On 27 June 1980, Joy Division released the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart". Its lyrics were inspired by lead singer Ian Curtis's marital problems and struggles with epilepsy. The single was released the month after his suicide.
The song was certified platinum in the UK, selling over 600,000 copies, and has an ongoing legacy as a defining song of the era. In 2002, NME named "Love Will Tear Us Apart" as the greatest single of all time, while Rolling Stone named it one of the 500 best songs ever in 2004, 2011, and 2021.
In Memory of Ian Curtis (15 July 1956 - 18 May 1980)
Gone, but not forgotten
[Verse 1]
When routine bites hard and ambitions are low
And resentment rides high, but emotions won't grow
And we're changing our ways, taking different roads
[Chorus]
Then love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love will tear us apart again
[Verse 2]
Why is the bedroom so cold? You've turned away on your side
Is my timing that flawed? Our respect runs so dry
Yet there's still this appeal that we've kept through our lives
[Chorus]
But love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love will tear us apart again
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 3]
You cry out in your sleep, all my failings exposed
There's a taste in my mouth as desperation takes hold
Just that something so good, just can't function no more
[Chorus]
Then love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love will tear us apart again
Then love, love will tear it apart again
Love, love will tear it apart again