Blue Monday - what's the problem?

Why has everyone (especially Mike) got a downer on BM - it aint that bad!

Second Neworder song I heard. Used to really like it. Heard it a gazillion times now and, well, you know, don't get too excited by it anymore.

I don't hate it though and funnily enough, I quite like it at gigs - where the band obviously feel kinda obliged to do it as its "the best selling 12" single of all time" etc

Just because it is quite overplayed at gigs and shows up on every "best of" collection. I still can't see the problem with it

Basically overexposure and the fact that any non neworder fan when the band is mentioned to them say "oh didnt they do blue monday"

wait 5 seconds..

"and that england football song"

Aaaarghhh!!!!!!!!!! :jump2:

Pardon my seemingly big-headed answer, but that's a cultural problem rather than musical, innit? I mean, there's nothing wrong with Blue Monday, the song, per se - very much on the contrary, to this day it still sounds daring, fresh and modern - but it's been played far too much. Plus, it's usually linked to a particular sort of imagery that looks terribly dated nowadays. (Surely a lover of the visual arts - which don't in particular appeal to me - would think along the same lines: there's nothing wrong with the imagery, it's our perception of it nowadays, blah, blah, blah.) This is, I find, an annoying problem in pop music: the image gets too much in the way of the music. Of course, one of the things I have always loved the most about NO is that they, for many years, fought this, trying to let the music stand out for itself. Anyway, I've always had the impression that many people would be put off by a particular song/band much more because of the image they'd project or the imagery they'd be likened to than the actual music at stake. Likewise, it's not uncommon to see a band hyped up out of proportions solely because of their image, because musically they're mediocre at best (Oasis, anyone?). Anyway, I guess the inevitable fate of any very popular act or song is a little bit of ostracism afterwards, because, well, people just get tired of its ubiquity.

Why don't Radiohead do Creep very often ?

Ask yourself that and then some more. New Order will always be Blue Monday, no matter how hard they try. Not that they do, playing it at every gig since 1989 despite "fucking hating that song" doesn't exactly go far in the way on convincing people ! Maybe if they did stop playing it......

Surely the complaints they would get if they didnt play it would outweigh the complaints they would get for playing it?? Especially for the festival crowd i'd imagine ??

Indeed at the moment the original concept of the cover is more important to me than the contents.I should have cost FACTORY a lot more than the 5p they lost on buying only one.I wish i had bought dozens!I have played it too much and sometimes the hazy days of my second or third youth stage has dimmed.Maybe i will get a teleprompter and tell you about THE GOOD OLD DAYS.:DHow does it feel?Great sometimes,bad a lot of times but better than most of the dross at that time.Still i do miss FLOCK OF SEAGULLS since i got banned from going to BLACKPOOL!

Originally posted by Rocket Mick Indeed at the moment the original concept of the cover is more important to me than the contents.I should have cost FACTORY a lot more than the 5p they lost on buying only one.I wish i had bought dozens!I have played it too much and sometimes the hazy days of my second or third youth stage has dimmed.Maybe i will get a teleprompter and tell you about THE GOOD OLD DAYS.:DHow does it feel?Great sometimes,bad a lot of times but better than most of the dross at that time.Still i do miss FLOCK OF SEAGULLS since i got banned from going to BLACKPOOL!

If this isn't the single funniest post I have ever read on here, I am Professor Griff !

It's tired ,been played to death

for the longest time i would skip past it. now it's going through a bit of a renaissance.

Originally posted by Rocket Mick Still i do miss FLOCK OF SEAGULLS since i got banned from going to BLACKPOOL!

The more you live, the more you love is a great song

Oddly I have played the 12" version of BM88 lately (the one off the CDV and although very 80s-ish it has a certain charm. it's certainly better than tripe like Times Change!

If BM had stayed as a 12" only & been released the first time round then we`d all be saying how good it still is. Unforunately its been out 3 times since then and turns up on every 80s collection going.

Reasons why it sucks:

1. Ages terribly, like cheese on a hot sticky summer day
2. It is VERY tired
3. They play it WAY too much - which surprises me since they dont like it
4. I makes me picture people in really lame 1980's clothes at TOTPs
5. Was never really that amazing even when it was new
6. Blue Monday 1988 was a better version

Funny... but I usually think the same thing about BLT

top & bottom of it, it needs a "proper" remix of bm,the ones we have heard are shite,one day someone will do a "good" remix of bm !

I like it though the original version seems a bit slow now. I had a nice more modern version programmed into my workstation before i sold the vintage synth module :) :)

as for leaving it out didnt you see the dvd with da fans proudly boasting that after going on at them for ages they started playing ceremony again?

drop the tapes, bring back gillian and play random stuff from the back catalogue is the only way ill be seeing them live again. oh and if they are playing jd, they play them at the right speed.

