Unexpected Favourite

I first heard Public Image Ltd. in my early teens, I have vivid memories listening to John Lydon’s signature vocals during cold Adelaide winter evenings, reading 2000AD by a gas fire.

Fast forward a few short years and I discovered the movie Hardware, the cult cyberpunk horror film became an instant favourite and featured the PiL track The Order of Death from the album This is What You Want… This Is What You Get. This is a dark song originally conceived for the score to the 1983 Italian thriller Copkiller (alternatively titled The Order of Death) starring Harvey Keitel and John Lyon in the lead roles. The alternative title lending its name to the track.

The song it self has been a part of film and television soundtracks multiple times, including the previously mentioned Hardware, The Blair Witch Project, episode eps2.7_init_5.fve of the series Mr.Robot, an episode of the Netflix adaptation of Gerard Way’s Umbrella Academy and even an episode of the 80’s classic television series Miami Vice. It’s a song that seems to drift in and out of my aural field with an almost other-worldly regularity, however this isn’t a huge surprise as it carries a subtly pervasive energy that allows it to burrow into your subconscious, lying in wait to emerge at any unexpected future time.

Lydon’s mesmerising chanting lyrics drift above and below a mechanically precise drum beat and entwine with synth and guitar lines to create an almost ritualistic energy. It’s consumingly atmospheric and sticks in your head better than any pop jingle I could ever think of.

I was listening to the track again today on a generated Spotify playlist and felt compelled to write this post. Public Image Ltd. are definitely one of my all time favourite bands, but I have to admit that The Order of Death is unexpectedly in my top 20 songs of all time, if not an even shorter list and I’d never even realised.

The Trailer for 1983’s Copkiller (aka The Order of Death)

And for anybody interested, check out the trailer for Hardware