It wasn’t the cover that was the problem, it was the inner sleeve. Blue Monday was released as a 12″ single, not a dinky 45 that came in a thin envelope, and so it needed a cardboard cover and and sleeve made of slick, thick paper. Factory Records went all out on the sleeve, and used silvery cloth that had to be die-cut. Much more expensive. After they did the math, it turned out the the company would lose a nickel on every sale.
This was not a catastrophe, though. The previous top-selling single from Factory had been Love Will Tear Us Apart from Joy Division. Sold 20,000 copies, which means that the loss would be a grand. They could eat a grand.
Blue Monday sold 1.2 million in Great Britain alone.
2 things
1. I love me some new order
2. Apparently it enough to have ever grasped that particular lyric. Thanks!
That single really was the coolest looking thing EVAR when it first hit my local record store.
Wonder if the Younger Enthusiasts have any idea what it was supposed to look like?
I was a teenaged Joy Division fan in 1980 about the time Ian committed suicide. Still prefer Joy Division. over New Order though New Order probably influenced a whole bunch of musical trends they aren’t given credit for. Both bands are great.
RIP Robert Hunter.