"1963" is a track by English rock group New Order. It was originally released as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to " True Faith" in 1987 and appeared on the ''

Substance Substance may refer to: * Matter, anything that has mass and takes up space Chemistry * Chemical substance, a material with a definite chemical composition * Drug substance ** Substance abuse, drug-related healthcare and social policy diagnosis ...

'' compilation of the same year. It was then released as a single in January 1995, in a radio mix by Arthur Baker. "1963"'s B-sides are all remixes of the title track or songs previously released.

Lyrics

In ''New Order Music 1981–89'', the band's lyricist Bernard Sumner writes a

tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...

account of the song's lyrics that relate it to the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. Sumner facetiously theorises that Kennedy arranged for Lee Harvey Oswald to shoot his wife so that "J.F. could do one with M. Monroe". Monroe commits suicide when Oswald hits the wrong target (in reality, Marilyn Monroe died in 1962, over a year before the assassination took place) and Oswald is later shot by his boss (implied to be

Jack Ruby Jack Leon Ruby (born Jacob Leon Rubenstein; April 25, 1911January 3, 1967) was an American nightclub owner and alleged associate of the Chicago Outfit who murdered Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald was accused of th ...

), for "doing such a bad job and causing his hit-man business to go bust." The producer Stephen Hague has referred to the song as "the only song about domestic violence that you can dance to."

Versions

The original 1987 version ended in a fade-out while repeating the last line of the outro, "I will always feel free". The "94 album mix", also included on the international edition of ''

(The Best of) New Order ''The Best of New Order'' (stylised as ''(the best of) NewOrder'') is a greatest hits album by English band New Order. It was released in the United Kingdom on 21 November 1994 by London Records and, with a different track listing, in the United ...

'' as "1963-94", had all new orchestration and is similar in structure to the original version, except that the outro is removed and replaced with a repeat of the final bridge and chorus, faded out. The 1995 Arthur Baker remix restores the original outro, and, instead of fading out, has a cold ending after four repeats of the last line. An extended mix of "1963-94" appeared on the 2005 ''

Singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

'' compilation, while the 2016 re-release of ''Singles'' features the Arthur Baker remix.

Music video

The video for the single's release, featuring the "95 Arthur Baker Radio remix", was directed by Gina Birch and produced by

Michael H. Shamberg Michael H. Shamberg (October 27, 1952Shamberg Michael H.
Retrieved 2014-11-29. – November 1, 2014) was an American ...

. It depicts British comic actress

Jane Horrocks Barbara Jane Horrocks (born 18 January 1964) is a British actress. She portrayed the roles of Bubble and Katy Grin in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous''. She was nominated for the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for the title role in th ...

waking up in a box in the countryside and walking to the city. Jane's suitcase becomes bigger in each camera take, eventually growing to the size of the box she initially emerged from before she climbs inside.

Lyrics

Versions

Music video

Track listing

Charts

References

See also