Joy Division Trivia

1. According to Rolling Stone magazine, the title "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was a sardonic response to the 1975 pop hit "Love Will Keep Us Together" by what duo?

From Quiz Song by Song: "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Answer: Captain and Tennille

Rolling Stone magazine writes that "in a fittingly creepy gesture," Joy Division even recorded the song in the same studio where "Love Will Keep Us Together" was recorded. The song was about Ian Curtis's crumbling marriage with Deborah Woodruff. Curtis suffered from both depression and epilepsy, which is a disorder of the central nervous system that results in abnormal brain activity and can cause seizures, loss of awareness, and unusual behavior. He was diagnosed with the disorder in 1979, recorded "Love Will Tear Us Apart" in March of 1980, and committed suicide by hanging in May of 1980.

From Quiz The Joy Division Experience

Answer: Warsaw

They changed their name in 1978, after discovering that another band was using the name "Warsaw Pakt", and thus, Joy Division was born. They released one EP titled "An Ideal for Living" in 1978, which did not feature Curtis's well-known baritone vocals, but rather his more high-pitched natural voice.

From Quiz The Story of Joy Division

Answer: Stephen Morris

Stephen Paul David Morris, born on October 28th, 1957, was drummer for Joy Division. He attended the same school as Ian Curtis did, but was kicked out for abusing cough syrup. Stephen now has two daughters, Tilly and Grace, which he had with his wife, Gillian Gilbert. Since Joy Division, he has been in the bands New Order and The Other Two.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Answer: It was a non-album single

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" was released in June of 1980, mere weeks after Ian Curtis committed suicide. It was put out as a non-album single with "These Days" on the B-Side. It was not included on Joy Division's last album, "Closer," which was released after Ian's death in July of 1980. The song was, however, later included on "Substance," a compilation of Joy Division's singles released in 1988.

From Quiz The Joy Division Experience

Answer: Unknown Pleasures

The album features songs such as "Shadowplay","She's Lost Control", and "Disorder", all of which aided Joy Division in gaining popularity, including their non-album single from the same sessions, "Transmission", which was one of the songs played by the band live on "The Something Else Show" in 1979, which marked their most well-known and only nationwide television appearance.

From Quiz The Story of Joy Division

Answer: Ian Curtis

Ian wrote the lyrics to all of their songs. Since Ian greatly suffered from depression, all of the songs had very dark and sorrowful messages to them. Later on, the rest of the band admitted that they had never paid much attention to the lyrics of the songs they had played.

From Quiz Joy Division

Answer: Martin Hannett

Steve Lillywhite produced U2, among many others, while Martin Rushent is most famous for his work with the Human League. Tony Wilson was owner of Factory Records - Joy Division's label - and is currently employed as Jerry Springer's stunt double.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Answer: Bernard Sumner

Joy Division taught Ian Curtis to strum a D-chord so he could do that when they were playing the song live, but it was Bernard Sumner who played a 12-string Eko guitar on the recording. (Eko is an Italian manufacturer of guitars.) Sumner was a founding member not only of Joy Division, but also of the bands New Order and Electronic.

From Quiz The Joy Division Experience

Answer: A woman suffering from epilepsy

According to frontman Ian Curtis, he knew a young woman his age who suffered from epilepsy like he did, although she suffered seizures far more frequently. Curtis recalled that she was trying to find a job, but her frequent seizures ultimately prevented this. Unfortunately, she died of an epileptic seizure, prompting Curtis to write the song about her.

From Quiz The Story of Joy Division

Answer: passerby

Ian Curtis met a girl once, while he was working as a civil servant for the government. He found out shortly after that she had epilepsy, and that she had had a grand mal seizure and died. He then frantically wrote "She's Lost Control", about a girl who has lost control, as an epileptic does with their body during a seizure. Ironically, shortly after writing the song, Ian Curtis himself was diagnosed with epilepsy.

From Quiz Joy Division

Answer: 5

First figure lying supine, second with head bowed to ground, third (a woman) kneeling on one knee, fourth behind her, a fifth standing behind her putting a hand on her shoulder.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Answer: Bono

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" was produced by Martin Hannett and recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport in the Greater Manchester area in England in March of 1980. The band U2, along with Bono, was there at the time to talk to Hannett about producing their own single "11 O'Clock Tick Tock," which would later be recorded in April and released on May 16, 1980. In an interview on RTÉ Irish Radio in 1980, Bono said that Ian Curtis seemed like two different people. He said talking to Ian "was a strange experience because he's very warm...well-mannered....polite. But when he got behind the microphone he really surged forth; there was another energy."

From Quiz The Story of Joy Division

Answer: The Stiff Kittens

The manager of the Buzzcocks, Richard Boon, suggested that the band go by the name "The Stiff Kittens" for their first gig. Although the band was billed under that name for their first performance on May 29th, 1977, the band had already changed their name to Warsaw, referencing David Bowie's "Warszawa". Warsaw renamed themselves in late 1977, because they did not want to be mistaken for the band Warsaw Pakt. Their first gig as Joy Division was played on January 25th, 1978, in Manchester.

From Quiz Joy Division

Answer: Sister Ray

A blistering rendition, at the end of which Ian Curtis is heard to say "Should hear our version of 'Louie Louie'...whoa!"

