This week, EHS Daily Advisor wrote about the hierarchy of controls, which companies and regulatory agencies have used to determine how they should implement workplace safety solutions. That inspired us to go back to 1979 for the Song of the Week, a post-punk classic from Joy Division called “She’s Lost Control.”
Released on the band’s debut album Unknown Pleasures, the song was written about a woman experiencing a violent epileptic seizure. Singer Ian Curtis, who also suffered from epilepsy himself, met the woman at his day job and later learned that she had died after a seizure.
The song was released as a single but didn’t do much on the charts. Joy Division recorded its second album, Closer, in 1980, and was about to leave on its first North American tour when Curtis committed suicide. The first single from the album, “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” was an instant U.K. hit and the band’s driving and dramatic sound inspired numerous acts including U2 and the Cure. The surviving members of Joy Division went on to form New Order and built a successful career. But those original Joy Division records remain beloved to this day.