"Crystal" is a song by English rock band New Order. The song was released on 11 July 2001 as the first single from their seventh studio album, Get Ready (2001). "Crystal" entered the UK Singles Chart at number eight, attracting considerable attention and critical praise as the band's comeback single, their first original since 1993. The song also found success internationally, peaking at number three in Canada, number seven in Finland, and reaching the top 50 in Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Sweden. "Crystal" appears as the first track on the album in a version different from the single release, with an extended intro and coda.
Release
Singer-guitarist Bernard Sumner originally gave the song to German record label Mastermind for Success, and it was recorded by label artist Corvin Dalek. However, DJ Pete Tong heard the song and declared it to be the best New Order single since "Blue Monday", leading Sumner to reconsider the gift and have New Order record and release it.
A version of the single was also released in Japan to promote the release of the New Order DVD 316, and has a different cover that resembles the 316 cover. B-sides for the single were 4 live audio tracks taken from the DVD. The single was B-sided by a variety of remixes, and an original song titled "Behind Closed Doors", which was produced by Arthur Baker. All versions feature extensive backing vocals from Dawn Zee, mostly wordless. Zee has continued to perform with New Order on all their successive studio albums.
After the song was released, a remix contest was held in which there were thousands of entries around the world.
Critical reception
Joe Tangari of Pitchfork called the song as "possibly one of New Order's best singles". Drowned in Sound rated it a 9/10 and described it as "fantastic" and the "confident, strutting return of a band that knows that the music industry has missed it." Stereogum placed the song at number ten in the list of their top ten best New Order songs.
Promotion
The main music video, set to the album version, was directed by Johan Renck, produced by Nicola Doring through London production company Jane Fuller Associates and cinematographed by Fredrik Callinggård. It does not feature New Order; instead, it depicts a younger band miming to New Order's music and words. At the end, a large number of people come on stage to pull them off-stage.
The DVD single contains an alternate music video, set to the "Special Circumstances Mix (Digweed & Muir Bedrock Radio Edit)" of the song. Directed and produced by Gina Birch and Simon Tyszko,
The cover art for the CD and DVD shows actress and model Nicolette Krebitz with her trousers below her knees.
Legacy
The fictional band seen in the song's music video is named "The Killers". This would inspire the name of American rock band the Killers, who would also lift a number of elements of the set layout in the "Crystal" video for their own video "Somebody Told Me".
In 2005, at Scotland's T in the Park festival, New Order performed the song with the Killers' frontman, Brandon Flowers, singing the main vocals in a guest performance. In 2013, at a gig in Manchester, Bernard Sumner joined the Killers onstage to perform the song.
| title1 = Crystal
| length1 = 4:19
| title2 = Behind Closed Doors
| length2 = 5:24
| title3 = Crystal
| note3 = Digweed & Muir 'Bedrock' mix edit) (remixed by John Digweed and Nick Muir
| length3 = 10:06
- Numerous "Crystal" 12-inch records were released, with the Bedrock, Lee Coombs and John Creamer & Stephane K remixes each released on individual 12-inch singles.
Charts
Weekly charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Weekly chart performance for "Crystal"
!Chart (2001)
!Peak<br/>position
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)
|3
|-
!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)
|35
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Ireland Dance (IRMA)
|10
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+2001 year-end chart performance for "Crystal"
!scope="col"|Chart (2001)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)
|65
|-
!scope="row"|US Dance Club Play (Billboard)
|10
|}
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+2002 year-end chart performance for "Crystal"
!scope="col"|Chart (2002)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)
|160
|}
Release history
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Release dates and formats for "Crystal"
!scope="col"|Region
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Format(s)
!scope="col"|Label(s)
!scope="col"|
|-
!scope="row"|Japan
|11 July 2001
|CD
|rowspan="2"|London
|align="center"|
|-
!scope="row"|United Kingdom
|13 August 2001
|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope="row"|Australia
|20 August 2001
|CD
|
|align="center"|
|-
!scope="row"|United States
|28 August 2001
|
|Reprise
|align="center"|
|-
!scope="row"|Japan
|24 October 2001
|DVD
|London
|align="center"|
|-
!scope="row"|United States
|5 November 2001
|Hot adult contemporary radio
|Reprise
|align="center"|
|}