"Thieves Like Us" is a single by British group New Order

New Order

New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...

, released in April 1984 by 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...

. It is one of the group's most popular songs. It is named after the 1974 crime movie Thieves Like Us

Thieves Like Us (film)

Thieves Like Us is a 1974 film directed by Robert Altman, starring Keith Carradine and Shelley Duvall. The film was based on the novel Thieves Like Us by Edward Anderson...

, directed by Robert Altman

Robert Altman

Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...

. Bernard Sumner states during a TV interview in 1984, that the song title was suggested by John 'Jellybean' Benitez (an associate of the song's co-writer, Arthur Baker).

The B-side was "Lonesome Tonight

Lonesome Tonight

"Lonesome Tonight" is a song by British group New Order, released in April 1984 by Factory Records.The A-side and main single was one of the group's more popular songs "Thieves Like Us" and the catalogue number for the single was FAC 103...

" and the catalogue number FAC 103. Both tracks appear on the group's 1987 Substance compilation, and on the 2008 Collectors Edition of 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...

, as well as the extended instrumental version of Thieves Like Us (originally the B-side to "Murder").

Like many of their releases, the record was produced by the band, although "Thieves Like Us" was co-written by 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:...

 during the New York sessions for "Confusion".

An instrumental of the track was featured in the 1986 movie Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. It is one of a group of John Hughes films starring Molly Ringwald, and is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film...

.

The single's cover design by Peter Saville was based on a 'metaphysical

Metaphysical art

Metaphysical art , style of painting that flourished mainly between 1911 and 1920 in the works of the Italian artists Giorgio de Chirico and Carlo Carrà. The movement began with Chirico, whose dreamlike works with sharp contrasts of light and shadow often had a vaguely threatening, mysterious quality...

' painting by Giorgio de Chirico

Giorgio de Chirico

Giorgio de Chirico was a pre-Surrealist and then Surrealist Italian painter born in Volos, Greece, to a Genovese mother and a Sicilian father. He founded the scuola metafisica art movement...

.

UK 7" Promo - FAC 103

1. "Thieves Like Us" – 3:54
2. "Lonesome Tonight" – 3:52

(Limited to 3,500 copies. Only the 12" version was released commercially)

PL 7" - Tonpress S-534

1. "Blue Monday" – 7:29
2. "Thieves Like Us" – 6:36

(Released in Poland under license of Factory Records, 1985)

Chart positions

Chart (1984)	Peak position
Australian 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...	84
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...	5
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	14
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 ...	18
UK Indie Singles 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