On 20 October 1986 New Order released “Bizarre Love Triangle” - a single from the Brotherhood album. Paradoxically: UK #56 and US #98 on original release, yet it became one of the most influential electronic tracks of the 80s. Cut at Yellow 2 Studios in Stockport. The Shep Pettibone remix (August 1986) - a 6:44 12-inch - is what's now considered the canonical version. Sumner's bassline is an Emulator II sample of a Moog Source, never played live. The song got its second life as the soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (2006), which made it a classic for a new generation.
New Order before the “Blue Monday” formula fatigue
By 1986 New Order had been at a creative peak for three years: Power, Corruption & Lies (1983), “Blue Monday” - the best-selling 12-inch in UK history (1983), the album Low-Life (1985). But Bernard Sumner felt the band was stuck in one formula - electronic dance tracks with minimalist guitar.
“Bizarre Love Triangle” was written by Sumner as an antidote to that formula - he wanted a track with an actual vocal, a proper bassline, and a melodic chorus instead of speak-singing.
In spring 1986 Sumner bought an E-mu Emulator II (a sampler, competitor to the Fairlight CMI but cheaper - $8,000 vs $18,000). That instrument became the centre of the record.
Recording: Yellow 2 Studios, May-July 1986
The Brotherhood sessions ran at Yellow 2 Studios in Stockport - New Order's home studio, converted from an office block. Producer - New Order themselves (no outside producer since 1983). Engineer - Michael Johnson.
Key instruments on “Bizarre Love Triangle”:
- Bassline: E-mu Emulator II, holding a sample of a Moog Source. Sumner played a single note on the Moog, sampled it, and triggered the whole pattern from the sampler's keyboard. Peter Hook (the band's bassist) doesn't play on this track.
- Drums: Oberheim DMX, programmed by Stephen Morris
- Main synth: Yamaha DX7, played by Gillian Gilbert (opening chords)
- Secondary pad: Prophet-5, Sumner
- Vocals: Bernard Sumner, Neumann U87, double-tracked on the chorus
- Guitar: Sumner, Gibson SG, only in the final third of the track
The track was cut in four days. Sumner said in a 1988 interview: “I did the whole skeleton in one morning. The rest of the days were vocals and mix”.
Shep Pettibone and the canonical version
The original album version (4:18) wasn't a hit. But in August 1986 Shep Pettibone - New York DJ and remixer (producer of Madonna's “Vogue” and remixer of “Like a Prayer”) - cut a 12-inch remix.
Pettibone extended the track to 6:44, added a bridge built on James Brown samples (“Funky Drummer” drum break), boosted the bass via a Roland TB-303 with acid treatment, and swapped Sumner's closing guitar for an instrumental keyboard solo. This mix - “Shep Pettibone 12-inch Mix” - became the version clubs played.
Sumner in a 2002 interview: “Pettibone's remix is better than our original. Zero embarrassment. He did what needed doing - added drive”.
Anatomy of the sound
- Key: D minor, i-VI-III-VII progression
- BPM: 132
- Length: 4:18 (album), 6:44 (Shep Pettibone 12-inch mix)
- Bass: E-mu Emulator II with a sampled Moog Source
- Drums: Oberheim DMX
- Primary keys: Yamaha DX7, Prophet-5
- Remix samples: James Brown “Funky Drummer”, TB-303 acid bass
- Vocals: Bernard Sumner, Neumann U87
- Producer: New Order (self)
- Remixer: Shep Pettibone (12-inch)
- Studio: Yellow 2, Stockport, May-July 1986
- Single release: 20 October 1986, Factory Records (UK) / Qwest (US)
A chart false start, 1986-1987
UK: Singles Chart #56 - one week in the chart, New Order's worst single result since 1981. US Billboard Hot 100: #98, one week. Billboard Dance Club Songs: #3.
The commercial failure was a shock. The Brotherhood album sold only 300,000 copies worldwide. Factory Records was close to bankruptcy (rescued only by the 1987 compilation Substance).
“Bizarre Love Triangle” earned its classic status, in effect, fifteen years later - when films and TV started using it.
Second life: Sofia Coppola and “Marie Antoinette”
In 2006 Sofia Coppola placed “Bizarre Love Triangle” into the soundtrack of Marie Antoinette (with Kirsten Dunst as the French queen). The track underscores a scene in which Marie Antoinette and her friends dance at a ball, filmed in the style of 80s music video.
Coppola used the original Shep Pettibone 12-inch mix. After the film came out in 2006, the single moved an additional 400,000 copies in Europe and 200,000 in the US. It entered the UK top-40 for the first time - #30 in August 2006 (20 years after the original release).
A small detail: Coppola used four New Order tracks in the Marie Antoinette soundtrack, including “Age of Consent” and “Ceremony”. It was the largest sync placement in the band's history - a $280,000 fee.
Frente! (1994): an acoustic remake
In 1994 the Australian group Frente! recorded an acoustic version of “Bizarre Love Triangle”, sung by Angie Hart, only voice and nylon-string guitar. Their version hit Billboard Hot 100 #54 and Modern Rock Tracks #21 - higher in the US than the original.
Sumner in 1995: “I like that version. Actually, it makes the song lighter. The lyrics sound more moving when a girl sings them with a guitar, than when a bloke sings them with a sampler”.
What to listen for next
New Order hit trajectory: “Blue Monday” (1983) → “Bizarre Love Triangle” (1986) → “True Faith” (1987). Three stages of evolution from dance minimalism to melodic electro-pop.
Shep Pettibone as remixer 1986-1990: “Bizarre Love Triangle” remix (1986) → “Vogue” Madonna (1990) → “Like a Prayer” Madonna remix (1989). Three remixes that redefined club versions of mainstream tracks.