Crystal (song)

"Crystal" is a song by the English rock band New Order. It is one of the band's fastest and most guitar-orientated singles. The song was released on 13 August 2001 as the first single from their seventh album Get Ready. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number eight, attracting considerable attention and critical praise as the band's comeback single, their first original since 1993. The song also found moderate success internationally, peaking at number three in Canada, number seven in Finland, and reaching the top 50 in Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Sweden.

This article is about the New Order song. For the Of Monsters and Men song, see Crystals (song). For the Fleetwood Mac song, see Fleetwood Mac (1975 album).
"Crystal"
Single by New Order
from the album Get Ready
B-side"Behind Closed Doors"
Released13 August 2001 (2001-08-13)[1]
Recorded2001
Genre
Length6:51
LabelLondon
Songwriter(s)New Order
Producer(s)Steve Osborne
New Order singles chronology
"Video 5 8 6"
(1997)		 "Crystal"
(2001)		 "60 Miles an Hour"
(2001)

"Crystal" appears as the first track on the album in a different version than the single release, with an extended intro and coda.

Release

Singer-guitarist Bernard Sumner originally gave the song to German record label Mastermind for Success, and it was recorded by label artist Corvin Dalek. However, DJ Pete Tong heard the song and declared it to be the best New Order single since "Blue Monday", leading Sumner to reconsider the gift and have New Order record and release it.

A version of the single was also released in Japan to promote the release of the New Order DVD 316, and has a different cover that resembles the 316 cover. B-sides for the single were 4 live audio tracks taken from the DVD. The single was B-sided by a variety of remixes, and an original song titled "Behind Closed Doors". All versions feature extensive backing vocals from Dawn Zee, mostly wordless. Zee has continued to perform with New Order on all their successive studio albums.

After the song was released, a remix contest was held in which there were thousands of entries around the world.[5]

Critical reception

Joe Tangari of Pitchfork called the song as "possibly one of New Order's best singles".[6] Drowned in Sound rated it a 9/10 and described it as "fantastic" and the "confident, strutting return of a band that knows that the music industry has missed it."[7] Stereogum placed the song at number ten in the list of their top ten best New Order songs.[8]

Promotion

The main music video, set to the album version, was directed by Johan Renck, produced by Nicola Doring[9] through London production company Jane Fuller Associates and cinematographed by Fredrik Callinggård.[10] It does not feature New Order; instead, it depicts a younger band miming to New Order's music and words. At the end, a large number of people come on stage to pull them off-stage.

The fictional band is named "The Killers" (the name appears on the bass drum in the video). This name later inspired a real band of the same name, who lifted a number of elements of the layout of the set in the "Crystal" video for their own video "Somebody Told Me". In 2005, at Scotland's T in the Park festival, New Order performed the song with The Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers singing the main vocals in a guest performance. In 2013, at a gig in Manchester, Bernard Sumner joined The Killers onstage to perform the song.[2] Also, in 2013 Brandon Flowers joined New Order in Bogota, Colombia, to perform this song. When The Killers were on-stage, Sumner joined them to play "Shadowplay", a Joy Division song covered by The Killers. Additionally, in March 2016, at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, New Order performed "Crystal" with The Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers singing the main vocals in a guest performance.

The DVD single contains an alternate music video, set to the "Special Circumstances Mix (Digweed & Muir Bedrock Radio Edit)" of the song. Directed and produced by Gina Birch and Simon Tyszko,[9] the video depicts a motorcycle ride through city streets at night, viewed through two side-by-side shots filmed with sub miniature video cameras mounted in boots.[11]

The cover art for the CD and DVD shows actress and model Nicolette Krebitz removing her trousers.

Track listings

All tracks are written by Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner; except where indicated.

