Shadowplay (song)

"Shadowplay"
Song by Joy Division
from the album Unknown Pleasures
Released	15 June 1979
Recorded	1–17 April 1979
Studio	Strawberry, Stockport
Genre	Gothic rock post-punk
Length	3:55
Label	Factory
Songwriter(s)	Bernard Sumner Peter Hook Stephen Morris Ian Curtis [1]
Producer(s)	Martin Hannett, Joy Division
Music video
"Shadowplay" on YouTube

"Shadowplay" is a song by the English rock band Joy Division. The song appeared on their debut studio album, Unknown Pleasures, released on 15 June 1979. Previously, Joy Division played "Shadowplay" live on their first television appearance on Granada TV in September 1978.

Lyrics

Early recordings of the lyrics on the Warsaw album show the first line of the song as saying "To the centre of the city where all roads meet looking for you". In later recordings the word looking is replaced with waiting.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Killers version

"Shadowplay"
Single by The Killers
from the album Sawdust
Released	9 October 2007 (U.S.)
Genre	Electronic rock, gothic rock
Length	4:09
Label	Island Vertigo
Songwriter(s)	Bernard Sumner Peter Hook Stephen Morris Ian Curtis
Producer(s)	The Killers
The Killers singles chronology
"For Reasons Unknown" (2007) "Shadowplay" (2007) "Tranquilize" (2007)

American rock band the Killers recorded a version of "Shadowplay" for the 2007 film Control , based on the life of Joy Division's lead singer Ian Curtis. ^[2] This version plays during the film's credits and was included on the soundtrack album. The song became a live staple for the band's 2006-2007 Sam's Town Tour . ^[3]

The band's recording of "Shadowplay" was also included on the group's B-sides and rarities album, Sawdust . Rolling Stone magazine said the recording "should have stayed in the vaults". ^[4] In April 2013, the Killers were joined onstage by Joy Division and New Order guitarist Bernard Sumner for the first time to perform this song live at Festival Estéreo Picnic in Bogotá, Colombia. They did so once again in 2013 at Lollapalooza.

The Killers version of "Shadowplay" was released as a digital download single on 9 October 2007 and peaked at #68 on the Billboard Hot 100. A music video, directed by Spencer Kaplan and Jonathan V. Sela, was released on 21 November 2007, featuring the band interspersed with clips from Control.

Charts

Chart (2007)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [5]	68
U.S. Billboard Pop 100	43
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	19
Canadian Hot 100 [5]	49
Canada Rock ( Billboard ) [6]	27
UK Singles Chart	115

Certifications

Certifications for "Shadowplay"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [7]	Gold	30,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Ascap entry
2. NME, "The Killers cover Shadowplay" (15 Jan 2007) Archived 5 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine Access date: 2 August 2007.
3. "The Killers: Concert Setlist". setlist.fm. 2 November 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
4. Hoard, Christian (11/29/2007), "Sawdust". Rolling Stone. (1040):84
5. "The Killers - Shadowplay worldwide chart positions and trajectories". aCharts.us. Retrieved October 26, 2007.
6. "The Killers Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
7. "Brazilian single certifications – The Killers – Shadowplay" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil . Retrieved 3 June 2024.