Blue Monday - New Order

'Blue Monday' has often been named as the best selling 12" single of all times. It was never released as a single (although a 1988 remix of the track was) and sold over one million copies when it was released. In an interview the band claimed to have written the song in response to crowd disappointment at the fact that they never played encores. This song, they say, allowed them to return to the stage, press play on a synthesiser and leave the stage again.

The 12" single's die-cut sleeve, which looks like a floppy disk, was designed by Peter Saville. A popular story about the sleeve is that it cost so much to produce it that the record company lost money on each copy sold. Although this seems very unlikely, it is probably true that New Order saw little profit from the single's success, since an investment in the Haçienda nightclub swallowed much of the money they made from their hit.

My collection: 12" single no. 157
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1993
Cost: 2,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Blue Monday' / 'On the beach'