I feel so extraordinary… happy birthday to the greatest pop single of all time
Today is the birthday of something special. On this day in 1987 the song that has shaped, influenced and changed my life and presumably the lives of many others over and over again was first released as a single. Remember singles? Yes, it’s that long ago…
I feel so extraordinary… I still remember that cold winter night in 1987 when a friend of mine borrowed me his walkman with a cassette he’d taped off the radio. At the end of a compilation of familiar chart hits I discovered this new magical tune which sounded melancholic yet uplifting, atmospheric, electronic, bittersweet, and slightly mysterious to my ears. I didn’t have a clue what that song was or who performed it, but the melody and the lyrics instantly gripped me. It was a far cry from the other music compiled on that tape: Johnny Hates Jazz, Living In The Box, Pepsi & Shirlie, you get the picture…
It wasn’t until two years later that I accidentally stumbled upon the creators of that tune again and finally found out who they were: In early 1989 a psychedelic, warholian pop-art album cover of an angel statue against a magenta-coloured background caught my eye. It stood out from all the other album covers at the time, yet it felt totally contemporary: it was the halcyon days of acid house and raves. I wanted to own that thing of beauty, so I bought the record on the strength of that cover art alone. There was no band name or title written on the front, only some small lettering at the bottom of the back cover revealed that the LP was called Technique by New Order. I had no idea what kind of music to expect, so I gave it a spin and to my surprise the songs hit a nerve unlike any music before. I was completely blown away, it felt as if this music was speaking directly and exclusively to me. It managed to express my feelings at the age of 13, a mixture of teenage angst, mindless euphoria and brutal realism. The fourth song on the album, Round & Round instantly reminded me of that extraordinary tune I had heard on tape in late 1987 — it was the same voice, the same melodic bass guitar and the same elegant synthesizer sounds. I was hooked. From that moment on I knew this band was going to play an important role in my life. After a bit of digging in those pre-internet years I finally found out the name of that transcendental song from years before. It came in one of the most beautiful single covers I had ever seen: a golden leaf against a deep blue background, which perfectly captured the melancholy atmosphere of the music. It was called True Faith.
True Faith was about to become the single most important song for me. It’s been like a loyal friend, a comforting presence throughout some rough and rainy years and a cheerful companion in times of joy and happiness. It’s been many things on many occasions, yet it never lost its magic. The song’s emotional undertone still tugs at my heartstrings and makes me want to play these immaculate and totally poptastic 5:55 minutes again and again…
The lyrics speak to me as much as the music and I can’t count the times True Faith has urged me to carry on through phases of desperation and hopelessness. The older I got, the more I realized how much that song still speaks to me. The fading memories of a lost childhood, the struggle of growing up, finally feeling some sense of liberty and finding delight in the morning sun sound like metaphors for my life. No other song has ever felt more personal to me.
So True Faith definitely is the song of my life, followed by many other songs by this wonderful group I’ve held close to my heart ever since I first heard them: Regret, Temptation, Ceremony, Crystal, Restless… New Order have taught me more about life than any other person or institution. There’s no euphoria without sadness, no highs without lows, no gain without pain… that’s the price that we all pay…
I used to think that the day would never come… 30 years after True Faith, New Order are still here. They continue to surprise and innovate and their music, as well as their visual presentation, is as magical and otherwordly as ever. The enigmatic ‘Techno Tudor’ artwork of their most recent album Music Complete is one of their smartest, and songs like Restless or Singularity are as timeless as ever and sound unlike any other music released these days. Hopefully they will continue to do their magic for a long time to come.
So happy birthday, True Faith… now that we’ve grown up together, you haven’t aged a bit…
