Meaning of True Faith by New Order & The Story Behind

In 1986, New Order was on an extended tour that spanned several months. The musicians returned home, pretty tired of each other. They did not really want to start working on new material, but they nevertheless gathered at Advision Studio One to record one of their biggest hits, True Faith, under the guidance of producer Steven Haig.

True Faith – New Order song story

No one will tell about the story of the creation of a song better than the authors. First, a word to Bernard Sumner:

I had an idea for the bass part, Gillian had some ideas for the strings, Steven came up with something for the drums. When we started the track, I was sent to our London flat with a bottle of Pernod and told not to show up until I had the lyrics.

And here is what Peter Hook recalled:

In fact, that period in the life of New Order was not joyful. You could say that it was like a little battle for me just to be there at all, let alone to help write the song. Musically, we developed more in the dance direction, and I really wanted to keep the New Order that I knew and loved. In the end, I managed to use my bass in the original version. But, of course, the first thing all remixers do is remove my bass and put in their own. Sometimes I want to attach a note saying, “How about leaving the bass?”

Q, 2001

Meaning of True Faith – New Order

It is widely believed that the composition describes the sensations of a person “high”. Bernard Sumner, in an interview with Q magazine in 1999, said bluntly that it was drug addiction. Say, although he himself did not use heroin, he composed the song from the position of a drug addict.

Peter Hook disagreed with this interpretation of the main idea:

True Faith has one of the best New Order lyrics in my opinion. But no, it’s not about a heroine, and none of our lyrics have ever been about that. I think it’s still clear that the text is really talking about being under the influence of something.

SongFacts

It is worth adding that in the first version of the words of the song, instead of the line about friends “They are afraid of what they see”, the phrase “They all do drugs with me” was present. At the last moment, Stephen Hagen convinced the musicians to drop it so that there would be no problems with True Faith’s radio rotation. Subsequently, the original version often sounded at concerts.

The composition was recorded in May 1987. It was the only new track on the Substance 1987 compilation album. The first public performance took place in June at the Glastonbury Festival. In July it was released as a single with the track 1963 on the back. The song topped the UK Indie Chart and peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, it reached several Billboard charts, including number 32 on the Hot 100.

Video of True Faith – New Order

A surreal video was shot for the song, which was recognized as the best music video of the year by various music channels. Let’s watch the video clip of True Faith.

Interesting Facts

In 1993, while performing the song at a concert in Reading, Sumner sang: “When I was just a boy/Michael Jackson played with me/Now that we’ve grown up together/He plays with my pepper [в оригинале, willy]”, – alluding to the scandal with the corruption of children.
The composition was included in the soundtracks for the films “American Psycho” and “Bright Lights, Big City”.

True Faith Lyrics by New Order

I feel so extraordinary
Something’s got a hold on me
I get this feeling I’m in motion
A sudden sense of liberty
I don’t care cause I’m not there
And I don’t care if I’m here tomorrow
Again and again I’ve taken too much
Of the things that cost you too much

chorus:
I used to think that the day would never come
I’d see delight in the shade of the morning sun
My morning sun is the drug that brings me near
To the childhood I lost, replaced by fear
I used to think that the day would never come
That my life would depend on the morning sun…

When I was a very small boy
Very small boys talked to me
Now that we’ve grown up together
They’re afraid of what they see
That’s the price that we all pay
And the value of destiny comes to nothing
I can’t tell you where we’re going
I guess there was just no way of knowing

I feel so extraordinary
Something’s got a hold on me
I get this feeling I’m in motion
A sudden sense of liberty
The chances are we’ve gone too far
You took my time and you took my money
Now I fear you’ve left me standing
In a world that’s so demanding

Lyrics True Faith by New Order Aletrnate

I feel so amazing
Something got me hooked
I feel like I’m on the move
Sudden feeling of freedom
I don’t care cause I’m not here
I don’t care if I’ll be here tomorrow
Time after time I got too much
What costs you so much

Chorus:
I used to think the day would never come
I enjoyed the shade from the morning sun
My morning sun is a drug that brings me back
To the childhood I lost with fear in return
I used to think the day would never come
That my life will depend on the morning sun

When I was just a boy,
The same boys chatted with me
Now that we’ve grown up together
They are afraid of what they see
It’s the sacrifice we all make
And fate is devalued
I can’t tell you where we’re going
I guess it was impossible to know

I feel so amazing
Something got me hooked
I feel like I’m on the move
Sudden feeling of freedom
We probably went too far
You took my time and money
I’m afraid you left me
In a world that demands so much from me

Song quote

That’s when I was going to write a hit single. Apparently we had quite a lot of taxes accumulated and Steven Hagen and I sat down to write a top 40 hit.

Bernard, Sumner, Uncut