Cover to Cover: Love Will Tear Us Apart

Welcome to another issue of Cover to Cover!

This time around, in observance of the recent 25th anniversary of the song’s release on June 27th, I will visiting the song “Love Will Tear Us Apart.”

Strap in folks, it’s a long one.

The Original:

The original was released by British post-punk band Joy Division. Joy Division formed in Salford, England in the late 70s by guitarist Bernard Sumner and bassist Peter Hook. The rest of the band was vocalist Ian Curtis and drummer Stephen Morris. They started out with more punk rock leanings but soon developed a different style. The band lasted until 1980 when, unfortunately, singer Ian Curtis committed suicide. The rest of the band reformed under the name New Order. In 2023, the band, along with New Order, was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

During their career, the band only released 2 full length albums but there are also 4 live albums, 12 compilation albums (wait. what? 12?!?), and 3 EPs. Their first release was An Ideal For Living, released by Enigma Records in June 1978.

The song “Love Will Tear Us Apart” was released as a single by them in June 1980 on Factory Records. It was recorded at Strawberry Studios in Stockport, England. It was produced by Martin Hannett and Joy Division. The song was about Curtis’ relationship with his wife, his epilepsy, and his overall stress. It was originally recorded in November 1979 for a John Peel session but re-recorded in January of the next year. The song also appears on the band’s compilation album Substance, released in July 1988.

The Cover:

The first cover I will talk about comes from New York City based rock band Swans. They are a post-rock, noise rock, gothic rock, industrial…I dunno…something, band. They formed in 1981 by singer songwriter Michael Gira. The band split up in 1997 and re-formed in 2010. Throughout the band’s career, they have released 17 LPs, 8 EPs, 10 live albums, and 14 compilation albums. Their first release was a 1982 self-titled EP. Their most recent release was this year’s (2025) full length Birthing.

Their version of the song was released on an EP title Love Will Tear Us Apart, released in 1988 by Product Inc.

The Other Cover:

The next version of the song I will discuss was done by PJ Harvey, an English alternative rock musician. PJ Harvey has been an active musician since 1988 as vocalist of a band called Automatic Dlamini.

She has released 10 studio albums, 1 EP, and 3 compilation albums. She has been nominated several times for Grammy Awards.

Her version of the song was released for a TV show called Bad Sisters.

The Other Other Cover:

The last cover version I’m going to talk about was done by British rock band The Cure. I’ve talked about them on Cover to Cover before. Go read the bio of them at my discussion of their song “Just Like Heaven” here.

Their version of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” was recorded at the Livid Festival in Brisbane, Australia in October 2000. It was released as a free download on the band’s official website.

The Verdict:

First off, I will just say that the original is claimed by many to be a masterpiece for a reason. Peter Hook’s bass on it is so simple yet so gripping and effective. They keyboards throughout the song are stirring. Almost haunting. Much like Ian Curtis’ vocals. The song is supposed to be depressing and this is how everything about the original, from vocals to the music puts it out there.

The Swans version of the song attempts to capture that melancholy spirit of the song but doesn’t quite get it. The highlight of their version is the dual vocals that pop up every once in a while. It’s not a bad version.

Everything about the PJ Harvey version, from vocal delivery to the rhythms, set it apart from the original. It doesn’t share the same feeling of sadness and gloom that you get from the Joy Division version.

The version done by The Cure is the one that comes closest to the original in tone and spirit. It sounds quite similar to the original aside from Robert Smith’s vocals. I actually prefer Ian Curtis’ voice and vocal delivery. I also prefer Peter Hook’s bass sound over whoever was playing bass on their version of the song.

So with all that being said, the original version of this song is the clear winner to me.

But what do YOU think?

The Poll:

And that’s it for another edition of Cover to Cover. Hope you enjoyed it and hope you are looking forward to the next one.