Joy Division: the ten songs that became iconic thanks to the verses of Ian Curtis, according to Far Out

Today Ian Curtis (Stretford, UK, 15 July 1956) would have turned seventy. To remember him, the British magazine Far Out dedicated to him a selection of 10 Joy Division songs made iconic by the verses composed by frontman. “Ian Curtis's lyrics – writes Jack Whatley in the introduction – represent one of the poetic peaks of post-punk. Despite having left a relatively small catalogue, the lead singer of Joy Division spoke with extraordinary intensity of alienation, modernity, fragility and inner torment. After his suicide in 1980, those lyrics took on an even deeper meaning, becoming the point of reference for generations of listeners. In addition to the musical contribution of Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris and producer Martin Hannett, it was Curtis's words that define the band's identity, thanks to sincere writing, full of evocative images and capable of transforming personal experiences into universal poetry”, concludes Far Out.

Here are the ten Joy Division songs made iconic by Ian Curtis' verses, according to Far Out Magazine (full report here).

• 10. “Isolation”
  “Mother I tried please believe me,
  I'm doing the best that I can.
  I'm ashamed of the things I've been put through,
  I'm ashamed of the person I am.”
• 9. “Disorder”
  “I've been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand
  Could these sensations make me feel the pleasures of a normal man?”
• 8. “Dead Souls”
  “Someone take these dreams away,
  That points me to another day,
  A duel of personalities,
  That stretch all true realities”
• 7. “Atmosphere”
  “People like you find it easy,
  Naked to see,
  Walking on air”
• 6. “A Means To An End”
  “We fought for good, stood side by side
  Our friendship never died
  On stranger waves, the lows and highs
  Our vision touched
• 5. “She's Lost Control”
  “Confusion in her eyes that says it all
  She's lost control
  And she's clinging to the nearest passer-by
  She's lost control”
• 4. “Atrocity Exhibition”
  “Asylums with doors open wide
  Where people had paid to see inside
  For entertainment they watch his body twist
• 3. “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
  “Why is the bedroom so cold turned away on your side?
  Is my timing that flawed, our respect run so dry?
• 2. “Ceremony”
  “Oh, I'll break them down, no mercy shown
  Heaven knows, it's got to be this time
  Watching her, these things she said
• 1. “Transmission”
  Listen to the silence, let it ring on
  Eyes, dark gray lenses frightened of the sun
  We would have a fine time living in the night
  Left to blind destruction, waiting for our sight