So This is Permanence

by Ian Curtis

So this is permanence , edited by Jon Savage with a foreword by Deborah Curtis , presents the intensely personal writings of one of the most enigmatic and influential songwriters and performers of the late twentieth century, Joy Division's Ian Curtis.
The songs of Joy Division, infused with the energy of punk but steeped in a resigned longing, were born of Manchester in the late seventies - a once flourishing industrial city in decline. They were the songs too of Ian Curtis's inner tragedies, as he battled depression, epilepsy and debilitating stage fright. Ian Curtis committed suicide in 1980, on the eve of the band's first American tour.
Interspersed with the lyrics are previously unpublished facsimile pages of Ian's notebooks, which throw his highly emotive lyrics into fascinating relief and cast light on the creative process of this singularly poetic songwriter.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Poetry, Biography, Art, British Literature

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2014

About the author

Ian Kevin Curtis was an English musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division.

Joy Division released its debut album, Unknown Pleasures, in 1979 and recorded its follow-up, Closer, in 1980.

Curtis, who suffered from epilepsy and depression, committed suicide on 18 May 1980, on the eve of Joy Division's first North American tour, resulting in the band's dissolution and the subsequent formation of New Order. Curtis was known for his baritone voice, dance style, and songwriting filled with imagery of desolation, emptiness and alienation.

In 1995, Curtis's widow Deborah published Touching From A Distance: Ian Curtis And Joy Division, a biography of the singer. His life and death have been dramatised in the films 24-Hour Party People (2002) and Control (2007).

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book "So This is Permanence: Joy Division Lyrics and Notebooks" provides, just as the title implies, plus much more. If you were a fan of Joy Division or not, it must be admitted that the band had a major impact on music at the time. I myself was a great fan of the band, so this book is an incredible treat to own.

Although this particular book is nothing near a biography of Ian Curtis or the band, there is a brief history of Ian in the forward written by his widowed wife Deborah, also a bit of band history in the introduction by Jon Savage.

For those who don't know the story of Ian, he was the lyricist, songwriter and front man of the band Joy Division. He suffered from seizures which grew considerably worse as the bands fame increased. Curtis was born in 1956 and committed suicide on 18 May 1980. His wife has written a biography of his life, which was published 1995 titled "Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division".

Both the complete albums of Joy Division, plus more can be found on Youtube.

However, this marvelous book mainly deals with his writings and influences. The first hundred pages or so shows photocopies of the lyrics to most of the songs he wrote for Joy Division, then they are mirrored by printed lyrics of how the songs were sung in their recorded capacity.

The next section contains alternative lyrics, some unrecorded songs, and a bit of prose. And the final section of the book contains artwork, photo's of some of the books in Ian's library that were important to him and also some fan letters to him.

Some of the most famous songs of the band include "Love Will Tear Us Apart" , "She's Lost Control", “Transmission” , and "Dead Souls".

This is a must have for any fan.

I want to thank Thomas Strömquist for making me aware of this book.

Contents:

vii - Forward by Deborah Curtis
xiii - Introduction by Jon Savage
xxix - Editorial Note by Deborah Curtis and Jon Savage
001 - The Hand Written Lyrics
105 - Appendix One -Early Versions, alterations,new songs, prose
219 - Appendix Two - Artwork, fanzines, books, letters
273 - Acknowledgements

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘So This is Permanence’ is a collection of handwritten song lyrics (various versions) and exerts from notebooks by the enigmatic, charismatic, hugely influential and immensely gifted Ian Curtis of Joy Division. Curtis suffered from both depression and epilepsy, and tragically (as I am sure readers of this collection will be well aware) took his own life in 1980 at the shockingly young age of 23.

The book contains a foreword by Ian’s widow Deborah Curtis (author of ‘Touching from a Distance’) as well as an introduction by Jon Savage (social commentator and author of the excellent ‘England’s Dreaming’). Whilst Deborah Curtis focusses on what little knowledge she has of Ian’s song lyrics and song writing process; Savage concentrates on the literary influences that Curtis was exposed to and which undoubtedly left an imprint on at least some of his lyrics.

It is fascinating to read Curtis’ song lyrics in their original hand written versions with visible deletions, corrections, changes and additions – it gives us at least a little insight into the mind of Ian Curtis and the process of his song writing. Clear also is the development and progression in Curtis’ song writing abilities over the short course of time they were written (1977-80).

Also included in the book as an appendix are artwork, gig posters, book covers, fan letters and other ephemera - kept by Curtis along with his hand written lyrics, prose and other writings, reportedly in various plastic bags.

