The band distilled this song into an artwork of supreme beauty.

Joy Division – “Twenty Four Hours”

“Twenty Four Hours” (1980)

One of the finer tracks on one of the greatest albums of its era, “Twenty Four Hours”  is characterized by its sober, chilling, and disconcerting lyrics reflecting alienation and utter despair.  

Post-Punk Peace and Panic

The music alternates seamlessly between a moody, rhythmic tranquility on the one hand, and, on the other, a driving, propulsive sense of urgency that verges on panic. And yet, somehow, Joy Division distilled it into an art work of supreme beauty. 

Past Punk to Posterity

“Twenty Four Hours”  appeared on Joy Division’s second and final album, “Closer.”  The album had been completed before lead singer Ian Curtis committed suicide in 1980, at the age of 23, but was not released until after his death.

The writer Mark Fisher praised “Closer”  as being “the crown jewel of post-punk.”

On “Rolling Stone”  magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,”  it ranks at Number 157.   _{(Image source)}

Joy Division

Joy Division was a British band that created a number of seminal works of the post-punk era. 

Masterwork

Having started out in 1976 as a punk band, Joy Division attracted a fair bit of attention in those circles. On their 1979 debut album “Unknown Pleasures,”  however, the producer Martin Hannett noticeably reworked the band’s overall sound.

At the time, the band members disapproved of Hannett’s noodling, but eventually they came to appreciate his masterful work in creating what has since been recognized as “the Joy Division sound.”  By the spring of 1980, Hannett’s work had resulted in the band’s masterpiece second album, “Closer.”  

Onwards to Posterity

The band’s lead singer, Ian Curtis, suffered from epilepsy, depression, and bouts of existential angst.  On Sunday, 18 May 1980, he committed suicide. That afternoon, the 3 remaining band members commiserated in a local pub.    

Soon thereafter, they recruited another musician, and carried on as the band New Order, which became very successful over the following decades.   _{(Image source)}

So this is permanence, love's shattered pride.
What once was innocence, turned on its side.
A cloud hangs over me, marks every move,
Deep in the memory, of what once was love.

Oh how I realised how I wanted time,
Put into perspective, tried so hard to find,
Just for one moment, thought I'd found my way.
Destiny unfolded, I watched it slip away.

Excessive flashpoints, beyond all reach,
Solitary demands for all I'd like to keep.
Let's take a ride out, see what we can find,
A valueless collection of hopes and past desires.

I never realised the lengths I'd have to go,
All the darkest corners of a sense I didn't know.
Just for one moment, I heard somebody call,
Looked beyond the day in hand, there's nothing there at all.

Now that I've realised how it's all gone wrong,
Gotta find some therapy, this treatment takes too long.
Deep in the heart of where sympathy held sway,
Gotta find my destiny, before it gets too late.
    Alternate version –
    "Twenty Four Hours”  (1979, from Peel Session, BBC)  
          _{(Right-click to hear on YouTube)}
This previous version was recorded on John Peel’s BBC radio show. Recorded live, without Martin Hannett’s outstanding production, the sound remains rough and raw. Nevertheless, the musical brilliance rings out, loud and clear.
Lyrics by Ian Curtis, courtesy of – AZLyrics.com
Reference – Wikipedia
Reference – Wikipedia
Reference – LAReviewOfBooks.org
Reference – NewInt.org
Reference – SabotageTimes.com

Into your ears … through 5 channels

 The various posts are categorized into 5 channels _{(Right-Click to see details)}
         1 – “Music to Your Ears” (MTYE)
         2 – “Cover Versions”
         3 – “Honor Roll”
         4 – “Documentaries”
         5 – “Mock’n’Roll”

More “Music to Your Ears” ...

          Previous posts in this series – "MTYE posts 1–20"  

Links to my other series ...

          Lou Reed – "Anthology of Memorable Lyrics, Part 1"
          Lou Reed – "Anthology of Memorable Lyrics, Part 2"

          Great Lyrics, a compilation – “Part One – My Lyrics Posts 3~30”
          Great Lyrics, a compilation – “Part Two – My Lyrics Posts 31~60”  

          Vocab-Ability – "Introduction to Vocab-Ability"  
          Vocab-Ability – "Index"  to all Chapters and Sections  

          Notes from Under the Tatami Mats – "Part One – Notes 1~50"  
          Notes from Under the Tatami Mats – "Part Two – Notes 51~87"