Released 15 June 1979 Length 4:47 | Genre Post-punk Label Factory Records | |
Recorded 1–17 April 1979 at Strawberry Studios, Stockport Writer(s) Bernard Sumner
Peter Hook
Stephen Morris
Ian Curtis | ||
"New Dawn Fades" is a song from the 1979 album Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division. It opens with a backwards and heavily modified sample from previous song "Insight", presumably added by Martin Hannett, post-production. The song relies on an ascending guitar riff by Bernard Sumner played against a descending bass riff by Peter Hook. The song uses the same progression throughout, but grows in intensity as the song progresses, reaching its peak with Ian Curtis singing "Me, seeing me this time, hoping for something else", and ending with a guitar solo. The song closes side one of Unknown Pleasures. It's also one of few Joy Division songs with two distinct guitars playing, one distorted and one a clean electric guitar picking notes from the guitar chords.
It has been covered by Moby in cooperation with New Order. There is also a version from former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante. Ambient techno act The Sight Below covered it on its second album It All Falls Apart, featuring vocals by Jesy Fortino of Tiny Vipers. The band Rheinallt H Rowlands recorded a version of the song, sung in Welsh.
"New Dawn Fades" has been featured in several films. In the 1995 film Heat, an instrumental version of Moby's cover plays during the car chase leading up to Al Pacino's and Robert De Niro's first on-screen meeting. It was also used in the 2005 remake of House of Wax, and a live version was featured in the 2006 Academy Award nominee Reprise. An instrumental version was produced by Christopher Drake on the Batman Year One Soundtrack. It was most-recently used in the soundtrack for Antoine Fuqua's 2014 movie, The Equalizer, starring Denzel Washington. It's in the soundtrack of ACAB - All Cops Are Bastards.