Blue Monday 1988 by New Order

"Blue Monday" is a song by the British rock band New Order. It was released as a 12-inch single on 7 March 1983 through Factory Records and later as a 7-inch single through Tonpress in 1985. It appeared on certain cassette and CD versions of the band's second studio album, Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)."Blue Monday" is a synth-pop and alternative dance song that drew inspirations from many works of other artists. The 12" single was backed with a primarily instrumental version of the song entitled "The Beach" on the B-side. The single's unique packaging was designed by Peter Saville and Brett Wickens. It features a die-cut sleeve designed to resemble a 5¼" floppy disk. The front cover features no words, but instead has code in the form of coloured blocks that reads out the artist, song, and label information, once deciphered. The original single had a positive commercial performance, peaking within the top-ten in many countries. It peaked at number 2 for two weeks in New Zealand, and although it never reached number 1, it spent a total of 74 weeks (spread across three calendar years) in the top 50. The 1988 remix peaked at number 3 on the UK chart. It currently stands as the best-selling 12" single of all time. In the United Kingdom alone, it has sold 1.16 million copies, though this figure also includes sales of all formats of the subsequent 1988 and 1995 re-releases. Sales of the original 1983 12" release account for the bulk of the total, standing at over 700,000 copies. The song has been widely acclaimed and ranked by Acclaimed Music as the 38th most acclaimed song of all time. It has been remixed by the band twice, in 1988 and 1995. The 1988 remix went on to reach number one in New Zealand and peak in the top-ten in numerous countries as well. It has also been covered by many bands, including Orgy, Flunk and 808 State.