The name of this song came from the title of a dark, experimental collection of linked stories by J.G. Ballard called Atrocity Exhibition. Ian Curtis only read the novel after writing the majority of the lyrics.
The version sung by Ian Curtis (who killed himself later in 1980), features a sideshow barker encouraging people to come in and see the freaks - a commentary on people's fascination with the grotesque.
The song describes a person locked away in a mental institution because he has no control over his body. It is a starkly honest nod to Ian Curtis' increasing struggles with epilepsy.
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