LogFAQs > #956753365

65. New Order Temptation (1982)
non-album single

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnIlM79JNj8

Key lyrics:
And Ive never seen anyone quite like you before
No, Ive never met anyone quite like you before

After several years spent in the shadows of Joy Division, Temptation marked New Order truly coming into their own sound. There is a little hint of melancholy during the verses, but everything else explodes into a fit of exuberance as the narrator falls head over heels after meeting several women. This is a man caught in a constant cycle, but the sonic energy focuses almost exclusively on the bubbling sense of love at first sight. This is bubblegum New Wave at its most sweetly sincere.

Though firmly a New Order track, this catches the band before their sound became densely layered. The stark division between instrumental sounds helps this stand out as one of their catchiest tracks. Every drum beat hits with uncanny synthetic force. The synth line is frantic and giddy. Bernard Sumner is at his best here, in his element as he jumps between the nervous verses and bursts of pure ecstasy. Though I have knocked his range plenty of times, few moments hit me like his delivery of the oh youve got green eyes section. His everyman presentation works wonders for such a universal experience.

As a whole, Temptation is pure dancefloor bliss. One of the fun things about this project has been the unlikely comparisons it has brought to mind but this and I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor are excellent examples of how to take the same theme and completely change the mood. Temptation is young love with blinders on, a bright burst of joy that we can pretend never has to end.

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My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/