"Ceremony" is a song written by Joy Division, and first released as New Order's debut single in 1981. The song and its B-side, "In a Lonely Place", were written and recorded as Joy Division prior to the death of Ian Curtis. Both were re-recorded and carried over to Joy Division's re-formation under the name New Order. New Order released the song as a single twice, firstly in January 1981 and secondly in September 1981 featuring new member Gillian Gilbert, with the latter recording later appearing on the album Substance. History Joy Division "Ceremony" was one of the last Joy Division songs to be composed, with lyrics written by Ian Curtis. There are three recorded versions by Joy Division in existence. The first is a live version, available on the Still album, from their final concert at High Hall, Birmingham University on 2 May 1980. The second, available on the Heart and Soul four-disc box set, is from a studio session on 14 May 1980, four days before Curtis' suicide. It was the band's last recording. The third is a version recorded at the soundcheck on the afternoon of 2 May 1980 (along with "Decades") and is only available via bootleg. In all recordings, the vocals are only partially audible. New Order After the death of Ian Curtis, the remaining members of Joy Division regrouped as New Order. Their first release was a re-recording of "Ceremony" as a stand-alone single backed with "In a Lonely Place", with guitarist Bernard Sumner taking over lead vocals. Because Curtis had never transcribed the lyrics to "Ceremony" and because his singing was muted to the point of near-inaudibility on all surviving recordings, Sumner reportedly had to put them through a graphic equalizer to approximate the lyrics. New Order "Version 1" March 1981 In March 6 of 1981, the first single of New Order and the first version of the song "Ceremony" was released by Factory Records (with the name FAC 33). Initially released as a 7" single, it was reissued as a 12" two months later. Martin Hannett (Joy Division's producer) produced the record and Peter Saville designed the sleeve artwork for both releases. The 7" record was issued in a stamped gold-bronze sleeve. The 12" sleeve was a completely separate design: gold typography on a green background. New Order "Version 2" September 1981 In September 1981, "Ceremony" was re-released. Gillian Gilbert played guitar on