Love Will Tear Us Apart

Subject: Love Will Tear Us Apart
From: SteveMansfield
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 09:25 AM

Just an idle query - but how did Joy Division's cheery ditty 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' come to be adopted by the acoustic / folk set?

I first became aware of this through the June Tabor / Oysterband version; then went to see Mary Coughlan a few weeks back, and she sang it; and then (through a link from the 'Tim Jonze On Shuffle: Folk' Guardian article) came across Revere singing it with accompaniment by Toumani Diabete.

Any earlier sightings (other than the original, obv!)? And well done whoever *did* 'import' it, it's by far the best track on the June Tabor / Oysters record and also sat well right in the middle of the 'unremitting misery' section of Mary Coughlan's splendid gig ...

Subject: RE: Love Will Tear Us Apart
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 09:43 AM

Swans did a nice acoustic cover in the late eighties, it's the only acoustic cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart which sticks out in my mind (though I think it's been covered a number of times) - but I've no idea where June Tabor got it from.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiQsv3Q5P8Y

Subject: RE: Love Will Tear Us Apart
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 09:54 AM

Gira's then bird Jarboe on vocals in another Swans cover from '88, which might head us closer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F062h9ePl4Q&feature=related

Subject: RE: Love Will Tear Us Apart
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 10:55 AM

We were quoting from Love Will Tear us Apart in our cover of Come Write Me Down round about the time of the 30th Anniversay of Ian Curtis' passing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IJQzcyDTQI

Subject: RE: Love Will Tear Us Apart
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 20 Mar 12 - 11:23 AM

Great songs deserve to become universal cross genre standards..

The negative flip side is when they become done to death and rendered intolerably unlistenable
by insensitive hack kareoke-esque performers........