As with all artists (and there are many) taken away from us at a very young age and in their creative prime, there are three things which must always been born in mind, namely:

- Primarily the tragic loss to the deceased’s immediate family and friends
- The waste of a huge an unfulfilled talent, the loss and absence of works unfulfilled
- The media amplification, deification and santification of a lost artist as something far greater than they ever were, or ever could be

However, in the case of Ian Curtis – the last point is a moot one; the overwhelming majority of everything said and written about Curtis since his death has (for the most part) not been media fuelled ghoulish sanctification or hyperbole. Ian Curtis really was as gifted and talented a writer and performer as is written.

The lyrics reproduced here, for the most part, do stand alone as pieces of poetry (all the best song lyrics do). However, anyone familiar with the music of Joy Division, as I am (and was lucky enough to have seen them perform live in 1980) may struggle to read the lyrics without internally hearing the wonderful music of Joy Division at the same time – not that this detracts.

For anyone who appreciates the dark, brooding and intense music of Joy Division and the lyrics of Ian Curtis, this is the definitive, must have publication, well edited, beautifully presented – it forms an important part of the powerful, affecting and hugely influential legacy that Ian Curtis left us.

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

You cannot read this book without turning 19 again - the emotional journey the words of Ian takes you on is breathtaking, devastating, vertiginous and awe inspiring. A book to read again and again.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expensive but, on reflection, fascinating.

[Neph · Rating 4 out of 5]

"His lyrics tell much more about him than a conversation with him ever could," writes Deborah Curtis of her late husband Ian in this book's foreword. Sourced by the Joy Division frontman's notebooks, the clothbound hardcover spans the British quartet's brief career, reproducing handwritten and previously unseen song drafts spanning 1977 until the singer's suicide in 1980 at 23. Two appendices expand upon Touching From a Distance (1995) and box set Heart and Soul (1997), one section containing unreleased works, while appendix two reprints handbills, fanzine pages, and fan mail – a delight for Joy Division devotees. Eerie intimacy ensues in Curtis' scratch-outs and amendments, swapping titles or modifying phrasing in hit "Love Will Tear Us Apart," among others. Like Kurt Cobain's posthumous Journals (2002), Permanence offers rare personal insight on an artist otherwise basked in mystique. His poetic brilliance, ominous and beautiful, remains startling even when stripped of its aural component and regardless of a familiarity with the group's chilling post-punk.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big coffee table book, so it may look a bit daunting, but I got through it over the course of 6 hours.
It's mostly scans of Ian Curtis' lyric notebooks, the first part prints the finished lyrics to the songs next to them. The second part shows earlier versions of the lyrics and more, looking a bit more chaotic. The third part was a bit more fun, containing artwork, posters, books, an interview, fan letters (really enjoyed those) etc. Besides the forewords, there isn't really that much to read. They've really scanned everything they could for this, so it felt pretty padded out to me. It's cool to look through, but not much more than that. Would recommend this if you're a super fan of Joy Division. 3,5 stars.

[Katey Lovell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. So interesting to look at Ian's writing process critically, seeing how his lyrics developed. I also loved the letters received from fans that were included - and it seems he valued contact with fans as they refer to him replying and helping them with lyrics and memorabilia. This book made me want to start writing poetry again for the first time in years.

[Peter Korsman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book feels a bit 'blown up' in a way that it could have been smaller and more compact, since Joy division only published 45 songs.
Still it's a great monument for Curtis' singular lyrics, that very much deserve this concentration of attention and detail.

[James Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nice hard bound book on quality paper. I find reading the words scratched out as interesting as the words left into his journals.

[Yvonne]

This Summer I drove to Macclesfield to visit Ian Curtis' last house and the memorial site at the cemetery. I can hardly believe it has been 40 years since his passing. I was so glad to find this book. To see the handwritten lyrics, corrections and a few other belongings was quite moving. Somehow I would want to turn back time and influence history a little, just to see what more Curtis would have written had he not made his drastic decission. A must read/have for every Joy Division aficionado.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read though I wish they'd transcribed his notes/prose/poetry into text as opposed to just slapping the journal screens in and calling it a day.

[Delia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, Ian Curtis is an artist I know a thing or two about (meaning his work has touched me like nobody else's, meaning I had no idea the first time I heard Joy Division's music it would open up a portal I never imagined possible, meaning I've cried more about his death than about the death of anyone I've known personally, meaning if I think about it too hard I will definitely start crying again).

This book is a very visceral experience to anyone that likes his writing (and to me, "like" is an understatement). Starting with the introduction, I needed to pause for a few seconds as I imagined this boy painting the walls of that room a pale shade of blue, creating a fortress for himself to explore his potential for creation, a place that would nearly be the only space in which he would have felt safe until this writing, this experiment, became a duty rather than a source of enjoyment.

