Why are there so many religous references in NO tracks?

For a band made up of such heavy druggies in the 80's, I wonder why theres are so many religious references in NO tracks

Vanishing Point references a movie about Jesus

Times Change refers to "in a manger like Christ I lay"

Run Wild has some stuff like "Jehovah knows that I've been sinful"

I've probably missed a few - but is Barney a happy-clappy evangelical Christian in his spare time?

Love Vigilantes also mentions "some help from god", and its so old a track is pre-rehab

And the obvious one I missing - Touched By The Hand Of God

And 1963 has a reference as well, and Vicious Streak. And Sunrise. And Sooner Than You Think. And Broken Promise.

I ran a thread about it some time back. Can't be arsed to dig it out. Must be about a year ago.

http://neworderonline.com/MessageList.aspx?ThreadID=11549

You've started very few threads so the search engine found it quickly.

I hope that helps then. I don't think we answered any questins there, but certainly the religious references keep cropping up.

hey why not? a coke fiend of the 80s is now a right wing religious nut who runs the biggest 'democracy'* in the world

*look up 'gerrymandering' and examine how the senate boundaries are being drawn before jumping in.

Originally posted by Pogue Mahone hey why not? a coke fiend of the 80s is now a right wing religious nut who runs the biggest 'democracy'* in the world*look up 'gerrymandering' and examine how the senate boundaries are being drawn before jumping in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrymandering for those who don't know what it is

First ever case of Gerrymandering was in Massachusetts, to favour the Republicans....

Best known as the way the UK shat on the Catholics in NI for years.

Vanishing Point is almost certainly about ecstasy.

The same could be said about Touched.

I guess Bernard must be religous.

Originally posted by Clockwork C Vanishing Point is almost certainly about ecstasy.The same could be said about Touched.I guess Bernard must be religous.

Vanishing Point is probably about Benzedrine, which is another metamphetemine.

Remember Barney's mutterings during the Cuyahoga Falls 5th July 1989 performance of "VP":

"Jesus loves you. Each and every one of you."

The (In)Famous interview with Barney in Melody Maker Dec 88 he said about how he felt as thogh the lyrics come to him from above or some higher source.But then again when ive taken LSD i get the same sort of thing but havent worked out how to put pen to paper in such an altered state!!.

Talking of Melody Maker ive noticed these days how the Music press is dumbed down.Like, you used to read a an interview/feature with a band and it would be 3 or 4 maybe 5 pages long but now the most you get is 2 pages at the most.Dumbing down or have bands nothing to say or music mags resigning themselves to the fact that the kids don`t want 5 page interviews with their heroes?

Christ (no pun intended) this is dumb!! What band DOESN'T have the religious reference here and there??!!

Pointless thread.

Originally posted by Voice Of Treason . The (In)Famous interview with Barney in Melody Maker Dec 88 he said about how he felt as thogh the lyrics come to him from above or some higher source.But then again when ive taken LSD i get the same sort of thing but havent worked out how to put pen to paper in such an altered state!!.Talking of Melody Maker ive noticed these days how the Music press is dumbed down.Like, you used to read a an interview/feature with a band and it would be 3 or 4 maybe 5 pages long but now the most you get is 2 pages at the most.Dumbing down or have bands nothing to say or music mags resigning themselves to the fact that the kids don`t want 5 page interviews with their heroes?

I've noticed that, too. Back when Rolling Stone had bands rather than pop stars on its covers, their articles were longer. In '94 and '95, they had articles on the Smashing Pumpkins, and both were about 6 pages - of mostly text. Now, Rolling Stone mostly uses a lot of gaudy pictures - kind of like Spin - to take up space.

because Barney imagines he was touched by the hand of God

Originally posted by MYOB I've probably missed a few - but is Barney a happy-clappy evangelical Christian in his spare time?

Of course,'cause he has the devil round for tee.

We may be reading too much into it all. I suspect that Bernard's occasional loose "religious references" are just the way he talks, so it seems natural to use them in lyrics - "for god's sake I was wrong" would be a perfectly normal thing for a perfectly normal person to say at the end of an argument, for example.

Let us not forget that Ian used a few - Ceremony and Colony are the first that spring to mind, and Wilderness is all about religions and the way humans behave in its name.

Originally posted by Sir: :CHUNKS Christ (no pun intended) this is dumb!! What band DOESN'T have the religious reference here and there??!!Pointless thread.

Few bands have them to this level. Also "Jehovah knows that I've been sinful" isn't a usual reference....

Golfing with the Devil?!?!?!?!? Devil round for tee...

Let us examine the Church of New Order and the Rev Barney.

"Your tits were really big but your bunny smells so bad..."--Skullcrusher live at Studio 54, Barcelona 7/7/84

"I got a cock like the M1."--debut of TPK RFH 84

I could go on. But NO is a band, not the the secret to life. Just four ordinary people doing it their own way. No hidden secrets. Just some good music to make our lives more enjoyable.

Originally posted by Fogface Remember Barney's mutterings during the Cuyahoga Falls 5th July 1989 performance of "VP":"Jesus loves you. Each and every one of you."

Wow, someone else who was at that show!!! What a great show. Unfortunately the only time I've seen them as they haven't been back to Ohio since.

What I would pay to be able to relive that night...

Originally posted by manumatic > Originally posted by Fogface> Remember Barney's mutterings during the Cuyahoga Falls 5th July 1989 performance of "VP":> > "Jesus loves you. Each and every one of you."

Wow, someone else who was at that show!!! What a great show. Unfortunately the only time I've seen them as they haven't been back to Ohio since.

What I would pay to be able to relive that night... I wasn't there, I have just heard the soundboard source of the gig. Reading New-Order.net is also a big help. ;)

Originally posted by manumatic > Originally posted by Fogface> Remember Barney's mutterings during the Cuyahoga Falls 5th July 1989 performance of "VP":> > "Jesus loves you. Each and every one of you."

Wow, someone else who was at that show!!! What a great show. Unfortunately the only time I've seen them as they haven't been back to Ohio since.

What I would pay to be able to relive that night...

Go check out the free stuff under Old Blue's posts.

I recall reading in the special Christmas/Holiday issue of either NME, or Melody Maker back in 1990 that when Bernard and Shaun Ryder were asked what they wanted for Christmas, Bernard said something like, "A 30 foot gun to silence the voice of God in my head." As a 16 year old hardcore New Order fan, I spent a little too much time trying decide whether he was being facetious or not.

There are definitely religious overtones in the music, not sure what it all means, though.

Some forgotten gig when Blue monday was played..

"If it wasn't for your big penis I'd be a heavenly person today."

I've often wondered whether Bernard or the band in general are religious because there is a lot of it in their music.

As for Bernard's random commments in some of the live gigs, some are pretty outrageous but funny, he's quite a character this Bernard geezer :)

Who can forget the 511 DVD before they played Blue Monday "You gotta choice for the next song, Rock The Shack or Blue Monday, if you want Rock The Shack get your penis's out..."

It's funny other times though lol, one minute he's singing the song normally and then all of a sudden he'll change the lyric to some outrageous word, hehe, hilarious.

Your answer may be found in one of NO earliest songs, Homage. This song was among their first and played several times yet failed to make it to an lp or single. About the only lyrics I can understand from the various recordings of this song go "Father, please don't forsake me."

Originally posted by twist Some forgotten gig when Blue monday was played.."If it wasn't for your big penis I'd be a heavenly person today."

i believe that was the reading festival in '98