Confusion (New Order song)

"Confusion"
Single by New Order
Released August 1983
Format 12" (1983)
CD (1995, 2002)
Recorded 1983
Genre Alternative dance, freestyle
Length 8:12 (1983)
Label Factory - FAC 93
Writer(s) Arthur Baker, Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Bernard Sumner[1]
Producer(s) New Order, Arthur Baker, John Robie
New Order singles chronology
"Blue Monday"
(1983)		 "Confusion"
(1983)		 "Thieves Like Us"
(1984)

"Confusion" is a single released by British group New Order in August 1983 with the catalogue number FAC 93.[2][note 1] It was the follow-up to their massive club hit "Blue Monday" and is unique for having both Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner playing bass guitars on it. The song is produced by influential New York DJ Arthur Baker. As a result it was recorded in New York, unusual for the band (though in September 1980 the band, as a three-piece, recorded the first versions of "Ceremony" and "In a Lonely Place" at E.A.R.S. (Eastern Artists Recording Studio) East Orange, New Jersey USA). Three remixes served as B-sides on the initial 12" release: "Confused Beats", "Confusion Instrumental" and "Confusion Rough Mix".

Music video

The video for the single features live footage of the band in concert, intercut with images of nightlife in New York City , specifically at the "Fun House", and producer Arthur Baker at work.

Legacy

A re-recorded "Confusion" as well as the original "Confusion Instrumental" appear on the group's 1987 Substance release. The track reappeared on the 1995 remix collection The Rest of New Order as a radical acid techno remix by Pump Panel. This new version was used in 1998 as part of the Blade film soundtrack, appearing toward the start of the film. The Pump Panel remix is part of the most memorable scene from the saga of the Blade movies, known as the rave club scene, which was filmed in an underground club in Europe.[3] An edit of the Rough Mix represents the single on the 2005 compilation Singles. The song ranked #2 on UpVenue's list of top songs that make you drive faster.[4]

The song (in its Pump Panel remixed form) has also been sampled on three popular dance tracks, "Play it Louder" by Randy Katana, "Operation Blade" by Public Domain and "Phatt Bass" by Warp Bros and Aquagen. Operation Blade and Phatt Bass both came out in the UK in the same month, December 2000, a fact that was played up by the latter song by including the sticker "The original Blade theme - accept no imitations" on the front of the CD single. Both songs reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Arthur Baker, Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner; except where indicated. 

12": FAC 93 (UK)
No. Title Length
1. "Confusion"   8:12
2. "Confused Beats"   5:19
3. "Confusion Instrumental"   7:38
4. "Confusion (Rough Mix)"   8:04
12": QAL-249 (US) -Minimal Records 1990 release
No. Title Length
1. "Confusion (Alternative Mix)"   5:30
2. "Confusion (Essential Mix)"   5:10
3. "Confusion (Trip 1-Ambient Confusion)"   3:40
4. "Confusion (A Cappella)"   1:17
5. "Confusion (Con-om-fus-ars-ion Mix)"   7:05
6. "Confusion (Ooh-Wee Dub)"   6:50
CD: FCD260 (UK) - ffrr 1995 release
No. Title Length
1. "Confusion (Pump Panel Reconstruction Mix)"   10:11
2. "Confusion (Pump Panel Flotation Mix)"   9:15
CD: WACKT002 (UK) - Whacked Records 2002 release
No. Title Length
1. "Confusion (Koma and Bones Edit)"   3:45
2. "Confusion (Arthur Baker 2002 Edit)"   3:09
3. "Confusion (Electroclash Edit)"   3:40
4. "Confusion (Outputs Nu-Rocktro Edit)"   3:41
5. "Confusion (Asto Dazed Edit)"   4:22
12": CAT 806 EP (UK) - Acid House Mixes By 808 State (1988) - 2004 release
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Blue Monday (So Hot Mix)"  Gilbert, Hook, Morris, Sumner 7:47
2. "Confusion (Acid House Mix)"    5:54

Chart positions

Chart (1983) Peak
position
Australia ARIA Singles Chart 72
Irish Singles Chart 7
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart 7
UK Singles Chart 12
UK Indie Singles 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play 5
U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles 71
Chart (2002) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart [A] 64

References

  1. ↑ ASCAP entry
  2. ↑ New Order - Confusion at discogs.com Retrieved 6 August 2009.
  3. ↑ Vampire Rave Club Scene From The 1998 Film Blade
  4. ↑ Top 10 songs that make you drive faster

Notes

  1. ↑ The catalogue number given here is for the UK version. For other countries, see New Order - Confusion at discogs.com Retrieved 6 August 2009

External links