The book is made up of mostly of handwritten lyrics, those lyrics, parts crossed out, nearly all in caps, that kind of feel like a punch in the gut. Because the notebooks look so mundane, because the sheets have aged with time, but the writing hasn't. Because the writing to me feels holy. To read this book is to witness the author peering outward, seeing the horrors of history and human cruelty, then painfully turning the gaze inwards to the horrors within his own mind. Because anything on Closer almost feels too personal, because very few have bared their soul like this before.

These handwritten notes contain various ranges of human emotion, there are parts that resemble hope (through one passage he repeats over and over the phrase "we will win" and something along the lines of "I need to survive") but then there are some lines that could only be the product of a deeply trouble mind, lots of references to war, weapons and drowning.

The book ends with a collection of letters that fans sent to Ian, they wrote directly to his home in Macclesfield. They asked him to send them objects and lyrics to songs and he replied back, responding to their requests, to their surprise. To see someone who wrote such troubled lyrics (and whose death is one of the greatest tragedies of all time) being so kind to strangers is beyond heartbreaking. To see that he tried his best after all. One of the letters ended with a simple message "don't die, please". If only he hadn't.

The book ends with scans of covers of the books that he owned, yellowed by time. Among them, there's a school report from when he was little. This was overall, quite a journey. To see the lyrics changing, to see the lines that would have been good but never made it, to see his undecipherable scribbles, his notes of guitar playing patterns, to read several handwritten notes of what would later become Passover (my all time favourite and what I consider to be the peak of his writing). This is a book to come back to from time to time. To read and reread the work of one of the finest poets to ever do it.

[Thomas Merzlak · Rating 5 out of 5]

“People like you find it easy
Naked to see
Walking on air
Hunting by the rivers, through the streets, every corner
Abandoned too soon
Set down with due care
Don't walk away in silence
Don't walk away”

“Existence, well, what does it matter?
I exist on the best terms I can
The past is now part of my future
The present is well out of hand”

Amongst the most illuminative poetic oeuvres ever assembled. Few pieces of writing are as evocative as “Atmosphere.”

[jacob bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, really gives an insight into Ian’s writing process with scans of son lyrics, fan mail, and even some of Ian’s personal books. I really get a lot every time look at this book. Great for the coffee table and it’s cool to dive deep into the life of such an interesting and prolific songwriter.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully compiled, all the lyrics, notebook selections, journals, diaries, rough drafts, letters...it's all a bit creepy really to sift through and obsess over but the best of the work stands up and this is thoughtfully compiled with a strong intro by Jon Savage.

[Aaron Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ian wrote a prolific amount of material within the span of his short life, and more specifically within the span of an even shorter career. The early versions and notes included within this volume, provide insight into the creative process of a life that was ended all too quickly and abruptly.

[Casey Lehman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lyrics on their own would have been compelling enough. I found the notebooks themselves a little hard to actually read once you get past any aesthetic value you perceive in seeing the lyrics in Ian’s actual handwriting.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Removing a star because the second part is exhausting to try to read. I mean they really went to the effort to transcribe the song lyrics most people already have heard before/have easy access to but did not care to transcribe previously unseen poetry/prose he'd written

[Austin Gaines · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you dig joy division lyrics then this is probably the best way to read them. Nice big hard bound book with occasional photos of his illegible hand written lyrics.

[Nilphat Phatdone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love live Ian!

[Ric Montelongo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book of hand written lyrics and band images.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I would have gotten more out of this if I liked Joy Division a bit more, but this was still just fascinating to read.

[SteveL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into Ian Curtis and his influences. Highly recommend if you are a JD fan.

[Juan Serenellini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué lindo es ver la escritura de Curtis en papel.

[Joseph McHale · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfection. must have for any joy division fan. features much more than lyrics and is a fantastic way to start a deeper search into the works of Curtis.

[Stephen Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What more is there to say ,that is not within the Lyrics of Ian Curtis

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first “punk” girlfriend in high school was on the speech team. For one of her competitions she decided to recite lyrics as poetry and chose songs from a favorite album of ours at the time, The Lightning Seeds’ 1990 debut “Cloudcuckooland.” I liked that album, and still do, but I don’t recall poring over Ian Broudie’s lyrics the way I did of the bands who really spoke to me: The Clash, The Cure, Embrace, Fugazi, Lungfish, Midnight Oil, Minor Threat, Pink Floyd, R.E.M., Rites of Spring, The Smiths, Violent Femmes, and, of course, Joy Division.

