during their time...
on their 1989 "Blue Thunder" EP (available on the re-issue of On Fire). - Xiu XiuXiu XiuXiu Xiu is an American avant-garde group originally from San Jose, California. The band is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart, who has been its only constant member since its inception in 2002. His current bandmate is Angela Seo...
on their debut EP from 2002, Chapel of the Chimes - The Echoing GreenThe Echoing Green (band)The Echoing Green is an electronica/synthpop band. It began as a duo between Joey Belville and Aaron Bowman in 1992, and has since released eleven major albums....
. - The Morning BendersThe Morning BendersThe Morning Benders are an indie rock band from Berkeley, California, now based in Brooklyn, New York.In 2008, they released their debut album Talking Through Tin Cans on +1 Records...
- Fall on Your Sword, in 2009 and 2010 television and web-based advertisements for Absolut VodkaAbsolut VodkaAbsolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, Skåne, in southern Sweden. Since July 2008 the company has been owned by the French firm Pernod Ricard who bought V&S Group from the Swedish government....
- Ian McCullochIan McCulloch (singer)Ian Stephen McCulloch is an English singer, born in Liverpool, and is best known as the frontman for the rock group Echo & the Bunnymen.-Career:...
. McCulloch also sang the song with New Order at the Festival of the Tenth SummerFestival of the Tenth SummerThe Festival of the Tenth Summer was a music and art festival that took place in Manchester in July 1986. The festival was organised by Factory Records to 'celebrate Manchester' specifically with reference to the first performance by the Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester on 4...
. - Germany Germany on their album Electrolove
UK 12" - FAC 33 (Second pressing)
- "Ceremony" – 4:22
- "In a Lonely Place" – 6:12
- Usually a cream and blue sleeve.
UK 12" - FAC 33 (2011 Record Store Day pressing)
- "Ceremony" – 4:34
- "In a Lonely Place" – 6:12
- "Ceremony" – 4:14 Joy Division version (from the 1997 'Heart & Soul' box set)
- "In a Lonely Place" – 5:30 Joy Division version (previously unreleased)
- White sleeve
Chart positions
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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 1 |
7 |
| 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 ... |
34 |
| 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 | 61 |
Notes:
- 1 - Charted in 1983 and 1984.