New Dawn Fades

"New Dawn Fades" is a song from the 1979 album Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division. It opens with a backwards and heavily modified sample of a lyric 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 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...
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