Did I not read somewhere that Steve wrote the lyrics to Cries & Whispers?

Thank you all for your fine input.

Andy, worth mentioning, the link you posted about NO lyrics explained did not really generate anything other than a page for some financial news.


Am I to understand that unlike some groups/artists there has never been an interview in lets say.."Rolling Stone" or "Timeout NY" or any entertainment oriented magazine or newspaper where anyone(singer, guitar player, anyone) in the group stated "The meaning of cries and whispers was about a song where ------------------------------- (then describing what the song was about), or "the meaning of True Fate was about a song where ----------------------------------- (same idea).

Nothing?

I read somewhere that "1963" was about the JFK assassination (which I find to be chronologically odd since Kennedy was killed in November and not "January 1963".

I see professors of New Order at Oxford and Cambridge and London School of Economics teaching the lore and lives and loves of New Order

Yes, rigorous selection policy round here.
According to An Ideal For Living (so it must be true), the song Steve mainly wrote was Procession.
Quite honestly I think it's mainly Barney Blarney, tossed off half high (or completely high).

"Anyway, here's Sumner's theory from the lyric book. Enjoy:"

Wait..there is a book of lyrics?

Isn't that essentially an explanation of the lyrics of NO? Not just 1963, but others?

Just saying....


Getting back to the vagueness of the lyrics and purposely leaving the meaning "open for interpretation"? I suppose. If the band has been sort of slow to open up about what they meant in any of their songs, couldn't fans contact them and ask?

Re: Cries and whispers/Mesh: I sort of applied it to something I was going through in my 20s(I'm 49 now). My 20s were a mess..I was thrown in jail (twice) for drunk driving. Because I was put on probation (I got my 2nd arrest when I was a year into my probation for my first offense)..they sort of added both probation sentences to eachother. So for 6 whole years, I couldn't leave the state! (I was born and raised in New Hampshire). Anyway (and yes, I learned my lesson for LIFE!!), I'm not sure why this happened other than people do things because they CAN...not because they are logical or rational...but while I was on those 6 years of probation.after my 2nd year of it, I was stalked in my hometown of Peterborough. So I always liked NO songs, and when I got the notice saying "Dear Mr. McIntyre, please be advised you have been discharged from probation supervision, we wish you success in your future endeavors". I jumped for joy and moved pretty far away (to Michigan) as I have friends who live there.

Anyway, the lyrics which says "Assasin clears his hands, I know that and..I wasn't even there!" (I visualized moving far away from my stalker and having him look for me in N.H. and him "clearing his hands" and giving up!)

Then the lyric where it says "ship sails out to sea, away from me..I just stand and stare" (I visualized finally feeling safe after all of that trauma and chaos) and "staring out to sea" and looking at the waters of lake Michigan as my "ship" dropped me off far away from N.H. and dropping me off away from the "danger area".

Then when he says: "All flight departures, assembled, not returned". I thought "Yup. I flew from New Hampshire to Michigan. Never to "return" (ie: not returned)

Then he says:
"There's hope, you've heard, there's life in another world" This line was significant to me since I never gave up hope and said to myself "If I ever make it out of this in one piece there is a new life outside of this town and I am determined to find it"

Sermon over..LOL. Thanks for indulging me friends :)

I'm sure many of you might be rolling your eyes and maybe laughing at me. That's fine. Just saying that this song was therapeutic in listening to it

P.S. I listed Massachusetts rather than Michigan in my profile for confidentiality reasons.


Read more: New Order - Cries & Whispers Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Edited by user 21 June 2017 23:33:58(UTC)  | Reason: addendum

See, this is why it's good to not know the writer's intentions for each song. 😊
We can interpret things in our own way and it makes them seem more personal to us.
There have been times when I've learned what the writer meant with lyrics and have been really disappointed, thinking that my interpretation was far better.

I always thought that the line was 'Assassin clears his lens, another end, I wasn't even there', i.e. him cleaning the scope of a rifle.
In fact, I've just seen the lyrics written down online and I have a few other discrepancies.

For what it's worth, here are what I think the lyrics are. I've put quotes around missing or incorrect lyrics:

Below the surface this day I need it light
Inside dimension lies another sacrifice
Once out of reach, we never speak, we never compromise
As they turned to gold the 'air just' froze and seemed to turn to ice

All flight departures assembled not returned
Left in these passions I looked but never learned
There's hope, you've heard there's life in another world
Sometimes 'we'll' find that truth is never kind
In the ghost lies a 'portrait's face' that time is never here
In the mind of a fallen man, 'a new' day in another land
Ship sails out to sea, away from me, I just stand and stare
Assassin clears his 'lens' 'another end', I wasn't even there

One day it 'changed your' mind we 'can' leave the rest behind
Some day, I know, 'forget' where you should go
There's hope, you've heard, there's life in another world
Sometimes we'll find that truth is never kind
One day it 'changed your' mind we 'can' leave the rest behind
Some day, I know, 'forget' where 'you should' go
'Let's hope, you've heard, there's life in another world.'

In respect of the lyrics book, this was sheet music and lyrics for songs appearing on Substance 1987 plus a few others.
It didn't discuss meanings of songs. Instead, the only other things in it were some silly doodles, or equally daft notes that the band were (presumably) asked to contribute to the book. These doodles were in the style of 'The Man With The Stick' drawings from a surreal UK cult television programme popular at the time - 'Vic Reeves' Big Night Out'.
The explanation of 1963 that I posted above was one of those 'daft notes'. I don't believe any other explanations were given, apart from an equally daft BLT explanation.

Here are some images of the book:

http://www.worldinmotion...blications/songbooks.htm

I agree that the version given by Hooky is possibly skewed (much like his opinion of Gillian's input). I do think I've heard some level of agreement from the others though; that there was a degree of collaboration on lyrics.
I think you are right that Movement is probably the most collaborative. Also, I agree that Sumner contributed the lion's share of the lyrical input, especially on the later albums. My statement about him writing the lyrics solo around Technique is probably based more on the fact that the lyrics took on a more 'personal' slant at this point, rather than info contained in Hooky's book. However, I guess I may have been slightly influenced by some of the 'facts' he stated within.

Talking of Gillian's contribution, I read the Butterworth book, 'The Blue Monday Diaries', last week. In it, he makes several references to Gillian's not insignificant input; playing synths, programming complicated sequencer patterns, even playing the guitar on a couple of PC&L tracks (We All Stand and, I think, Leave Me Alone). The latter kind of surprised me, as I would of thought Sumner would've played all guitar in the studio, with Gillian only playing guitar live.

Butterworth also makes reference to how Gillian was the only one not doing drugs, and hinted at the fact that she could be relied on whilst the others were off their head. Apparently she was often found either practicing or laying down tracks in Brit Row, whilst the others were hanging out in the Games room. In fact, Butterworth probably references Gillian working more times than he does the others.

So much for Hooky's theory that she was a fifth wheel. I guess it makes his court case seem stronger if he plays down her contribution though. I guess he feels it's easier to gain leverage on the group if he can convince others that he was a 'third' of the (contributing element) of the group, rather than a 'quarter'.

The more I see of Hooky, the more he annoys the crap out of me.