Into the Groovy #31 - "Blue Monday"

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British electronic dance/alternative guitar band New Order's story is well known among fans. When Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis committed suicide on the eve of an American tour, the three surviving members (guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook, and drummer Stephen Morris) changed the band name to New Order (Sumner took over vocals, and Morris' girlfriend Gillian Gilbert became the band's keyboardist,) and soldiered on, becoming a highly influential 80's dance band. Their 1983 single, "Blue Monday," is, to me, the greatest dance song ever. After all these years, It is still the biggest selling 12" single of all time. Despite those massive sales, the band never saw a dime of it. New Order, alongside Factory Records founder Tony Wilson, owned a Manchester nightclub/live music venue called the Hacienda, a money pit that sucked up all of both party's profits. "Blue Monday," for all of it's groovy beats and a very memorable bass riff from Hook, if you listen closely, sounds like a very angry tune, both musically and lyrically. Despite this, it's still a blast to dance to, all these decades later.