My Gen X Playlist: Blue Monday – New Order

My wife likes jewelry, but isn’t obsessed with it. She doesn’t overdo it and wears enough to complete her outfit. She is happy when she unwraps a gift and sees a robin’s egg blue box. I didn’t even know that was even a color name until I looked it up just now. You learn something new everyday.

Me? I’m a pretty simple guy. The only jewelry I wear is my wedding band and a watch. Both had a brief hiatus during Covid, though. I was washing my hands so often I got tired of taking off and putting on my ring. It was easier not to wear it at all. I was at home all day anyway. No harm no foul.

I also stopped wearing my watch for years. Putting on my watch was part of my morning routine when I left the house. Since working from home, I left the house only a fraction of the time. I recently started wearing a watch again only because I missed it. I’m still at home most of the time, but the weight on my wrist feels good. Funny how it felt like a long lost friend.

I find it amusing my answer to today’s prompt is jewelry. Like I said, I’m a simple guy. My jewelry collection (if you can even call it that) is small, only being my wedding band and a few watches. But they are the oldest things I wear by far.

On behalf of the color blue, New Order’s Blue Monday gets the call for the playlist. For such an iconic song, I would have thought there would be a clearer view of the song meaning, or even the song title for that matter. It turns out there isn’t.

This song is believed to be about either drug addiction, child abuse or a failed relationship. The line, “How does it feel? To treat me like you do,” could refer to either the drugs or a partner.

When Songfacts asked New Order’s bass player Peter Hook for some insight, he said: “I don’t think there is a great deal to tell behind the lyrics if I am going to be brutally honest! It was just one of those things where Barney just went for it and the rest was history.”

The title is not mentioned in the lyrics, which is true of many New Order songs. The band took the song’s name from an illustration in the Kurt Vonnegut book “Breakfast Of Champions”, which Stephen Morris was reading. One of its illustrations read: “Goodbye Blue Monday,” referring to the invention of the washing machine improving housewives’ lives.

– songfacts

I really liked this song back in the 80’s, but for some reason the shine has worn off over the years. If I was driving and it came on the radio, I’d change it. I was never in the mood to listen to it.

Once I overheard someone say that Blue Monday was one of the most influential songs in history. I don’t know much about stuff like that. I just enjoy music I like and all I could think of was whatever. Besides, the guy who said it is a pretentious know it all so I tuned him out. If I could, I’d turn the radio dial on him. But the funny thing is, when I listened to it this morning, it brought me back to going to the clubs and dancing to that unmistakable beat. And it occurred to me that Peter Hook was spot on when he said:

Blue Monday is not a song, it’s a feeling… once people hear that drum riff they’re off.

I listened to the entire song this morning. Mind you, it’s not your typical early morning fare. This time I enjoyed it and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like changing the radio dial. Not a bad moment for me, courtesy of today’s prompt.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

How does it feel
To treat me like you do?
When you've laid your hands upon me
And told me who you are?

I thought I was mistaken
I thought I heard your words
Tell me how do I feel?
Tell me now, how do I feel?

Those who came before me
Lived through their vocations
From the past until completion
They'll turn away no more

And still, I find it so hard
To say what I need to say
But, I'm quite sure that you'll tell me
Just how I should feel today

I see a ship in the harbour
I can and shall obey
But, if it wasn't for your misfortune
I'd be a heavenly person today 

And I thought I was mistaken
And I thought I heard you speak
Tell me, how do I feel?
Tell me now, how should I feel?
Now I stand here waiting

I thought I told you to leave me
While I walked down to the beach
Tell me how does it feel
When your heart grows cold?
(Grows cold, grows cold, grows cold, grows cold)