based on "designed for living", commercial slogan of american car company ford, and on ''an ideal for living', title of joy division's 1978 ep. It is also the title of a biography of Joy Division, by Mark Johnson, called 'An Ideal For Living: A History Of Joy Division'.joy division was Originally known as Warsaw, and comprised Ian Curtis (vocals), Bernard Dicken/Albrecht (guitar and vocals), Peter Hook (bass) and Steven Morris (drums). Borrowing their name from the prostitution wing of a concentration camp, Joy Division emerged in 1978 as one of the most important bands of their era. After recording a regionally available EP, An Ideal For Living, they made their debut, Unknown Pleasures. By the time of their single 'Transmission',the quartet had already established a strong cult following, which increased after each gig. Much of the attention centred on the charismatic Curtis, who was renowned for his neurotic choreography. By the autumn of 1979, however, Curtis' performances were drawing attention for a more serious reason. On more than one occasion, he suffered an epileptic seizure and blackouts onstage, and the illness seemed to worsen with the band's increasingly demanding live schedule. On 18 May 1980, the eve of Joy Division's proposed visit to America, Ian Curtis was found hanged. The verdict was suicide. A note was allegedly found bearing the words: "At this moment I wish I were dead. I just can't cope anymore".
Their posthumously released album Closer had enormous succes. The following year, a double album, Still, collected the remainder of the band's material, most of it in primitive form. Within months of the Curtis tragedy, the remaining members sought a fresh start as New Order.the song a design for life IS a reaction against the suspicious death of WORKING CLASs values. although some lyrics are ironic ('we don't talk about love / we just wanna get drunk'), most of them are serious and talk about emancipation of the working class and of being proud BELONGING TO it ('i wish i had a bottle / right here in my dirty face / to wear the scars / to show from where i came').
