Bizarre Love Triangle
"Bizarre Love Triangle" is a song by the English rock band New Order, released as a single in 1986 from their fourth studio album, Brotherhood (1986), which reached the top five on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart,[7] and No. 5 on the Australian ARIA Charts (No. 1 on the Victoria state chart) in March 1987.[8]
"Bizarre Love Triangle" | ||||
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Single by New Order | ||||
from the album Brotherhood | ||||
Released | 5 November 1986[1] | |||
Recorded | January 1986 (London) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Factory (FAC 163) | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | New Order | |||
New Order singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Bizarre Love Triangle” on YouTube |
It failed to make the top 40 in either the United Kingdom (only reaching No. 56)[9] or the US Billboard Hot 100. In the United States, the song reached No. 8 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, but failed to chart on the Hot 100 during its original 1986 release. However, a new mix included on The Best of New Order was released in 1994 and finally made a brief appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 in the No. 98 position in 1995.
In 2004, the song was ranked No. 204 in Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."[10]
Personnel
- Bernard Sumner - lead and backing vocals, synthesizers and programming
- Peter Hook - bass, electronic percussion, programming
- Stephen Morris - drums, synthesizers and programming
- Gillian Gilbert - synthesizers and programming
Releases
The 12-inch version, remixed by Shep Pettibone, also appears on the compilation Substance and a second remix by Stephen Hague features on their Best Of album. The original album version appears on the 2005 compilation Singles, the 7-inch version appears on the 2016 reissue of this compilation. New Order's live versions since 1998 are based on the Shep Pettibone remix.[11]
The single mix features more electronics than the album version, with the Fairlight CMI music workstation used to provide sounds such as the orchestral hits, and to sequence the song. All instruments except vocals and Peter Hook's melodic bass were sequenced (the song also prominently features synthesised bass and synth choir parts).[12]
Music video
The music video, which was released in November 1986, was directed by American artist Robert Longo. It prominently featured shots of a man and a woman in business suits flying through the air as though propelled by trampolines; this is based directly on Longo's "Men in the Cities" series of lithographs.[13] The video also features a black and white cut-scene where Jodi Long and E. Max Frye are arguing about reincarnation, in which Long emphatically declares "I don't believe in reincarnation because I refuse to come back as a bug or as a rabbit!" Frye responds, "You know, you're a real 'up' person," before the song resumes.
Reception
"Bizarre Love Triangle" has been critically acclaimed since its release. In a 30th anniversary retrospective citing the song as one of the greatest of all time, Billboard described it as a "synth-pop masterpiece" and "an incandescent jewel of mid-'80s computer love."[14] NME praised the song as New Order's "finest pop moment" and credited its simplicity in comparison to previous singles such as "Blue Monday".[15] In 2004, the song was ranked No. 204 in Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."[10]
Cover versions
- "Bizarre Love Triangle" has been covered by many artists, such as Donna Lewis, The Black Eyed Peas, Even As We Speak, Devine and Statton, Sita, Tony DeSare, South, Rookie of the Year, Apoptygma Berzerk, Stabbing Westward, Jaymay, Charlotte Martin, Anne Curtis, Vendetta, Nouvelle Vague, The Speaks, Makana, Echosmith, Apostle of Hustle, Glaiza de Castro and Zeus.
- Australian band Frente! released an acoustic cover version of the song in 1994, re-imagining it as a folk ballad. Issued as part of the Lonely EP in their home country, the cover peaked at No. 7 on the ARIA Singles Chart[16] and became the band's only overseas hit, reaching No. 49 on the US Billboard Hot 100,[17] No. 53 in Canada,[18] and No. 76 in the United Kingdom.[19] In Australia it came in at No. 63 on the 1994 year-end chart and was certified Gold for shipments of over 35,000.[20]
- The song was also remixed in 2005 by The Crystal Method (for their album Community Service II) and by Richard X (for the New Order single "Waiting for the Sirens' Call").
