The Wombats - 'Let's Dance To Joy Division'
As members of a liberal democracy, we cherish our freedom to say whatever, however and whenever we like. But freedom of expression comes at a price, especially when it comes to music. Mark Ronson learned this lesson well when he received death threats from livid Morrissey fans after daring to cover The Smiths’ ‘Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before’ – tampering with the Smiths being the closest you can come to treason in certain parts of the country.
But the Smiths are not the only feted Manchester miserabilists that you’d be advised to steer clear of, as the Wombats discovered when they put their single ‘Let’s Dance To Joy Divison’ on YouTube. Shortly after upload, the flaming fury of Joy Division fans rained down on them like a biblical plague. And while those early notes of dissent are now being buried by more appreciative reviews, we can’t help but fear that the band aren’t out of the woods yet, especially if you factor in the release of Control – Anton Corbijns cinematic paean to Joy Division’s iconic lead singer, Ian Curtis – which is currently spitting red-eyed music fans onto our city streets in a state of vehement nostalgia.
Add to this the possibility that David Bowie fans could latch on to the possibility that the ‘Let’s Dance’ of the title refers to the Bowie song of the same-name, and this could spell the end of a promising young talent. Not even a band as peppy as the Wombats could withstand a Joy Division/Bowie-fan sandwich of violence.
But here at ChartBlog we like a bit of enthusiasm and we adore the fact that we’ve found a song to love about a band that we love too. Joy Division had a reputation for being downbeat, but their songs were about dancing and loving and living life like it really matters. Catchy, exuberant, celebratory and endearing, Team ChartBlog will be first on the dancefloor down the indie disco when the opening chords of LDTJ crank up, flailing our limbs like Ian Curtis. Join us.
Download: Out now
CD Released: October 8th
(Nickie Latham)
Comments
Bloody historical revisionists!
At the time Joy Division mattered to about 3 people, which meant at least one of the band didn't care either.
The mawkish, revisionist inky press that followed had less to do with any musical validity, rather the false martyrdom that comes with an early death.
It's the easiest thing in the world to lionise the work of the dead, regardless of its merits, opening up a whole world for lost individuals who need something / anything to attach their own pain to.
Add in the obsession of people to revel in someone elses nostalgia, because much like the Sex Pistols Manchester show, there are thousands now claiming to have 'been there', when actually 1980 saw people putting the likes of "Coward of the County" by Kenny Rogers,
"Together We Are Beautiful" by Fern Kinney, "What's Another Year" by Johnny Logan,
"Feels Like I'm in Love" by Kelly Marie, "Crying" by Don McLean, "Xanadu" by Olivia Newton-John & Electric Light Orchestra and "Use It Up And Wear It Out" by Odyssey at number 1.
Sure there were hits for Dexys, The Jam and The Specials, but these were anomalies.
We should be celebrating "Working My Way Back to You" by the Detroit Spinners, not yet another dead musician, whose legacy has been inflated beyond imagination.
[I couldn't agree less. All of the hit songs you mentioned have a lot going for them (total genius, in some cases) but just because a band aren't popular in their time doesn't mean successive generations shouldn't be allowed to like them. Sometimes it takes a while for ideas to percolate through.
I agree that it's a shame we can't judge certain artists on the merits of their work because of the cult surrounding the death of someone involved in making it, but it's worth a try, surely? Personally I was never blown away by Joy Division (certain songs excepted) but I adore Nick Drake, even though he died when I was 4. - Fraser]
I'm not denying that it can take a while for some music of merit to work its way into a wider consciousness but, unfortunately, there are far too many sacred cows being taken at face value.
Bob Dylan, Velvet Underground, Joy Division, The Fall, Arctic Monkeys and numerous others have been put on pedestals and if anyone should have the temerity to shout "Hey, the Emperor is nekkid", they get driven out by angry villagers with burning torches. Who then return to their days jobs at the eNeMeE, Qi and Mofo.
All of the above have probably managed between 1 and 3 songs worthy of praise, but their acclaimed status has gone far beyond their talent.
And there's nothing new under the sun, so folk have been claiming I was there, ever since a caveman first rubbed two sticks together. But it really does grate.
How come no-one admits to Showaddywaddy at the Usher Hall? Now that was a proper gig!
[Possibly because Showaddywaddy fans don't give a monkeys about whether people admire their musical taste or not, and quite right too. - Fraser]
I do know what you mean, Mr H – especially about icon building. However, I don’t think that popularity is the best judge of art. I’d also say that if you were to pick the tunes that define the era for the majority of people, Detroit Spinners will win out over Joy Division every time.
Ian Curtis wasn’t an icon then - can you be an icon at the time, or is revisionism implied by the word? He’s only really an icon to a niche group of people now. But is his body of work deserving of lasting note? Well I think so. I think that songwriters like him were and still are few and far between, whether people knew it at the time or not.
It’s the preciousness surrounding it all that bothers me, really. Giving something iconic status shouldn’t make it untouchable. When the ‘icon’ soldering iron is dragged out for certain stars it often obscures the private pleasure of listening to their songs. It’s that sense that there’s someone standing beside you, impressing upon you this record’s Importance and Superiority and the implication that appreciating it somehow makes you Superior. They’re just a band that I like. And I don’t care if someone covers their songs or mentions them in a song or doesn’t mention them in a song. I want them to stay special to me. More often than not, making something iconic/ just makes it seem less special, supposedly untouchable, dusty and dull and it takes some work to dig below it all to find the musical gem lying beneath.
Meanwhile, you have inflicted a Kelly Marie earworm on me and that’s just mean.
Well said Nickie Latham - I almost agree with everything you've said, although we agree to disagree on the Joy Division body of work.
And sorry about the earworm, if it helps I'll join in. [koff]
My head is in a spin
My feet don't touch the ground.
Because you're near to me
My head goes round and round.
My knees are shaking
baby
My heart
it beats like a drum
It feels like
it feels like I'm in love.
whaddaya mean ALMOST agree? why i oughta... The worst thing is I only know about half the words so it goes something like this
My head is doo dee doo
My feet doop doop the ground
My dooopy doopy doo
Dee doopy doopy… OUND
Ner ner ner ner ner ner ner
MY HEART IT BEATS LIKE A DRUM
IT FEELS LIKE, IT FEELS LIKE I’M IN LOO-OVE
Ad harming selfum
"but their songs were about dancing" erm, must have missed that one Nickie.
This track is a blatant cash in on Corbijns flick.
why is everybody complaining? this is just a great up and coming act singing about their favorite band, the phoenominally great joy division. if you hate the wombats for this then you are just hypocrite because you can't let a band sing about a band that you also happen to like
Imagine seeing and Joy Division live and not being able to remember them! It happened to me when I saw them play support to the Buzzcocks, way back then.
Love the Wombles tribute.
Lets Dance to Joy Division is at best cringeworthy. It's truly awful.
A truly awful, cringeworthy song, LDTJD is the answer to a question no-one asked. Sickly sweet choir harmonies, peppy post-ironic smarminess abounds. This song appears to have been released to co-incide with Control. A shameless cash in.