I'm not entirely sure but I had always thought that it might be about the aftermath of Ian Curtis's suicide... as well as the lines in the lyrics that seem to refer to this (particularly 'Those who came before me/lived through their vocations' and 'if it wasn't for your misfortune/I'd be a heavenly person today') there's also a couple of facts that seem to support this theory. The first is that the day Ian Curtis died was a Sunday (hence 'Monday'- reffering to the aftermath of his death?). Also when it refers to 'The Beach' in the last verse, that is name of the venue in which New Order played their first gig after Curtis's death...
I think the song is deliberately abstracted to some extent- it works just as a general expression of loss and regret. You can put your own experiences into it and interpret it in your own way, like when you read the horoscopes in the paper. I think the song probably refers to Curtis, but the lyrics themselves are vague, little more than a portrayal of loss.
I'm not entirely sure but I had always thought that it might be about the aftermath of Ian Curtis's suicide... as well as the lines in the lyrics that seem to refer to this (particularly 'Those who came before me/lived through their vocations' and 'if it wasn't for your misfortune/I'd be a heavenly person today') there's also a couple of facts that seem to support this theory. The first is that the day Ian Curtis died was a Sunday (hence 'Monday'- reffering to the aftermath of his death?). Also when it refers to 'The Beach' in the last verse, that is name of the venue in which New Order played their first gig after Curtis's death...
I think the song is deliberately abstracted to some extent- it works just as a general expression of loss and regret. You can put your own experiences into it and interpret it in your own way, like when you read the horoscopes in the paper. I think the song probably refers to Curtis, but the lyrics themselves are vague, little more than a portrayal of loss.