"Atmosphere" is a song by English

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...

band

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after atte ...

. It was originally released in March 1980 by the

Sordide Sentimental Sordide Sentimental is a French record label, founded in 1978 by Jean-Pierre Turmel and Yves Von Bontee, notable for its releases of early works by Joy Division, Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV and others. Artists * Monte Cazazza * Davie Allan & T ...

label as the "Licht und Blindheit" (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

for "Light and Blindness") package, a France-only limited edition single featuring the track "Dead Souls" as the B-side. Following Ian Curtis's death in May, it was re-released as a 12" single by

Factory Records Factory Records was a Manchester-based British independent record label founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus. The label featured several important acts on its roster, including Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, the Duru ...

in August with "

She's Lost Control "She's Lost Control" is a song by British post-punk band Joy Division. Released on their 1979 debut album, ''Unknown Pleasures'', "She's Lost Control" was first performed live by the band in June 1978 and draws primary lyrical inspiration fro ...

" as the B-side. The single was re-released in 1988 to coincide with the release of the compilation album '' Substance'', and a music video was produced for the song.

Recording

Joy Division had written an early version of this song called "Chance" which they recorded for a Manchester radio session in June 1979. They later recorded the final version of Atmosphere in October 1979 with

Martin Hannett James Martin Hannett (31 May 1948 – 18 April 1991), initially credited as Martin Zero, was an English record producer, musician and an original partner/director at Tony Wilson's Factory Records. Hannett produced music by artists including Joy ...

at Cargo Studio in

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

. The Keyboard used in the chorus was a " Woolworth’s Winfield brown Bakelite plastic reed organ."

Release

The song was originally released on 18 March 1980 by the label

as a France-only 7" single under the title "Licht und Blindheit" (

for "Light and Blindness"). It was limited to 1578 copies and featured the track "Dead Souls" as the B-side. John Peel played "Atmosphere" for the first time on his show on 11 March 1980 and "Dead Souls" the following night. Following the death of lead singer

Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums ''Unknown P ...

in May 1980, "Atmosphere" was released as a 12" single along with "

". "Atmosphere" was the A-side for the UK release but the B-side for the USA release. "She's Lost Control" is an alternative version of the one that appears on the band's debut album ''

Unknown Pleasures ''Unknown Pleasures'' is the debut studio album by English rock band Joy Division, released on 15 June 1979 by Factory Records. The album was recorded and mixed over three successive weekends at Stockport's Strawberry Studios in April 1979, wi ...

''. The single peaked at number 1 in New Zealand in August 1981, and it would later re-chart there in July 1984 (number 17) and when it was reissued in August 1988 (number 5). "Atmosphere" also reached the top of the UK Indie Chart in October 1980, hit the number 2 spot of that same chart in July 1988,, and hit number 34 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

during June 1988. The single was re-released in 1988 to coincide with the release of the compilation album '' Substance''.

Music video

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was released for the song with the single's re-release in 1988. It contains characters wearing black-hooded

cloak A cloak is a type of loose garment worn over clothing, mostly but not always as outerwear for outdoor wear, serving the same purpose as an overcoat, protecting the wearer from the weather. It may form part of a uniform. Cloaks have been and ...

s and white burial

shroud Shroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to '' burial sheets'', mound shroud, grave clothes, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the famous S ...

s carrying around large pictures of the band. It was directed by Anton Corbijn (responsible for much of the early Joy Division photography, and who later directed the

biopic ''

Control Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controllin ...

'').

Reception

Ned Raggett of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

wrote, "Atmosphere" is another one of those prime Joy Division songs, like " Transmission" or "

Love Will Tear Us Apart "Love Will Tear Us Apart" is a song by English rock band Joy Division, released in June 1980 as a non-album single. Its lyrics were inspired by lead singer Ian Curtis's marital problems and struggles with epilepsy. The single was released the m ...

", where

's production becomes so essential to the end result that it couldn't have been heard otherwise", noting that, in regards to Ian Curtis's mental state and subsequent death, "there's a feeling of a requiem here, an awesome musical farewell." ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' voted the song number 1 in its list "The 20 Greatest

Goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

Tracks".

Legacy

The song featured in the film ''

24 Hour Party People ''24 Hour Party People'' is a 2002 British biographical comedy-drama film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Wint ...

'' just after Ian Curtis's suicide is portrayed.Usage in film and television: se
"Joy Division - Soundtrack. 'Atmosphere'"
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

. The song is also used at the end of the Ian Curtis biopic ''

''. It was also played at

Tony Wilson Anthony Howard Wilson (20 February 1950 – 10 August 2007) was a British record label owner, radio and television presenter, nightclub manager, impresario and a journalist for Granada Television, the BBC and Channel 4. As a co-founder o ...

's funeral. "Atmosphere" is used during the final scenes of ''

Hounds of Love ''Hounds of Love'' is the fifth studio album by English musician Kate Bush, released on 16 September 1985 by EMI Records. It was a commercial success and marked a return to the public eye for Bush after the relatively low sales of her previous ...

'', a 2016 Australian thriller, as well. Joy Division's bassist, Peter Hook, has said he regards the song as one of the band's greatest.''teamrock.com''
/ref> The song also appears in the fourth episode of season one of Stranger Things.

Track listings

All songs written and composed by Joy Division (

, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and

Bernard Sumner Bernard Sumner (born 4 January 1956) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is a founding member of the bands Joy Division, New Order, and Electronic. Sumner was an early force in several areas, including the po ...

). ; "Licht und Blindheit" (7") ; "Atmosphere" (12") ; 1988 re-release ; 7" ; 12" ; CD

Chart positions

References

External links

*
Accolades archived
at Acclaimed Music {{authority control Joy Division songs 1980 singles Number-one singles in New Zealand Music videos directed by Anton Corbijn Black-and-white music videos Rock ballads Factory Records singles 1980 songs Songs written by Bernard Sumner Songs written by Peter Hook Songs written by Stephen Morris (musician) Songs written by Ian Curtis 1980s ballads UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles