Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division
There are those who make a claim that this is the greatest rock 'n roll song of all time and you know, I could be persuaded by that argument. Straddling the fence between punk and new wave, this song was released a month before the lead singer, Ian Curtis committed suicide. The other band members would regroup to form New Order, who had a string of great songs and albums in the '80s.
I wasn't aware of this song until well into my twenties, as it wasn't making the rounds on the classic rock stations of my teen years nor the jukeboxes in the college beer halls. I can't tell you when I first heard it, but it unlocked something and has caused me to continually seek out and uncover the new wave bands and artists who I was so dismissive of their first time around, when they were omnipresent in the early days of MTV (and for this cable deprived boy, Friday Night Videos). For my money, this song will always represent the apex of new wave, it's haunting vocals and lyrics matched with the propulsive rhythm that makes me want to cue it up again right now.
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