"Isolation" is a 1980 song appearing on the post-punk band Joy Division's second and final album Closer. The song is based on an electronic drum beat by Stephen Morris, accompanied by a thin, trebly keyboard part by Bernard Sumner. Midway through the song, a rushing drum and hi-hat motif come in, propelling the song toward its dramatic end.
Composition
"Isolation" is a song which contains elements of synth pop and electronic music that lasts for a duration of two minutes and fifty-two seconds. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, it is written in the time signature of common time, with a tempo of 148 beats per minute. "Isolation" is played in the key of C major, while Ian Curtis's vocal range spans one octave, from the low-note of B3 to the high-note of B4. The song has a basic sequence of G–F–G in the verses, changes to B–A–G–F–G at the chorus and follows G–F–G–G–G during the outro as its chord progression. The song harbors atypical song structure and vocal delivery. Its musical arrangement employs a false ending where the band abruptly ceases, only for the recording to suddenly return with noisy feedback of a snippet before coming to a blunt end. "Isolation" is built on harsh electronic drums and a rolling, stabbing bassline. In place of a guitar melody, a cascading high-pitched synthline runs throughout the entire composition as its driving instrument. Curtis sings poetic lyrics that illustrate an abstract portrait of the titular subject. According to critic Ned Raggett, the "chilling" vocal lines express a sense of a connection and yearning after the impossible: "But if you could just see the beauty, these things I could never describe."
Critical reception
's Ned Raggett complimented "Isolation," writing, "the song structure and delivery is all Joy Division and as such makes the song an intriguing twist on a style and a highlight of the excellent Closer album."
The song has been covered many times including by:
New Order played an electronic-based cover in a Peel Session in 1998, released in the In Session compilation.
Northern Irish alternative metal band Therapy? covered the song on their 1994 album Troublegum. This version also incorporates elements from Atrocity Exhibition.
April 26, 2020, Canadian rock bandThe Tea Party released a newly recorded cover to coincide with the COVID-19 pandemic and the isolation orders that much of the world is under to stop the spread of the virus.
