"The Perfect Kiss" is a song by the English

alternative dance Alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance in the U.S.) is a musical genre that mixes alternative rock with electronic dance music. Although largely confined to the British Isles, it has gained American and worldwide expos ...

and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band New Order. It was recorded at

Britannia Row Studios Britannia Row Studios was a recording studio located in Islington, London N1 (1975–1995), and then in Fulham, London SW6, England (1995–2015). The original studio was built by the British rock band Pink Floyd in a three-story block at 35 Brita ...

in London and released on 13 May 1985. It is the first New Order song to be included on a

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''

Low-Life A low-life (or lowlife) is a term for a person who is considered morally unacceptable by their community. Examples of people society often labels low-lives include aggressive panhandlers, bullies, criminals, drug dealers, freeloaders, hobos, ga ...

'', at the same time as its release as a single. The vinyl version has Factory catalogue number FAC 123 and the video has the opposite number, FAC 321.

Background

The song reached number 46 in the UK charts. The song's themes include love ("We believe in a land of love") and death ("the perfect kiss is the kiss of death"). The overall meaning of the song is unclear to its writer today. In an interview with ''GQ'' magazine

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 post ...

said "I haven't a clue what this is about." He agreed with the interviewer that his best known lyric is in the song: "Pretending not to see his gun/I said, 'Let's go out and have some fun'". The lyrics, he added, came about after the band was visiting a man's house in the United States who showed his guns under his bed before they went out for an enjoyable night. It had been quickly written, recorded and mixed without sleep before the band went on tour in Australia. The song's complex arrangement includes a number of instruments and methods not normally used by New Order. For example, a bridge features

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

s croaking melodically. The band reportedly included them because Morris loved the effect and was looking for any excuse to use it. At the end of the track, the faint bleating of a (synthesized) sheep can be heard. Sheep samples would reappear in later New Order singles "

Fine Time "Fine Time" is a song by English rock band New Order, released as the first single from their 1989 album, '' Technique''. The song was written and partially recorded in Ibiza; its title was inspired by an incident in which band member Ste ...

" and "

Ruined in a Day "Ruined in a Day" is a song by English rock group New Order. It was released as the second single from their sixth studio album, '' Republic'', on 21 June 1993. The song also appeared on the group's ''Best of A greatest hits album or best-of ...

". The song was not performed live between 1993 and 2006 due to the complexity of converting the programs from the

E-mu E-mu Systems was a software synthesizer, audio interface, MIDI interface, and MIDI keyboard manufacturer. Founded in 1971 as a synthesizer maker, E-mu was a pioneer in samplers, sample-based drum machines and low-cost digital sampling music ...

Emulator to the new

Roland Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

synthesizer. However, it returned to the live set at a performance in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

on 3 June 2006.

Sleeve

The Peter Saville sleeve is uniform silver with the word "perfect" embossed on the front side and "kiss The" on the back, like a wraparound band. It was about this time that the photographer Geoff Power Shellshock".html"_;"title="Shellshock_(song).html"_;"title="ee_"Shellshock_(song)">Shellshock"">Shellshock_(song).html"_;"title="ee_"Shellshock_(song)">Shellshock"was_introduced_to_Saville._So_enamoured_was_Saville_by_Power's_work_that_he_originally_offered_the_photographer_the_cover_to_''Low-Life''!_Then_when_that_fell_through,_they_worked_on_a_cover_for_"The_Perfect_Kiss"_using_one_of_Power's_Grimsby_dock's_photographs,_which_can_be_seen_later_in_New_Order's_songbook,_'X'._With_time_running_out_and_Saville's_decision_not_to_run_with_this_image_–_it_didn't_fit_in_with_his_subsequent_portraits_of_the_band_on_''Low-Life''_and_also_being_a_colour_photograph_clashed_with_the_monochrome_of_the_album_cover.__A_year_later_Power_offered_the_use_of_a_similar_image_for_the_New_Order_release,_'' Shellshock".html"_;"title="Shellshock_(song).html"_;"title="ee_"Shellshock_(song)">Shellshock"">Shellshock_(song).html"_;"title="ee_"Shellshock_(song)">Shellshock"was_introduced_to_Saville._So_enamoured_was_Saville_by_Power's_work_that_he_originally_offered_the_photographer_the_cover_to_''Low-Life''!_Then_when_that_fell_through,_they_worked_on_a_cover_for_"The_Perfect_Kiss"_using_one_of_Power's_Grimsby_dock's_photographs,_which_can_be_seen_later_in_New_Order's_songbook,_'X'._With_time_running_out_and_Saville's_decision_not_to_run_with_this_image_–_it_didn't_fit_in_with_his_subsequent_portraits_of_the_band_on_''Low-Life''_and_also_being_a_colour_photograph_clashed_with_the_monochrome_of_the_album_cover.__A_year_later_Power_offered_the_use_of_a_similar_image_for_the_New_Order_release,_''Shellshock_(song)">Shellshock''.

_Versions

Lasting_nearly_9_minutes,_the_full_12"_single_version_of_the_song_is_longer_than_even_"Blue_Monday_(New_Order_song).html" ;"title="Shellshock_(song).html" ;"title="Shellshock_(song)">Shellshock".html" ;"title="Shellshock_(song).html" ;"title="ee " Shellshock"">Shellshock_(song).html"_;"title="ee_"Shellshock_(song)">Shellshock"was_introduced_to_Saville._So_enamoured_was_Saville_by_Power's_work_that_he_originally_offered_the_photographer_the_cover_to_''Low-Life''!_Then_when_that_fell_through,_they_worked_on_a_cover_for_"The_Perfect_Kiss"_using_one_of_Power's_Grimsby_dock's_photographs,_which_can_be_seen_later_in_New_Order's_songbook,_'X'._With_time_running_out_and_Saville's_decision_not_to_run_with_this_image_–_it_didn't_fit_in_with_his_subsequent_portraits_of_the_band_on_''Low-Life''_and_also_being_a_colour_photograph_clashed_with_the_monochrome_of_the_album_cover.__A_year_later_Power_offered_the_use_of_a_similar_image_for_the_New_Order_release,_''Shellshock_(song)">Shellshock''.

