Last month, New Order was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Joy Division. Long overdue. Few bands have reinvented themselves so completely, survived so much, and then gone on to shape entire genres the way they did. The induction is even more meaningful because both bands were recognized—part 1 and part 2 of one of the most thrilling stories in rock history.
“Everything’s Gone Green” was one of the songs that pulled me fully into New Order’s orbit. My old Substance CD was essential listening back in the day. Disc One had the singles everyone knew. Disc Two felt like the treasure chest—the b-sides, the deep cuts, the songs that made fandom feel like discovery. "Everything’s Gone Green" was one of the band's earliest singles. Hearing it now sends me straight back to my high school bedroom, trying to fathom how music could sound this futuristic and this emotional at the same time.
Released in 1981, “Everything’s Gone Green” feels like a turning point. You can hear a band stepping out of the long shadow of Joy Division and into something entirely new. The guitars and post-punk tension hadn’t disappeared, but the synthesizers were suddenly front and center. Machines weren’t just texture anymore—they were becoming the engine. In hindsight, it sounds like New Order announcing their future before they had fully arrived there.
How can I write about a New Order song without mentioning Peter Hook? That opening bass line grabs you by the collar and pulls you in. And even as the synthesizers begin to dominate the landscape, his signature upper-register melodic lines keep the song human, restless and alive. It’s one of the reasons New Order always felt different from other electronic-leaning bands: beneath the circuitry, there was always blood pumping.
“Everything’s Gone Green” may not be their biggest song, but it’s an important one. You can hear transformation happening in real time—the past fading, the future flickering on. A true landmark on the way to bigger and better things.
“IT SEEMS LIKE I’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE.”