“Elegia” is an instrumental composed and performed by the English rock band New Order. It was released as the fifth track on their third studio album, Low-Life (1985). The track was written and produced by Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner.
“Elegia” was written as a tribute to Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis.[2] The band had originally dissolved as a result of Curtis’ suicide, after which the surviving members would later form New Order.[3]
The song has appeared in several pieces of media, including Pretty in Pink, Stranger Things, The Crown, and Boots.
Background and recording
“Elegia” was originally written for a film commissioned by i-D magazine. The song was inspired by Ennio Morricone‘s For A Few Dollars More score. The film was never made, causing “Elegia” to be cut down for inclusion on Low-Life.[4]
“Elegia” was recorded at CTS Studios in Wembley during a single 24-hour session, where it went under the working title “Ben and Justin”.[5] The song uses the E-mu Emulator II for several of its sounds, including its synth choir and strings.[6]
Full length version
The original recording of “Elegia” had a duration of 17:29, which was edited down to 4:56 for the album version on Low-Life.[4][2] The full version was first featured on the 2002 5-CD box set Retro, which had become rare over time.[3] It was also included on the 2008 Collector’s Edition reissue of Low-Life.[2] As a result, the song was reissued as a twelve-inch EP in 2012 through the record label Slow To Speak. This EP had two additional tracks: “5 8 6“, as it was featured on the Peel Sessions compilation album, as well as the song “The Him”, originally from New Order’s debut studio album, Movement (1981); the latter track is also dedicated to Curtis.[3] The full version of “Elegia” was once again featured on the Definitive Edition reissue of Low-Life in 2022.[7]
Track listing
Track listing adapted from the 2012 reissue.[3]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Elegia” (Full Length Version) | 17:29 |
| 2. | “5-8-6” (Peel Session) | 6:08 |
| 3. | “The Him” | 5:30 |
| Total length: | 29:05 | |
Appearances in media
Since the release of Low-Life in 1985, “Elegia” has been used in the following media productions:
- The 1998 Academy Award-nominated short film More by Mark Osborne.[8]
- The 1986 film Pretty in Pink.[9]
- The CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode “Compulsion“.
- An American Masters documentary about writer Truman Capote, first aired in September 1987.
- The fifth episode of the first season of the Netflix series Stranger Things.[10]
- Comedian Sam Hyde used it for the trailer to his web series “Kickstarter TV”.
- “Rust” – a black-and-white music video by Nenko Genov.
- The E3 2015 trailer of the video game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.[11][12][13]
- The first episode of the show “Deadly Class (TV series)“.[14]
- The Crown season 4 episode “The Heredity Principle”.[15]
- Boots season 1 episode “The Things We Carry”.
References
- ^ a b “The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985-2014)”. Spin. 11 May 2015. p. 4. Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ a b c “New Order’s Full 18-Minute Ian Curtis Tribute “Elegia” Gets Vinyl Release | Exclaim!”. exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ a b c d Fact (2012-04-12). “New Order releasing 18-minute “Elegia” on vinyl”. Fact Magazine. Archived from the original on 2024-09-19. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ a b “Low-life: Why New Order’s Third Album Remains A Career High”. Dig!. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ Hook, Peter (2016). Substance : inside New Order. London. ISBN 978-1-4711-3240-7. OCLC 960088964.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ “New Order’s “Elegia” Synth Sounds | Reverb Machine”. reverbmachine.com. 2022-05-09. Archived from the original on 2022-07-08. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ^ “New Order / Low-Life box set – SuperDeluxeEdition”. 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ Delgado, Lisa (20 September 2001). “Indie filmmaker’s push for ‘More’“. Wired. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ “Neon Nostalgia: The Pretty In Pink Soundtrack 30 Years Later”. Stereogum. 2016-02-12. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ Kielty, Martin (20 August 2022). “‘Stranger Things’ Creators Surprised by Kate Bush Song Explosion”. Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ KONAMI公式 (2015-06-15). 【公式】METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN | E3 2015 Trailer [Long] (JP). Retrieved 2024-11-12 – via YouTube.
- ^ KONAMI公式 (2015-06-15). METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN | E3 2015 Trailer [Long] (EU). Retrieved 2024-11-12 – via YouTube.
- ^ KONAMI公式 (2015-06-15). METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN | E3 2015 Trailer [Long] (US). Retrieved 2024-11-12 – via YouTube.
- ^ Melrose, Kevin (2019-01-17). “Deadly Class Pilot’s Soundtrack Is the Start of a Killer ’80s Playlist”. CBR. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ “‘The Crown’ Season 4 Soundtrack Album Details | Film Music Reporter”. Archived from the original on 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