- It was remade into Chinese with the Cantonese version by Amanda Lee and the Mandarin version, by Sandy Lam, both under the title of "一個人 / Yī Gè Rén" ("Alone").
- American alternative metal band New Years Day covered the song on their 2018 EP Diary of a Creep.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Bernard Sumner.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Bizarre Love Triangle" | 3:43 |
2. | "Bizarre Dub Triangle" | 3:23 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Bizarre Love Triangle" (edit) | 3:36 |
2. | "Every Little Counts" | 4:29 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Bizarre Love Triangle" | 3:36 |
2. | "Every Little Counts" | 4:29 |
- Initial pressings (matrix FAC-26-A) were the UK 7" mix,[21] later pressings (matrix FAC-26-A2) were the Canadian 7" mix[22]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Bizarre Love Triangle" | 3:36 |
2. | "State of the Nation" | 3:27 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Bizarre Love Triangle" | 6:44 |
2. | "Bizarre Dub Triangle" | 7:02 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Bizarre Love Triangle" | 6:41 |
2. | "I Don't Care" (Actually "Bizarre Dub Triangle") | 7:02 |
3. | "State of the Nation" | 6:31 |
4. | "Bizarre Love Triangle" | 3:43 |
- US editions mis-credit "Bizarre Dub Triangle" as "I Don't Care", reputedly due to a record company person contacting New Order's Manager Rob Gretton to ask what to name the mix as, Gretton is claimed to have said "I don't care"[23]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Bizarre Love Triangle" (album version) | 4:20 |
2. | "Bizarre Love Triangle" (Extended Dance Mix) | 6:44 |
3. | "I Don't Care" (Actually "Bizarre Dub Triangle") | 7:02 |
4. | "State of the Nation" | 6:31 |
5. | "Bizarre Love Triangle" (single remix) | 3:43 |
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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References
- Hook, Peter (6 October 2016). Substance: Inside New Order. Simon & Schuster UK. ISBN 9781471132438. Retrieved 19 July 2017 – via Google Books.
- "Scarlett Johansson's band Sugar for Sugar covers New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle" -- listen". September 22, 2016.
- "80 best love songs of the 1980s". Cleveland. August 31, 2018.
- Proefrock, Stacia. "Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order". AllMusic.
- Lindsay, Cam (8 September 2015). "An Essential Guide to New Order". Exclaim!. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- "ASCAP entry".
- Ankeny, Jason. "New Order - Music Biography, Streaming Radio and Discography - AllMusic". AllMusic.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, New South Wales, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 215. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- OfficialCharts.com "Bizarre Love Triangle" UK chart history
- "New Order, 'Bizarre Love Triangle'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- Flint, Tom (April 2004). "Recreating New Order's 'Blue Monday' Live". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
- Fortner, Stephen (September 2005). "New Order. New Album. Old School. All Good". Keyboard. Archived from the original on 18 December 2005.
- Shamberg, Michael. "Bizarre Love Triangle". kinoteca.net. Archived from the original on 15 January 2006.
- Unterberger, Andrew. "10 Reasons Why New Order's 'Bizarre Love Triangle' Is One of the Greatest Songs of All Time". Billboard. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- Elan, Priya. "Why 'Bizarre Love Triangle' is New Order's finest pop moment". NME. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- "Australian-charts.com – Frente! – Lonely". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
- "Frente! Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2505". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- "FRENTE Chart History". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
- "New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle". Discogs. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
- "New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle". Discogs. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
- "Recycle 13: Bizarre Love Triangle". neworder-recycle.blogspot. 5 September 2009. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
- "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0796." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Bizarre Love Triangle". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- "Charts.nz – New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
- "New Order Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- "Dance Singles Sales - December 27, 1986". Billboard. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2508." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- "New Order Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- "Kent Music Report No 701 – 28 December 1987 > National Top 100 Singles for 1987". Kent Music Report, via Imgur.com. Retrieved 11 December 2019.