"EVERYTHING'S GONE GREEN" NEW ORDER (1981)

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.”

"1963" NEW ORDER (1987)

As an eighties kid, synth pop has been pumping in my blood ever since that first day I turned on my MTV. There’s some debate as to who’s considered a synth pop band and who isn’t. For this September Music Twitter challenge – #SynthPopSeptember – I’m focusing more on what’s considered synth pop, not who. The songs I’m featuring on Mental Jukebox this month aren’t solely composed of synthesizers. There may be drums, bass, and dare I say, electric guitars. But each of these songs were picked because the synthesizer is core to its being.

More than the average band, New Order recorded dozens of tracks that never made their way onto their studio releases. “1963” was one of them. This was a song that seemed vastly undervalued by the band at first. But luckily it didn’t stay off the radar for long, despite being the b-side to the bold and brash “True Faith” single. I remember first discovering the song on Long Island’s WDRE (WLIR), which had a healthy habit of playing deep cuts and forgotten tracks. Nearly a decade later, “1963” eventually became a single in its own right. My question for the band is, what took so long?

“1963” was a rare treat for New Order fans like me. A lot of the band’s synth-driven work was either slow-tempo or up-tempo. But this track is as pure mid-tempo as it gets. The highlight for me are the lyrics. This just might be the most well-written song from Sumner. He created a peculiar fictional narrative around J.F.K., Marilyn Monroe and Lee Harvey Oswald. It’s brilliant storytelling. Then, musically, Sumner’s shimmery riffs give way to Gillian Gilbert’s synth grooves that toggle between dreamy and doom.

“I saw hatred in his eyes. But he never meant to hurt me.”

"TRUE FAITH" NEW ORDER (1987)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Bright Lights, Big City

“True Faith” is far more than just a great song. It was a new direction for the band. A stake in the ground from New Order that, whether you liked it or not, stated they were now moving boldly into a new dance rock phase. There were clear signs of dance rock throughout the band’s history, the most notable examples being “Blue Monday”, “The Perfect Kiss” and “Bizarre Love Triangle”. But “True Faith” was the point where it started to feel like the synth gods won — and the rock roots were losing their hold.

The dance stuff from New Order is not my favorite side to the band, but “True Faith” is probably my favorite of the bunch — even ahead of the aforementioned classics. Stephen Morris’ drums are in attack mode from the get go. The bass synth does its thing, but then Hooky’s signature upper octave foray sneaks in like a slithering snake to break up the dance party. Sumner’s lyrics are some of the most memorable, endearing words he’s written — a nostalgic gift for their fans.

“My morning sun is the drug that brings me near to the childhood I lost, replaced by fear.”

"RUN" NEW ORDER (1989)

It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs

Power, Corruption & Lies is generally considered the band’s greatest album. “Age of Consent” and “Your Silent Face” are undoubtedly some of New Order’s finest songs. But when you look at the entire body of work, I think Technique is a stronger, more cohesive album. The moment I got the CD I couldn’t stop listening to it. And I always played it start to finish. On the contrary, I do a lot of track-skipping when I play Power, Corruption & Lies. There’s not a single letdown on Technique, including Track 6: “Run”.

Technique, as a whole, has a very dance-centric persona. The band’s time in Ibiza influenced the sound tremendously, which made fast dance tracks like “Round & Round” and “Mr. Disco” as well as mid-tempo numbers like “Run” and “Love Less” feel exceptionally consistent. It was a moment in time where New Order sounded different than what came before and what followed afterwards. “Run” seemed to put us in a daydream state. Sumner sang in his sweet spot while his guitar riff in the instrumental interlude seems to lash out and lament.

“You work your way to the top of the world. Then you break your life in two.”