_Versions

Shellshock"">Shellshock_(song).html"_;"title="ee_"Shellshock_(song)">Shellshock"was_introduced_to_Saville._So_enamoured_was_Saville_by_Power's_work_that_he_originally_offered_the_photographer_the_cover_to_''Low-Life''!_Then_when_that_fell_through,_they_worked_on_a_cover_for_"The_Perfect_Kiss"_using_one_of_Power's_Grimsby_dock's_photographs,_which_can_be_seen_later_in_New_Order's_songbook,_'X'._With_time_running_out_and_Saville's_decision_not_to_run_with_this_image_–_it_didn't_fit_in_with_his_subsequent_portraits_of_the_band_on_''Low-Life''_and_also_being_a_colour_photograph_clashed_with_the_monochrome_of_the_album_cover.__A_year_later_Power_offered_the_use_of_a_similar_image_for_the_New_Order_release,_''Shellshock_(song)">Shellshock''.

_Versions

Lasting_nearly_9_minutes,_the_full_12"_single_version_of_the_song_is_longer_than_even_"Blue_Monday_(New_Order_song)">Blue_Monday",_New_Order's_1983_dance_epic._This_version_also_appears_on_the_vinyl_edition_of_''Substance_1987">Substance'',_with_the_CD_pressings_deleting_44_seconds_of_the_climactic_finale,_due_to_time_limitations_of_the_CD_format_in_1987_(future_reissues_of_''Substance''_did_not_restore_the_missing_44_seconds,_even_though_newer_CDs_would_allow_for_it)._The_full_version_was_eventually_released_unedited_on_the_2-disc_deluxe_edition_of_''Low-Life'',_marking_its_first_appearance_on_CD. The_version_on_the_original_''Low-Life_ A_low-life_(or_lowlife)_is_a_term_for_a_person_who_is_considered_morally_unacceptable_by_their_community._Examples_of_people_society_often_labels_low-lives_include__aggressive_panhandlers,_bullies,_criminals,_drug_dealers,__freeloaders,_hobos,_ga_...

''_and_all_post-''Substance''_compilations_is_a_4:48_edit_that_omits_the_third_verse_(the_one_that_mentions_the_song's_title),_replaces_the_original_intro_with_that_of_the_song's_B-side,_"Kiss_of_Death",_and_fades_out_before_the_climax._This_version_is_present_on_the_A-side_of_the_7"_single_from_the_Philippines;_most_7"_issues_from_other_countries_have_on_the_A-side_a_version_that_is_further_edited_to_4:24_(in_some_or_all_cases_without_the_percussion_introduction)._The_UK_7"_promo_release_on_Factory_Records_is_a_rarely_heard_edit_cut_by_Ivan_Ivan_which_compresses_most_of_the_elements_of_the_full,_8:46_version_(including_the_ending_but_not_the_third_verse)_into_3:50. There_is_also_a_pre-edited_recording_of_the_live_performance_filmed_for_the_music_video_with_later_overdubbed_mistakes_left_intact;_it_is_available_on_the_bonus_disc_included_with_some_editions_of_''Retro_(New_Order_album).html" "title="Substance_1987.html" ;"title="Shellshock (song)">Shellshock"">Shellshock_(song).html" ;"title="ee "Shellshock (song)">Shellshock"was introduced to Saville. So enamoured was Saville by Power's work that he originally offered the photographer the cover to ''Low-Life''! Then when that fell through, they worked on a cover for "The Perfect Kiss" using one of Power's Grimsby dock's photographs, which can be seen later in New Order's songbook, 'X'. With time running out and Saville's decision not to run with this image – it didn't fit in with his subsequent portraits of the band on ''Low-Life'' and also being a colour photograph clashed with the monochrome of the album cover. A year later Power offered the use of a similar image for the New Order release, ''Shellshock (song)">Shellshock''.

Versions

Lasting nearly 9 minutes, the full 12" single version of the song is longer than even "Blue Monday (New Order song)">Blue Monday", New Order's 1983 dance epic. This version also appears on the vinyl edition of ''Substance 1987">Substance'', with the CD pressings deleting 44 seconds of the climactic finale, due to time limitations of the CD format in 1987 (future reissues of ''Substance'' did not restore the missing 44 seconds, even though newer CDs would allow for it). The full version was eventually released unedited on the 2-disc deluxe edition of ''Low-Life'', marking its first appearance on CD. The version on the original ''

'' and all post-''Substance'' compilations is a 4:48 edit that omits the third verse (the one that mentions the song's title), replaces the original intro with that of the song's B-side, "Kiss of Death", and fades out before the climax. This version is present on the A-side of the 7" single from the Philippines; most 7" issues from other countries have on the A-side a version that is further edited to 4:24 (in some or all cases without the percussion introduction). The UK 7" promo release on Factory Records is a rarely heard edit cut by Ivan Ivan which compresses most of the elements of the full, 8:46 version (including the ending but not the third verse) into 3:50. There is also a pre-edited recording of the live performance filmed for the music video with later overdubbed mistakes left intact; it is available on the bonus disc included with some editions of ''Retro (New Order album)">Retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

Background

Sleeve

_Versions

_Versions

_Versions

Versions

B-sides

Music video

Credits

Track listing

Chart positions

References

External links