The soul, in it's purest form, knows nothing of vocabulary. To the soul, the concept of communication is foreign as it requires no need to relate to anything else except itself. The soul is both the leader and the follower of it's own universe. There are times when we feel as though we can't describe how we feel about a particular thing, love for example. Love is love. Any other kind of description really is irrelevant.

Having said that non-sense, allow me to try my best to describe what I can only refer to as THE definitive, THE ultimate and THE essential record of the twentieth century. Seven and a half minutes of pure love, albeit in its aural formation. Everything from the unmistakable kick pattern to the swirling combo pack of synthetic strings and synthetic choirs, to the insanely innovative structure to the far-fetched, inane lyrics, 'Blue Monday' is the single most awe-inspiring Electronic moment of the 1980s, the century and probably this lifetime. There's nothing you can compare with because you can't compare the soul with anything besides itself. You can't mention the words "club", "DJ", "mirrorball", "dancing", "dried ice", "breakdance", "style", "people getting down" without me pulling out my 12" from its black, die-cut sleeve and slapping it down on the table that turns. There hasn't been a gig I've played and forgot to play this track because to do so would mean I'm forgetting my soul. Plus there hasn't been an incident where the people didn't go beserk because they, too, never forget who they are.

'Blue Monday' has been sampled on as many records as there are people who have been influenced - mesmerised, consumed, obsessed - by it. Shove a drum machine under their nose and they'll paint you the introductory kick drum matrix. The legend of this record far exceeds anything else, for the soul far exceeds anything else.

I'll be going deaf in seven and half minutes.

I wasn't born when this came out, and embarassingly only stumbled on it when it got on those Snickers ads. Still, it's an extraordinary piece of work, combining the electronic disco of Giorgio Moroder with a very post-Joy Division sense of gothic melancholy to produce an emotional complexity rarely matched in our "oh yeah! Rock the dancefloor! All night!" obsessed age. Would be one of the tope five house tracks ever, if house had been invented yet.

Ahhh... 80's eneergy...
This record was the start of the Hi Energy style and probably the beginning of dance music as it is today.

Bernard Summer was talking about this tune in an interview, telling that it was actually made in an old mixing desk, without any automation and with old analogue FX machines.
They had to do everything manually!!!

Can you imagine that?
I wonder how many hands there were on that desk during mixdown, because it sounds so perfect...

The most famous release by New Order. It was recently used in a coca cola commercial, and featured in the movie 24 hour party people. It's one of the best selling records of the 80's. It comes in a floppy disk sleave. A classic release. Both sides feature the same track in a different version. It has a great 80s electro feel to it, i love to play it in my sets. How does it feel...

From the very first moment I heard "Blue Monday", I knew something really really BIG will happen. And indeed, this track took me light years away from what I was hearing before - just like it took New Order lihght years away from the ashes of Joy Division. This track was absolutely ground breaking and expanded my interest in the music to come: Disco/High Energy first and then House, Detroit, Acid. It's always been and still is a 100% sure shot dancefloor filler. And nowadays, after 25 years of existence, a lot of the younger clubbers aren't aware of the original release date and it blows them away when they realise that often the track is older than themselves. This piece is a timeless gem and so good it can't even be spoiled by Techno djs. It's one of these records where the original will always be better than the copy/remix/cover. A true and eternal masterpiece and will definitely be part of the ten records I'd take with me to a remote island...

Blue Monday is a timeless dance music classic. Like any iconic song of any era it generates a profound sense of impact and passion among its fans. And Blue Monday as A LOT of fans.

When it came out this track was groundbreaking. It's surgical use of synth driven bass lines, beats, and melodies hadn't been used quite like this before. And the effects loaded breaks also generated the song's wow factor on the dance floor.

And while many would easily point to the track's influences (Moroder, Kraftwerk, et al), what Blue Monday didn't invent it perfected and then bequeathed.

Key to the track's success was its ability to crossover into multiple scenes and club communities. Its ubiquity directly influenced the evolution of 80s synthpop dance music and left its legacy firmly in the hands of Djs and musicians from the 90s onwards.

I always cringe when I hear Blue Monday directly sampled into other musician's tracks. Or when the song was remixed so terribly on many occasions. I'm not normally a purist, but sometimes it's worth letting a masterpiece be a masterpiece.

And then listening to it over and over again.

This track reminds me of the ZX Spectrum computer games I was playing around this time, it was a futurist record with a tech orientated sound. This and also Confusion for the drum programming and synths, it was not like anything else coming out the UK. New Order had the Arthur Baker connection which gave Confusion (even more)credability. An earlier release 'Everything's Gone Green' was similar in its approach but without the memorable melodies, I have also heard Blue Monday in a house set and it sounded a bit odd because the track is such a one off, it sort of ruins the greatness and vision this track represents when its mixed up with more recent material. Just my view.

Just a quick note to all those who are making comments about this record after the Acid House music revolution had changed peoples views on electronic music, if you had heard this tune back in 1983 when it first came out you would know that it really was a ground breaking piece of music and nothing had ever really sounded like it before, it still sounds fresh today where as so many electronic tunes that have been made since sound dated and fade away into obscurity !

A track that was created in 1983 by these Mancunian legends and still rocks dancefloors worldwide. I recently heard this on the floor in the middle of an electroclash night and it brought the house down. That's testamount to one of the greatest pieces of electronic music ever. Groundbreaking, hugely influential, legendary status, that album sleeve,...of all time, and then some. A seminal record of epic proportions.

I've come to notice this track has a pretty significant cult following - and I guess I feel that's odd because it's not that damn good! I like it for cripes sake, but when it's trading on eBay for $15.00 to $25.00 and up - JESUS! I'm glad I bought mine from a guy who basically came off as an asshole in his listing, griping about all the troubles he's had in the past with lazy buyers and hassles with demands for refunds - well, long story short, nobody bid and I got this and Perfect Kiss on original label with original die-cut sleeve for $5.00 each. It pays to take chances with people that come off as pricks. Now, back to the track - well, it is a cult classic. It is good. It does sound like the vocalist is ready to commit suicide. But hey, it's the styly electronics I like, and it's got a great synth bassline and nice strings and layering. It ain't no hard stomping groundbreaker and for the most part, I think this track is phenomenally over-rated. But that's our good ol' U-S-of-A, give the kids something to cry about, and they eat it up like candy! Now take the Mary Jane Girls singin' about happy, positive stuff like happiness and joy and love, and the kids hate it and think it SUCKS! Good ol' U-S-of-A!