Like so many teenagers, whether they have good reason or not (and, to be honest, I did not), I was moody and depressive. It wasn’t a full-time occupation, but I spent plenty of time sitting in my darkened bedroom listening to “Disintegration” or “The Wall” over and over again. And I wrote poetry — sad-sack, woe-is-me, life-is-shit poetry. Somewhere some high school flame has one or more of these fire starters sitting in a long-forgotten box in the attic or basement. May they never surface.

At university things didn’t get any better, at least not until some point during the back half of my sophomore year when I simply snapped out of the depressive fog I’d been living in. It’s doubtful anyone besides me had any idea, and since it wasn’t all-consuming it didn’t interfere with my social life, which primarily involved traveling to hardcore shows — in Indianapolis, Louisville, Dayton, Columbus, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati — with friends almost every weekend. My depressive moods weren’t an affectation, but they were self-imposed. And I still wrote poetry, though mainly for myself this time. I worked at it, eventually took an introductory creative writing class, and submitted to and got published by both of Indiana University’s undergraduate literary journals. I passed my portfolio review and was invited to enroll in the 300- and 400-level poetry-writing courses, both taught by Pulitzer Prize-winning poets, including Yusef Komunyakaa. But the pressure was too much for me — I’d never intended to become a writer — and I dropped both classes before the first poem was workshopped. I never wrote poetry again.

So, I was a disaffected Midwest youth — vegan, straight edge, radically liberal — pouring my energy into music (I was eventually a drummer in two bands) and poetry. If not inevitable, it was only natural that I would gravitate towards Joy Division. Their music was a perfect combination of the two. With them, as with any of the aforementioned bands (or rock music in general), the music and the message were one. I didn’t sit in my dorm room decoding lyrics without the album playing simultaneously. They were lyrics, not poetry, and the words needed the music as much as the music needed the words.

All of which brings me to “So This is Permanence: Joy Division Lyrics and Notebooks.” As a Joy Division release, it is exactly what one would expect: beautifully designed, bound in gray cloth and printed in white ink, an homage to their posthumous album “Still.” It’s a luscious look behind the curtain of a musician who took his craft as a writer, and his role as a singer, incredibly seriously. Though his words are presented without music, they never come across as poetry. That’s partly because, I think, it’s impossible to read the words without hearing the atmospheric austerity or driving motorik laid down by Barney, Hooky, and Stephen. But it’s also because, by having the scans from Ian Curtis’s notebooks, you can see — and feel — the urgency of his writing, and can imagine him pacing in his Macclesfield flat searching for the right word, or weaving disparate phrases together to fit a song taking shape during rehearsals. An appendix of fragments, early drafts, and lyrics for songs never composed, offers even more insight into Curtis’s process. A second appendix — a hodgepodge of fanzines, show bills, fan letters, and the covers of books from which Curtis drew inspiration — rounds out a book that is both lovely and lovingly assembled.

I’m no longer a teenager moping in darkened rooms. I’ve outgrown countless bands since those days. Joy Division will never be one of them, and “So This is Permanence” reminds us — often painfully so — of just how vulnerable and ageless Ian Curtis’s lyrics are, and just how vital and timeless the music is. It turns the obligatory question “What if?” into a savage punch to the gut. This book is an essential read for fans of Joy Division, but it’s also for anyone who ever wrote anything in an attempt to understand his place in the world. Our abilities may not be as great, but, in the attempt, we share something just as powerful.

[Mia Rouka · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Joy Division and Ian Curtis, you really must have this book. I truly believe Ian said everything through his lyrics, considering that he wasn't such a talkative person when he didn't sing. This was his way of expressing his feelings and his thoughts, his troubles, his melancholy, you can really read his life and his mind through those lyrics. Ian was such a gifted person who sadly left us too soon. But he's still here through his lyrics and songs..listen to his voice, it will certainly touch your heart!

[Adam Carrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

An astonishing document of Ian Curtis' professional life, featuring his hand-written notes and lyrics; letters he kept from fans; artwork he selected; books he was reading; a foreward from the press; a foreward from his wife. It's all packaged in this ghost-grey monolith of a hardback.

I'm not even a big Joy Division fan, I don't find Curtis' lyrics all that compelling, but he was only 23 when he died. This was a very intense young man and this is a portrait of such a personality. A suicide before his prime, and god, these are like the pieces that are left: memories, notes, and journalistic references. Things that have survived the 40 years since.

It seems cliche to say that this collection is haunting - but there is no adjective more accurate.

[Lori Banzai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really only for JD or Ian C completists (like me)