CD 1: NUOCD8 (UK & Europe)
No.TitleLength
1."Crystal" (radio edit)4:19
2."Behind Closed Doors"5:24
3."Crystal" (Digweed & Muir 'Bedrock' Mix Edit) (Remixed by John Digweed and Nick Muir)10:06
CD 2: NUCDP8 (UK & Europe)
No.TitleLength
1."Crystal" (Digweed & Muir 'Bedrock' Radio Edit) (Remixed by John Digweed and Nick Muir)4:16
2."Crystal" (Lee Coombs Remix)8:44
3."Crystal" (John Creamer & Stephane K Main Remix Edit)6:39
CD: WPCR-10985 (Japan)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Crystal" 4:22
2."True Faith" (Live from the Reading Festival 30 August 1998)Gilbert, Stephen Hague, Hook, Morris, Sumner5:40
3."Temptation" (Live from the Reading Festival 30 August 1998) 7:27
4."Atmosphere" (Live from the Reading Festival 30 August 1998)Ian Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner4:17
5."Isolation" (Live from the Reading Festival 30 August 1998)Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner3:01
CD: 9 42397-2 (US)
No.TitleLength
1."Crystal" (radio edit)4:19
2."Crystal" (Digweed & Muir Bedrock Radio Edit)4:16
3."Crystal" (Digweed & Muir Bedrock Mix)12:52
4."Crystal" (Digweed & Muir Bedrock Dub)10:33
5."Crystal" (Lee Coombs Remix)8:44
6."Crystal" (Lee Coombs Dub)7:04
7."Crystal" (John Creamer & Stephane K Main Remix)3:22
8."Crystal" (Creamer K Main Mix)11:25
9."Behind Closed Doors"5:24
Total length:68:17
DVD: NUDVD8 (UK & Europe)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Crystal" (Video) 5:19
2."Behind Closed Doors" (Audio) 5:24
3."Temptation" (Video, filmed for the 2002 Commonwealth Games – Manchester bid) 0:30
4."Isolation" (Video, live from the Reading Festival 30 August 1998)Curtis, Hook, Morris, Sumner0:30
5."True Faith" (Video, live from the Reading Festival 30 August 1998)Gilbert, Hague, Hook, Morris, Sumner0:30
  • Numerous "Crystal" 12-inch records were released, with the Bedrock, Lee Coombs and John Creamer & Stephane K remixes each released on individual 12-inch singles.

Charts
Chart (2001) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 53
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[13] 15
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[14] 3
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[15] 35
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[16] 7
Germany (Official German Charts)[17] 39
Ireland (IRMA)[18] 24
Ireland Dance (IRMA)[19] 10
Italy (FIMI)[20] 50
Poland (LP3)[21] 27
Scotland (OCC)[22] 8
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 30
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 83
UK Singles (OCC)[25] 8
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[26] 1
US Hot Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[27] 3

References
  1. Hubner, Miriam (25 August 2001). "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 19 no. 35. p. 13. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  2. McGovern, Kyle (22 February 2013). "Watch the Killers Giddily Do 'Crystal' With New Order's Bernard Sumner". Spin. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  3. "New Order – 'Lost Sirens'". NME. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  4. Beaumont, Mark (26 June 2016). "It's A Tough Gig Going Up Against Adele At Glastonbury, But New Order Don't Seem To Notice". NME.
  5. "New Order Remix Contest". acidplanet.com. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  6. "New Order: Get Ready | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 18 November 2001. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  7. Grzesiak, Steve (1 August 2001). "Single Review: New Order – Crystal". Drownedinsound.com. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  8. http://www.stereogum.com/1244332/the-10-best-new-order-songs/list/
  9. "Crystal DVD single liner notes". Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  10. "Fredrik Callinggård Music Video credits". My Management. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  11. "Crystal – New Order Video – theculture". Simon Tyszko. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  12. "Issue 600" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  13. "Ultratop.be – New Order – Crystal" (in French). Ultratip.
  14. "New Order Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  15. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 19 no. 36. 1 September 2001. p. 11. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  16. "New Order: Crystal" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  17. "Offiziellecharts.de – New Order – Crystal". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  18. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Crystal". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  19. "Top 10 Dance Singles, Week Ending 16 August 2001". GfK Chart-Track. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  20. "Italiancharts.com – New Order – Crystal". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  21. "Notowanie nr1029" (in Polish). LP3. 19 October 2001. Retrieved 18 February 2019. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  22. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  23. "Swedishcharts.com – New Order – Crystal". Singles Top 100.
  24. "Swisscharts.com – New Order – Crystal". Swiss Singles Chart.
  25. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  26. "New Order Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  27. "New Order Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
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