Originally posted by Chuck D Why don't Radiohead do Creep very often ?Ask yourself that and then some more. New Order will always be Blue Monday, no matter how hard they try. Not that they do, playing it at every gig since 1989 despite "fucking hating that song" doesn't exactly go far in the way on convincing people ! Maybe if they did stop playing it......

exactamundo dude! creep is one of the best singles i ever heard! dont know what else radiohead ever did but i know creep is probably the best single they will ever do! regards

But *WHY* do people think BM has aged when, say, TPK hasn't? I don't get this 'it's been overplayed' thing either.

Not that I agree with this - to me BM still hits as hard as it did when I first heard it back in 83, spanning Moroder, K/werk, the Chic Organization and early electro yet still wearing a big grey Manc overcoat. A revolutionary piece of music.

So what is it about BM that makes it seem dated in comparison with other tracks?

Wedding dj's

Put a request in at most receptions in M/CR and weddin dj fella will crank up BM Now picture what can be politely described as a ' broad demographic ' bouncin about to said tune Kylie was godsend

So what?

Originally posted by Garymac Wedding dj'sPut a request in at most receptions in M/CR and weddin dj fella will crank up BMNow picture what can be politely described as a ' broad demographic ' bouncin about to said tuneKylie was godsend

Don't !

DJ I hired for my wedding assured me he'd got plenty of New Order, and refused the compilation CD I made of all our fave tracks. Cunt had only got Blue Monday (off a compilation album at that), and hadn't got the bottle to admit this until we retired for the evening.

Originally posted by DC But *WHY* do people think BM has aged when, say, TPK hasn't? I don't get this 'it's been overplayed' thing either. Not that I agree with this - to me BM still hits as hard as it did when I first heard it back in 83, spanning Moroder, K/werk, the Chic Organization and early electro yet still wearing a big grey Manc overcoat. A revolutionary piece of music.So what is it about BM that makes it seem dated in comparison with other tracks?

It has been played to death. Everyone knows it, everyone's got it or knows someone who's got it. Mention New Order and that is the first one people will tell you. That and True Faith.

It hasn't aged at all to me though, it still sounds exactly the same as it did back then. More familiar, but still as original as anything coming out of the UK at the time.

Now TPK has aged. Maybe why they don't do it, at the end of the day.

so its not just Manchester dj's, that said our local pub dj is sussed ... plays a great set, if he aint got it that week its guaranteed he'll have it the next And , a big plus this , he does not talk over a tune, he does'nt do the dj intro either.

He said shabba once

we think he was goin for irony

he did'nt do it again

Originally posted by Chuck D > Originally posted by Garymac> Wedding dj's> > Put a request in at most receptions in M/CR and weddin dj fella will crank up BM> Now picture what can be politely described as a ' broad demographic ' bouncin about to said tune> Kylie was godsend

Don't !

DJ I hired for my wedding assured me he'd got plenty of New Order, and refused the compilation CD I made of all our fave tracks. Cunt had only got Blue Monday (off a compilation album at that), and hadn't got the bottle to admit this until we retired for the evening.

DJ of my brother wedding last november had a plenty of 80's CD's. From New Order I saw only Age of Consent and Love Vigilante - played with no asking.

A very few DJs deserves a little respect

tend to agree with jarvo..a timeless track that was so early. however i cant remember a startling live version on my travels. slight diversion to thread, has anyone got any fond memories of bm live?? i cant be arsed to trawl through set lists but i dont think it was always treated as an encore song..i might be wrong

Originally posted by The Man Up North I agree 100% with Jarvo --If I were them, I would start the set with Blue Monday the next time, and a tightly revamped version if possible -- just to surprise everyone of us.:)

they should play Kylie's version and have her come out and dance for the crowd.

Originally posted by Tristan Jayol > Originally posted by The Man Up North> I agree 100% with Jarvo --> > If I were them, I would start the set with Blue Monday the next time, and a tightly revamped version if possible -- just to surprise everyone of us.> > :)

they should play Kylie's version and have her come out and dance for the crowd.

You mean "strip"

On the site they mention New Order's music being in a canadian beer ad. I remember it too, at the end of the "skit" on the commercial Blue Monday is played. Not sure what beer it was for though

I remember seeing em play it twice at Glasgow Tiffany's in 83, wasn't good then live, leave it for dicos I say.

Originally posted by PAUL TROWELL tend to agree with jarvo..a timeless track that was so early.however i cant remember a startling live version on my travels.slight diversion to thread, has anyone got any fond memories of bm live??i cant be arsed to trawl through set lists but i dont think it was always treated as an encore song..i might be wrong

It was an opener occasionally, and sometimes appeared at 4 in the set. Best version I remember was Warrington, loads of guitar from Barney. Big guitar night, that one, as it was the best ever Sunrise and a guitar-tastic debut Shellshock.

