Released 21 May 1990 Genre Synthpop, dance music | Format CD, cassette, 12", 7" Length 4:30 | |
B-side "The B-side" (1990)
"Such a Good Thing" (2002) Recorded The Mill, Buckinghamshire, March 1990 | ||
"World in Motion" is a song by British musical group New Order (credited as England New Order).
Contents
It has been New Order's only number one song in the UK Singles Chart. The song was produced for the England football team's 1990 FIFA World Cup campaign, and features a guest rap by England footballer John Barnes and additional vocals by several members of the 1990 English team and comedian Keith Allen, who had co written the lyric.
One band member reportedly gleefully claimed to the NME that they hoped it "would be the last straw for Joy Division fans," noting how its upbeat sound had inverted their former band's famously gloomy image. The song was originally announced as being called "E for England", but the Football Association vetoed the title, realising that it sounded suspiciously like a reference to the drug ecstasy.
Allen claimed that his original draft lyrics ran "E is for England, England starts with E / We'll all be smiling when we're in Italy." After being internationally released, it was shown before the movie Die Hard 2.
Recording
The backing track for the chorus of "World in Motion" bore some similarities to the instrumental theme tune for the DEF II current-affairs show, Reportage, which had been written for the show by Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert of New Order. "World in Motion" was produced by Stephen Hague, who had also produced one of the group's earlier hits, "True Faith". The single was released in May 1990 with the catalogue number FAC 293. It was New Order's last release on Factory Records.
The "They think it's all over" quotation, uttered by football commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme at the end of the 1966 World Cup Final, between England and West Germany, is utilised at the beginning and end of the track (though not the original; Wolstenholme re recorded the phrase specially for the producers), and somewhat less known samples, such as "A beauty scored by Bobby Charlton" and "We Want Goals", are taken from Goal!, the official documentary film on the 1966 tournament; the voice is that of actor Nigel Patrick.
A rap is performed by England player John Barnes towards the end of the track. Barnes was selected to perform the rap, after a contest with other players including Peter Beardsley, Paul Gascoigne, and Chris Waddle. The sleeve credits Barnes, Beardsley, Gascoigne, Waddle, Steve McMahon and Des Walker as providing vocals, though the entire squad is seen miming to the refrain in the video. The squad with Allen shout "Express yourself" in the verses and sing the refrain at the end; in the "Carabinieri mix" they are also heard providing backing vocals in the chorus.
"The B-Side"
The single's B-side, an early version of the A-side, was titled "The B-Side", extending the football theme of the release. It was produced by former Swans member Roli Mosimann. Besides a different arrangement and some different lyrics, this version lacks the commentary samples and squad vocals, with Keith Allen's "naff football chants and JB impersonation" (as credited on the sleeve) in their place.
Remixes
Like "True Faith", "Fine Time" and "Round & Round" before it, the single was issued on two separate 12" singles, the first featuring the original mix of the song, the second containing reinterpretations by outside remixers. This would be the last New Order single released in this way. Remixers Andrew Weatherall and Terry Farley were supplied with an alternative chorus vocal, with the result that the chorus hook on their mixes runs "We've got the world in motion" rather than the original "Love's got the world in motion".
In 1996, LFO's Mark Bell remixed version of the song appeared on The Beautiful Game, which was released to tie in with Euro 96.
In 2010, one reworked version of the song was used in an advert for the Mars Bar. The A-side features heavily in the film Butterfly Kiss; both the song itself is heard as well as the two main actresses singing versions of it.
Re-release
The single was re released for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, this time with the track "Such a Good Thing" replacing "The B-Side". It failed to enter the UK Top 40. This version was planned to have David Beckham performing the rap, but the F.A. vetoed the idea. It was due to have been re released again in remixed form for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but despite a release date in the United Kingdom of 29 May 2006, an last minute decision was taken to shelve this release, and the remix has never surfaced.
Legacy
In 1998, New Order performed the song live for the first time at Reading with Allen. In the interim time Allen had written another England football song, the unofficial Vindaloo. Allen performed it with the band again in 2005 at Glastonbury.
Writing on the song in retrospect, Pitchfork writer Tom Ewing commented that "I sometimes get the feeling New Order fans – Americans in particular – see “World In Motion” as a novelty or an aberration, when really it’s a validation: this is a band at their peak."
Track listing
All tracks written by Keith Allen, Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner; except where indicated.