Love Will Tear Us Apart Again

2008 – 2021
Edition of 300
860 mm X 860 mm
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Love_Will_Tear_Us_Apart_Again_2013

Love Will Tear Us Apart Again maps all known cover versions of the iconic 1979 song by Joy Division. Spanning the 43 years since the record was released, the graph shows the subsequent 168 cover versions arranged in clockwise chronological space. The original 10 song variants recorded by the band occupy the centre top portion of the graph and are radially flanked by the numerous covers. The central cluster is a comparative waveform analysis of the three studio versions (outer ring) recorded by Joy Division and the two posthumous remixes (inner ring) released in 1995. Interestingly, the visualisation shows the inherent variation in song structure from recording to recording as the band engineered the particular sound they wanted the song to express.


The remarkable number of cover versions and the enduring popularity of Love Will Tear Us Apart is a resounding testament to what is widely considered to be one of the greatest pop songs ever written.


Original recordings by Joy Division : 

studio recordings : 3; video recordings : 1; live recordings : 4; posthumous remixes : 2


Comparative waveform visualisation of studio recordings by Joy Division :


Light line : Peel Sessions recording at BBC Studios, Maida Vale : November 26th 1979


Heavy line : Strawberry Studios recording, Stockport : March 1980


Dotted line : Pennine Sound Studios recording, Oldham : January 1980


Light line negative : Arthur Baker mix by Arthur Baker : 1995


Heavy line negative : Permanent mix by Don Gehman : 1995


Covers of the song per decade : 1980s = 19, 1990s = 31, 2000s = 95, 2010-present = 23




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