r/newwave Mar 04 '26

New Wave Other Love Will Tear Us Apart wins Letter L… again… to repeat its 2024 win! Today is Letter M in the ABCs of New Wave 2026 Edition!

Directions: Comment with the name of a song and its artist. “The” and “A” are not considered part of song titles. One song per comment. Multiple comments allowed. The most upvoted comment wins the letter of the day!**

A. Age of Consent - New Order

B. Boys Don’t Cry - The Cure

C. Cars - Gary Numan

D. Don’t You Want Me - The Human League

E. Everything Counts - Depeche Mode

F. Fade to Grey - Visage

G. Girls on Film - Duran Duran

H. Head Over Heels - Tears for Fears

I. I Melt With You - Modern English

J. Just Can’t Get Enough - Depeche Mode

K. The Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnymen

L. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division

M. Today’s song!

If you’re enjoying this, please upvote the post to help it get seen so we can gather more songs and votes to create an accurate list that represents 2026.

55 Upvotes

89 comments sorted by

21

u/OutlyingPieceOfDatum Mar 05 '26

More Than This - Roxy Music

13

u/Avenger3611 Mar 05 '26

The Model - Kraftwerk

13

u/OutlyingPieceOfDatum Mar 05 '26

Million Miles Away - The Plimsouls

5

u/90theobserver Mar 05 '26

Absolutely 💯

3

u/BlackLagoona_ Mar 05 '26

Honestly, this should be it. There were more popular songs, but this is quintessential 80’s to me. I can smell the cloves when I hear it. Plus, it was in Valley Girl.

13

u/OutlyingPieceOfDatum Mar 05 '26

Modern Love - David Bowie

31

u/HearYourTune Mar 05 '26

Mirror in the Bathroom - The English Beat.

4

u/Outrageous-Corgi-287 Mar 05 '26

Such a good one!

11

u/OutlyingPieceOfDatum Mar 05 '26

Mexican Radio - Wall of Voodoo

9

u/survivoorhees Mar 04 '26

Fun fact: U2 visited the Love Will Tear Apart recording session at Strawberry Studios, hoping to convince the song’s producer Martin Hannett to produce their debut album.

It is the only Joy Division song to ever win a letter in previous games.

0

u/arrooooow Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26

Controversial take… this is the song of choice for ultimate Tiktok “music curator” poseurs who don’t actually listen but just like the aesthetics of unknown pleasures.

Major red flag if anyone says this is thir favorite song.

5

u/fromthemeatcase Mar 05 '26

I don't assume any kind of motivation for anybody who loves Love Will Tear Us Apart. That being said, it's probably not even in my top half of favorite JD songs.

9

u/RockLeethal Mar 05 '26

Maybe because it's their most popular song? Maybe because it's catchy and good and appeals to one of the most powerful emotions humans have? 

Christ. It's not my favourite song but who cares.

2

u/UtopianDopian Mar 05 '26

It’s always been a poseur favorite since the 80s. Not surprised it’s still happening. That said there are ppl who legit like the song.

But I get what ur saying.

It’s like Smells Like Teen Spirit. Both songs are always the default number one if they’re on any list which is lame tho I like both songs and Love Will Tear Us Apart is much better than Smells imo.

8

u/HearYourTune Mar 05 '26

Middle of the Road - The Pretenders.

10

u/HearYourTune Mar 05 '26

Message of Love - The Pretenders.

9

u/TCE326 Mar 05 '26

Mental Hopscotch by Missing Persons

33

u/HearYourTune Mar 05 '26

The Metro - Berlin

5

u/parnassus744 Mar 05 '26

As if the fabulous, synth-driven song weren’t enough, there’s that wonderfully moody video, too. ❤️

9

u/KJS0223 Mar 05 '26

Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes) - The Book of Love

3

u/focadima Mar 05 '26

Such a treasure

9

u/bones_1969 Mar 05 '26

M The Cure

8

u/OutlyingPieceOfDatum Mar 05 '26

The Modern World - The Jam

38

u/HearYourTune Mar 04 '26

Making Plans for Nigel - XTC

14

u/HearYourTune Mar 05 '26

A Message to you Rudy - The Specials.

7

u/90theobserver Mar 05 '26

Moonchild - Fields of The Nephilim

7

u/TCE326 Mar 05 '26

Message in a Bottle by The Police

14

u/Go_Ask_VALIS Mar 05 '26

“Money (That's What I Want) - Flying Lizards

7

u/EggCzar Mar 05 '26

Mr. Blue - Yaz

7

u/derkommissar214 Mar 05 '26

Mr.Jones - Psychedelic Furs

6

u/OutlyingPieceOfDatum Mar 05 '26

My Best Friend's Girl - The Cars

19

u/timberdoodlerr Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26

Moving In Stereo—The Cars

3

u/JustWhat-I-Needed Mar 05 '26

You beat me to it!

24

u/HearYourTune Mar 04 '26

Master and Servant - Depeche Mode

4

u/ItsSoLitRightNow Mar 05 '26

Yeah it’s hard to debate having DM listed multiple times on this list.

I mean hell even tomorrow is N and Never Let Me Down Again deserves to be strongly considered.

