"Elegia" is an instrumental composed and performed by the British pop group New Order. It was released on their third studio album, Low-Life (1985). The track was written and produced by Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner.
| "Elegia" | |
|---|---|
| Instrumental by New Order | |
| from the album Low-Life | |
| Released | 13 May 1985 |
| Recorded | 1984, Jam and Britannia Row Studios, London |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:56 (album version) 17:29 (full version) |
| Label | Factory |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | New Order |
Elegia is an instrumental tribute to Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, whom some of the members of New Order previously played in.[2] Due to its sombre mood, it has been used in a variety of media, including Pretty in Pink, Stranger Things and The Crown. "Elegia" is Greek for elegy.
Background edit
"Elegia" was originally written for a film commissioned by i-D magazine and was inspired by Ennio Morricone's For A Few Dollars More score. The film was not completed, so the band saved the recording for their upcoming album.[3]
"Elegia" was recorded at CTS Studios in Wembley in a single 24-hour session with the working title "Ben and Justin".[4] It is in the key of A minor with a time signature of 12/8. The song uses the E-mu Emulator II for several sounds, including choir and strings.[5]
17-minute version edit
The original recording of "Elegia" had a duration of 17:29 which was edited down to 4:56 for the album version on Low-Life. The full-length version was included on the limited five-disc version of the compilation album Retro, as well as the 2008 Collector's Edition of Low-Life. The full version was also released on vinyl in 2012 and again in 2022.[6]
Use in media edit
Since the release of Low-Life in 1985, Elegia has been used in the following media productions:
- The 1998 Academy Award-nominated short film More by Mark Osborne.[7]
- The 1986 film Pretty in Pink.[8]
- The CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "Compulsion".
- An American Masters documentary about writer Truman Capote, first aired in September 1987.
- The fifth episode of the first season of the Netflix series Stranger Things.[9]
- Comedian Sam Hyde used it for the trailer to his web series "Kickstarter TV".
- "Rust" – a black-and-white music video by Nenko Genov.
- The E3 2015 trailer of the video game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
- The first episode of the show "Deadly Class (TV series)".
- The Crown season 4 episode "The Heredity Principle".[10]
References edit
- ^ a b "The 300 Best Albums of the Past 30 Years (1985-2014)". Spin. 11 May 2015. p. 4. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "New Order's Full 18-Minute Ian Curtis Tribute "Elegia" Gets Vinyl Release | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ "Low-life: Why New Order's Third Album Remains A Career High". Dig!. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ Hook, Peter (2016). Substance : inside New Order. London. ISBN 978-1-4711-3240-7. OCLC 960088964.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "New Order's "Elegia" Synth Sounds | Reverb Machine". reverbmachine.com. 2022-05-09. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ^ Fact (2012-04-12). "New Order releasing 18-minute "Elegia" on vinyl". Fact Magazine. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ Delgado, Lisa (20 September 2001). "Indie filmmaker's push for 'More'". Wired. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ "Neon Nostalgia: The Pretty In Pink Soundtrack 30 Years Later". Stereogum. 2016-02-12. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ Kielty, Martin (20 August 2022). "'Stranger Things' Creators Surprised by Kate Bush Song Explosion". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
- ^ "'The Crown' Season 4 Soundtrack Album Details | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 2022-12-21.
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