Originally posted by Chuck D > Originally posted by PAUL TROWELL> tend to agree with jarvo..a timeless track that was so early.> however i cant remember a startling live version on my travels.> slight diversion to thread, has anyone got any fond memories of bm live??> i cant be arsed to trawl through set lists but i dont think it was always treated as an encore song..i might be wrong

It was an opener occasionally, and sometimes appeared at 4 in the set. Best version I remember was Warrington, loads of guitar from Barney. Big guitar night, that one, as it was the best ever Sunrise and a guitar-tastic debut Shellshock.

State Of The Nation was a good opener too.

Originally posted by Casey Ryback > Originally posted by Chuck D > Originally posted by PAUL TROWELL> tend to agree with jarvo..a timeless track that was so early.> however i cant remember a startling live version on my travels.> slight diversion to thread, has anyone got any fond memories of bm live??> i cant be arsed to trawl through set lists but i dont think it was always treated as an encore song..i might be wrong

It was an opener occasionally, and sometimes appeared at 4 in the set. Best version I remember was Warrington, loads of guitar from Barney. Big guitar night, that one, as it was the best ever Sunrise and a guitar-tastic debut Shellshock.

State Of The Nation was a good opener too.

One too many words used there I think. State of the Nation was an opener too.

Originally posted by Chuck D > Originally posted by Casey Ryback> > > > Originally posted by Chuck D> > Originally posted by PAUL TROWELL> tend to agree with jarvo..a timeless track that was so early.> however i cant remember a startling live version on my travels.> slight diversion to thread, has anyone got any fond memories of bm live??> i cant be arsed to trawl through set lists but i dont think it was always treated as an encore song..i might be wrong

It was an opener occasionally, and sometimes appeared at 4 in the set. Best version I remember was Warrington, loads of guitar from Barney. Big guitar night, that one, as it was the best ever Sunrise and a guitar-tastic debut Shellshock.

State Of The Nation was a good opener too.

One too many words used there I think. State of the Nation was an opener too.

I don't think there's anything wrong with BM live or otherwise. Now it's just part of a bog standard set, but as discussed before, the early eighties sets were mixed up and since '89 onwards give or take the odd occasion the respective tours produced the same set each time. One of my favourites is the Paradiso set 17.05.1984. Temptation was notably missing which has been played to death but is still a great song and if they didn't play it would everyone be disappointed?

I liked Blue Monday 95 Hardfloor thingy

I'll get my coat...

Originally posted by Casey Ryback Temptation was notably missing which has been played to death but is still a great song and if they didn't play it would everyone be disappointed?

Not at all. For me, the best gigs were always the ones where they gave the regular songs a rest and turned out the less-frequent ones. There are some US 86 shows where well over half the set is stuff that only ever appeared one in five gigs. I much prefer those to the BLT/True Faith/Temptation/Blue Monday day in day out. Even though they have now had a policy of playing the same set on tour for the last 15 years, it wouldn't hurt them to mix it up occasionally, and do maybe 15 from a pool of 25, rather than the same 16 or 17 every show.

Couldn't agree more. Won't happen of course.

Hey, you know how BM was written to test the new gear, blah blah blah, yawn, and ended up with the same vocal melody as Everything's Gone Green?

Well, I heard Jefferson Airplane on the radio last weekend, and my! if the vocal tune to their "Somebody to Love" doesn't sound awfully familiar!

If you know "Lundi Bleu" by The Times, then it's even less of a leap to the Jefferson Airplane song.

So there!

Nothing wrong with BM as far as I'm concerned, yeah it's old but so what? It's a good indicator of how far the band has moved on when you compare it with later stuff

tired outdated maybe,but after the kylie ripoff came out a young workmate of mine was in the van with me while i was playing the 1983 org,thinking it was a kylie remix wanted to know i got it,after putting him strighthe asked me to loan it to him and is now on his way to becoming a fan.so if b.m can make more kids aware of n.o than more power to it (personly i do like b.m the beach buggy and the 88 version)

I don't get why everyone's so down on BM either. It's still one of my fave NO tunes.

Not a bad beer either. Quite partial to most Molson stuff.

Originally posted by KnownPleasures > Originally posted by PAUL TROWELL> tend to agree with jarvo..a timeless track that was so early.> however i cant remember a startling live version on my travels.> slight diversion to thread, has anyone got any fond memories of bm live??> i cant be arsed to trawl through set lists but i dont think it was always treated as an encore song..i might be wrong

It was an opener occasionally, and sometimes appeared at 4 in the set. Best version I remember was Warrington, loads of guitar from Barney. Big guitar night, that one, as it was the best ever Sunrise and a guitar-tastic debut Shellshock. must have been a cracking sunrise to beat the hacienda double header. my favourite version of one of my favourite live songs. how did you get past all them snooker tables at the spectrum arena ???

My favourite song ever. I think that pretty says all, right? :) Of course overplaying anything makes it less exciting, but that doesn't detract from the abstract value. I never overply any song, not even Blue Monday, I usually listen to it not more than once a month, then I have much else to listen to, mostly new records. Right, there's no reason for me to play Blue Monday again, because at the moment I'm listening to the brilliant Swamp Children reissue...