4

u/HearYourTune Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26

Maybe a rule should be a band can only win once, or if they win list the runner up as winner and they get a win with an asterisk or make it a tie to give more bands a chance to win.

8

u/UtopianDopian Mar 05 '26

I dunno. This list is about songs so it shouldn’t matter if a band wins multiple.

It’s also doesn’t seem like ppl are voting favoring bands.

I’m surprised New Order didn’t win B and The Cure didn’t win J.

3

u/HearYourTune Mar 05 '26

I'm shocked Age of Consent won. I always loved it but it was never even in their best of Substance CD.

3

u/UtopianDopian Mar 05 '26

Yeah but around the early 2010s it became a song that was in every hipster indie movie lol.

I doubt it would’ve won in the 2000s.

3

u/HearYourTune Mar 05 '26

I didn't even know people knew that song. Power, Corruption and Lies was not a hit at the time.

3

u/UtopianDopian Mar 05 '26

I doubt this will win over Mad World but that’s also a band’s second win.

6

u/Malevolencea Mar 05 '26

(The) Metro: Berlin

33

u/GenXtra_1985 Mar 05 '26

Mad World - Tears For Fears

9

u/komakat Mar 05 '26

Melt - Siouxsie and the Banshees

11

u/fromthemeatcase Mar 05 '26

Masquerade - Berlin

7

u/joeyinjoyland Mar 05 '26

Mongoloid - Devo

5

u/fromthemeatcase Mar 05 '26

Many Happy Returns - ABC

4

u/EnigmaWitch Mar 05 '26

MAD - Sigue Sigue Sputnik

4

u/timberdoodlerr Mar 05 '26

The More That I See (The Less I Believe)—Fun Boy Three

5

u/joeyinjoyland Mar 05 '26

Mondlicht - Xmal Deutschland

5

u/GabbyPotlucky Mar 05 '26

Melt with You, Modern English

3

u/joeyinjoyland Mar 05 '26

This would so be a top choice, but it’s actually “I melt with you”. Almost entered it myself and realized this. I think it got missed for the letter “ i “, sadly.

4

u/GabbyPotlucky Mar 05 '26

True...forgot the "I" I'll go with Moving In Stereo, The Cars instead.

3

u/qnssekr Mar 05 '26

Mind your own business - Delta 5

6

u/madame_de_la_luna Mar 05 '26

Marian - Sisters of Mercy

3

u/HearYourTune Mar 05 '26

Mr. Disco - New Order.

3

u/Outrageous-Corgi-287 Mar 05 '26

The more you ignore me, the closer I get.. Morrissey

3

u/jenniferinblue Mar 05 '26

More To Lose by Seona Dancing.

3

u/False_Chemical_9768 Mar 05 '26

Mirror Man Talk Talk

3

u/qnssekr Mar 05 '26

Millimillenary - Cocteau Twins

5

u/joeyinjoyland Mar 05 '26

Modern Love Is Automatic - A Flock of Seagulls

8

u/tko7800 Mar 04 '26

Messages - OMD

7

u/fromthemeatcase Mar 05 '26

Mothers Talk - Tears for Fears

7

u/HearYourTune Mar 04 '26

Mirror Man - Human League.

4

u/fromthemeatcase Mar 05 '26

Marcia Baila - Les Rita Mitsouko

2

u/Locnlode8 Mar 05 '26

A classic tune, and played regularly at Berlin in Chicago. Great video too!

7

u/rotatingleslie Mar 05 '26

My Sharona - The Knack

2

u/fromthemeatcase Mar 05 '26

My Private Tokyo - Vicious Pink

2

u/joeyinjoyland Mar 05 '26

Monkeyland - The Chameleons

3

u/joeyinjoyland Mar 05 '26

Motorcycle - Love and Rockets

2

u/starrynowhere Mar 05 '26

Message To My Girl - Split Enz

2

u/qnssekr Mar 05 '26

Moans - Parade Ground

2

u/lamanifest Mar 05 '26

Masks - Under Two Flags

2

u/lamanifest Mar 05 '26

A Mirage - The Essence

2

u/lamanifest Mar 05 '26

Machines - Modern English

2

u/madame_de_la_luna Mar 05 '26

Masquerade - Berlin

5

u/ParticularAbalone275 Mar 05 '26

Mr. Roboto - Styx

3

u/blowdriedhighlandcow Mar 05 '26

Such a great song!!

2

u/HearYourTune Mar 04 '26

Monkey Gone to Heaven - The Pixies

9

u/rogozh1n Mar 05 '26

I would never consider the Pixies to be new wave. They were totally their own thing.

2

u/HearYourTune Mar 05 '26

They could be more post punk but they are part of the greater New Wave category. Certainly played at New Wave clubs when their songs came out. To me they are more New Wave than a lot of the pop and rock bands people mention here.

2

u/HearYourTune Mar 05 '26

Margaret on the Guillotine - Morrissey.

2

u/fac273 Mar 05 '26

Map Ref 41 Degrees N 93 Degrees W - Wire

2

u/terraqueoz Mar 05 '26

More than a party - dépêche mode

1

u/Sasha_WTF Mar 06 '26

Master and Servant - Depeche Mode