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Ceremony (song)

"Ceremony"
Ceremony single.jpg
Sleeve for second version of single, by Peter Saville
Single by New Order
B-side "In a Lonely Place"
Released 6 March 1981 (1981-03-06)
Format 7", 12"
Genre Post-punk
Length 4:34 (original),
4:23 (re-recorded)
Label Factory - FAC 33
Writer(s) Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Bernard Sumner
Producer(s) Martin Hannett, New Order
New Order singles chronology
"Ceremony"
(1981)
"Procession"
(1981)
"Ceremony"
Song by Joy Division from the album Still
Released 8 October 1981
Recorded 2 May 1980 at High Hall, Birmingham University
Genre Gothic rock
Length 3:51
Label Factory Records
Writer(s) Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Ian Curtis
Producer(s) Martin Hannett
Still track listing
"Sister Ray"
(live)
(10)
"Ceremony"
(11)
"Shadowplay"
(12)

"Ceremony" is a song by Joy Division, released as New Order's debut single in 1981. The song and its 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.

The song appears in Sofia Coppola's 2006 film Marie Antoinette.

"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 Still album, from their final concert at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980. The second, available on the Heart and Soul four-disc box set is from a studio session on 14 May 1980, four days before Curtis's suicide. It was the band's last recording. 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.

After the death of Ian Curtis, the remaining members of Joy Division regrouped as 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.

In March 1981, the first version of "Ceremony" was released on Factory Records (FAC 33). Martin Hannett (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.


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