New Order is a fearless group. There aren’t many bands that survive the loss of their singer, let alone additionally, transition successfully to a different style. Indeed, few bands have adopted musical trends as seamlessly, or had as many unexpected commercial hits. New Order is one of the greatest alternative bands of all time.

Unlike Joy Division, New Order’s stuck around. Sure, their first albums are highly iconic. Still, their later releases maintain a similar sense of creative excitement.

I’ll focus on only the top material for now. These are New Order’s 10 best songs.

The Greatest 10 Songs by New Order

10. “Dreams Never End”

It was, frankly, upsetting to see legendary bassist Peter Hook be ousted from New Order. What would early songs be without those simple, memorable lines that he played?

Band drama aside, the chemistry that helped create New Order’s music was sensational. You can hear it in synth-driven hyper-modern tracks. But you can especially hear it on songs like “Dreams Never End”, where the post-punk affection of old is still audible.

9. “World in Motion”

The greatest proof that, unlike Joy Division, New Order was really out for some cheerful good times came with “World in Motion.”

Cynics might call this a ploy to align themselves with English football fanatics. Others might praise the band for cleverly acquiring a new set of fans. Surely, these were not the types of people who visited The Haçienda on Friday nights.

Regardless, while “World in Motion” is very much of its time, it’s a song worth remembering. Whoever thought that Paul Gascoigne and these alternative rock pioneers would belong to memories of the same time and place?

8. “Ceremony”

No, to its credit, New Order didn’t ride the coattails of the successful Joy Division. But they didn’t immediately send the history books through the shredder either.

“Ceremony” is the final set of lyrics penned by singer Ian Curtis. It’s Joy Division’s final step and New Order’s first. It shyly hinted at a new sound and set of values.

Most importantly, “Ceremony” is a strong composition. It got most people on New Order’s side rooting for a band who refused to call it quits.

7. “Crystal”

New Order’s success, by and large, came from the nightclubs and discos. In there, the band was just another great beat with top melodies.

This offered the band a strange kind of anonymity. By the 2000s, they were really taking advantage of it. “Crystal,” released in 2001, could’ve been the work of any modern dance-rock group. The production and arrangement are great.

It proved that, as long as the band keeps staying up with the times, there’d be no reason to put them out to pasture.

6. “Regret”

New Order shape-shifted through the band’s career. But, unlike many of their peers, rarely did this seem forced.

The band just had a knack for embracing trends and adding new sounds to its musical vocabulary. For 1993’s “Regret”, the band brings in shimmering guitar chords, Peter Hook’s outstanding bass lines and marries them to acid-house rhythms. The result is another effortless pop song.

Arguably, no other alternative act ever managed to fraternize with the mainstream enemy as much. No matter how many pop hits New Order had, this never affected the band’s original, loyal following.

5. “Temptation”

Joy Division’s music was influenced by seeing punk bands play live. New Order’s music, in turn, was influenced by visiting New York City dance clubs.

“Temptation” was one of the first songs written under the influence of early 80s dance music. All these years later, it still stands up. It’s no wonder that fans were quick to adopt this as their own.

4. “True Faith”

It could be argued, not unreasonably, that New Order and Depeche Mode were of a similar ilk. Both were highly creative, modern-sounding, synth-driven bands. But while Depeche Mode’s sound tended to be darker, New Order’s version embraced dance-pop.

You can hear those tendencies even on a song like “True Faith.” The lyrics talk about the despair of drug addiction. But Sumner’s and the arrangement crafted by Gillian Gilbert, Stephen Morris, and Peter Hook turn this into an instant earworm. It’s one of the band’s very best tunes!

3. “Age of Consent”

The one thing that New Order tried to take away from its days of playing with Ian Curtis is an interest in literary themes. The concept of a novel is not easily translated into a pop song, and when bands try, the results are often underwhelming.

“Age of Consent” was a highlight from the smart, ambitious “Power, Corruption & Lies.” It’s a dark pop song. And it showed that Sumner could transition to being the lead singer, albeit one with a completely distinct range of talents from Curtis.

2. “Blue Monday”

“Blue Monday”, in many ways, invented modern dance music. And while the gear used to create the track may be outdated, the song itself isn’t. In fact, even as you play the +7 minute remix of the song, you can understand why 1980s disco audiences were so enamored with the groove and that stiff vocal line.

“Blue Monday” is one of the great pop songs of all time. New Order came up with it while relying on almost none of the tricks used in Joy Division.

It nearly overnight turned the group into one of the most successful in the world. It ushered in an era of alternative dance music. And whenever you hear a vocal hook over a drum machine, you might think of “Blue Monday” as its predecessor.

1. “Bizarre Love Triangle”

New Order, thankfully, had more tricks up its sleeve than just “Blue Monday.” Sure, that was a gigantic hit. But the band had achieved it through a daring, restless kind of creativity.

Featured on 1986’s album, “Brotherhood,” “Bizarre Love Triangle” showed the band further embracing the most modern, rarely tested in pop songs, musical hardware.

The song features an icy drum loop, contrasting with Bernard Sumner’s ever more confident pop melodies.

“Bizarre Love Triangle” is one of the highlights of 80s pop music, and a shining moment for New Order, one of the most inventive bands of the time.