This was written as a cynical response to "Love Will Keep Us Together" by The Captain & Tennille. Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis wrote the lyric at a horrendous time in his life when his marriage was breaking up. Deborah Curtis, in her biography of Ian Curtis, Touching From a Distance, recalls her husband enthusing over the cover art for "Love Will Tear Us Apart" to her, although at the time he'd banned her from even coming to the band's gigs.
Joy Division were an influential and critically praised band, but didn't sell many records. This was released in April 1980, and like their other singles, it didn't chart. A month later, depressed over a broken marriage and poor health, Ian Curtis hanged himself. The single was re-released in June and became their first and only hit.
When Joy Division formed, they agreed the band would end if they lost any member. When Curtis died, the other three members formed New Order and became one of the most successful bands in Britain.
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