Joy Division was a rock band that formed in 1976 in Manchester, England. Originally named Warsaw, they assumed the name Joy Division (a reference to groups of "Aryan" women kept for Nazi soldiers' sexual pleasure in WWII) as they gained popularity. They are usually associated with punk rock or new wave music, though their idiosyncratic sound and image were equally influential upon later goth, alternative, and industrial subgenres. Singer Ian Curtis's lyrics dwelt largely on themes of depression and emotional alienation (as reflected in their ironic name), and they packaged their albums with an appropriately minimalist and orderly design, unlike the more chaotic cut-and-paste style of other more extroverted punk acts. Their most popular hit was "Love will Tear Us Apart", made more popular after Ian Curtis hung himself in 1980 on the eve of the band's first tour to the United States.
Shortly after his death, they became New Order, who helped to launch the techno music revolution of the 1980s and 1990s.
Discography
- Unknown Pleasures
- Closer
External links
Reference
- 24-Hour Party People (film, 2002)