From Quiz Song by Song: "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Answer: Disco Top 100

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" was Joy Division's first top 20 hit in the UK. It peaked at number 13 on the U.K. Singles Chart and at number 42 on the U.S. Billboard Disco Top 100 (now called Dance Club Songs). It also rose to the top of the UK Indie Chart and the New Zealand Singles Chart. British music magazine NME named "Love Will Tear Us Apart" the greatest single of all time in 2002.

From Quiz The Joy Division Experience

Answer: Stephen Morris

Stephen Morris, who had gone to the same school as Curtis, answered an ad the band had put out, and was hired not only for his drumming, but also due to the fact that he was, according to the band, the only one who answered it.

From Quiz The Story of Joy Division

Answer: Unknown Pleasures

Joy Division began recording "Unknown Pleasures" in April of 1979. Martin Hannett produced the record at Strawberry Studios, in England. While "Unknown Pleasures" sold poorly when it was first released, sales picked up after the "Love Will Tear Us Apart" single was released a year later, in 1980. In the year 2000, "Unknown Pleasures" was put at number nineteen in Q Magazine's list of "100 Greatest British Albums Ever".

From Quiz Joy Division

Answer: 24 Hours

Allegedly about the breakdown of Ian Curtis' marriage.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Answer: routine

Chuzpe recorded a cover version of this song that peaked at number eight on the Ö3 Austria Top 40. Chuzpe was the first Austrian punk band formed in Austria, in 1977, in Vienna.

From Quiz The Joy Division Experience

Answer: tear

The single was released in June of 1980, a month after Joy Division disbanded. A play on the phrase "Love Will Keep us Together", Ian Curtis wrote the song about his wife Deborah, whom he married when he was 19 and she was 18. Their relationship was strained for the last year of their marriage, and she even threatened him with divorce.

From Quiz The Story of Joy Division

Answer: 1980

When the band first formed, the four members had an agreement; if any member left the band, the band would have to have a new name. So when Ian Curtis died in 1980, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, and Bernard Sumner had to re-name their band. The name "New Order" came from an article in "The Guardian". The article was titled "The People's New Order of Kampuchea". The name "New Order" had already been used for Ron Asheton's band, but that didn't stop them from using it. They brought in Stephen Morris' girlfriend (and soon-to-be wife), Gillian Gilbert, to play keyboard, guitar, and to sing.

From Quiz Joy Division

Answer: An Ideal For Living

'No Love Lost' and 'Warsaw' were tracks on the EP; 'A Design For Life' is, of course, by the Manic Street Preachers.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Answer: resentment

Honeyroot, a partnership of Keith Lowndes and Glenn Gregory known for its ambient and dance music, recorded a cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" that peaked at number 70 on the UK Singles (OCC) chart in 2005. Rolling Stone magazine rated "Love Will Tear Us Apart" number 41 on its 2021 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."

From Quiz The Joy Division Experience

Answer: Ian Curtis committed suicide

Ian Curtis, plagued by depression, epilepsy, and medications to handle the latter, was dealt a tragic blow when his wife Deborah wanted to file for divorce. On May 18th, 1980, Curtis hanged himself in his home after a very heated argument with her. He was 23 years old. The other members of Joy Division later stated that they should have seen his death coming, as his lyrics often contained themes of alienation and depression. The phrase "Love Will Tear us Apart" is engraved on his tombstone.

From Quiz The Story of Joy Division

Answer: Suicide

Depression eventually took over Ian Curtis' life. He couldn't hold his own child for fear of a seizure, he thought everyone hated him, and he was desperate for his wife not to leave him, but at the same time, felt unable to leave the other woman he was seeing. He hung himself at his home on May 18th, 1980, one day before Joy Division was supposed to leave on an American tour. At only twenty-three, he was survived by his wife, Deborah Curtis, and one-year-old daughter, Natalie. Peter Hook, who played bass and sang backing vocals for Joy Division, said in 1994 that "We [the remaining band members] didn't sit there crying. We didn't cry at his funeral. It came out as anger at the start. We were absolutely devastated: not only had we lost someone we considered our friend, we'd lost the group. Our life basically."

From Quiz Joy Division

Answer: Novelty

'These Days' was the B-side of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'; an alternative version of 'She's Lost Control' backed 'Atmosphere', and 'Auto-suggestion' appeared on the compilation single 'Earcom 2: Contradiction'.

From Quiz Song by Song: "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Answer: respect

"Why is the bedroom so cold turned away on your side? Is my timing that flawed, our respect run so dry? Yet there's still this appeal that we've kept through our lives." Joy Division is a band in the post-punk, new wave, and gothic rock genres consisting of band members Ian Curtis, Bernard Summers, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris. They went by the name of Warsaw from 1977-1978 and were formed in Salford, England.

From Quiz The Joy Division Experience

Answer: New Order

Before Joy Division's breakup, the four members agreed that, should any member leave the band for any reason, they would stop using the name. New Order formed in 1980 following the death of Ian Curtis, and as of 2017, they still tour and release music, albeit without original bassist Peter Hook, who left the group in 2007.

From Quiz The Story of Joy Division

Answer: It was stolen

Ian Curtis' headstone was stolen from Macclesfield Cemetery, Cheshire, in early July, 2008. His headstone read "Ian Curtis. 1956 - 1980. Love Will Tear Us Apart". Authorities had no leads on who stole the headstone, and it was eventually replaced with another one.

From Quiz Joy Division

Answer: Tiswas

Quite why Factory Records chose the anarchic Saturday morning children's show to debut the video is unclear, but it was doubtless intended as some kind of ironic statement.

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