Warsaw (song)
"Warsaw" | ||||
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Song by Joy Division from the album An Ideal for Living | ||||
Released | 3 June 1978 | |||
Recorded | ||||
Genre | Punk rock | |||
Length | 2:25 | |||
Label |
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Writer(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Joy Division | |||
ISWC | T-010.312.511-6 | |||
An Ideal for Living track listing | ||||
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"Warsaw" is the opening song by Joy Division on their An Ideal for Living EP. It was slated for release on the album that became Warsaw, which was originally scrapped by the band and not released until 1994. The song is available on a number of compilations including Substance. The song appears to be a lyrical biography of Rudolf Hess, a Nazi and Hitler's confidante, an Anglophile who became disillusioned with the war against Great Britain and fled to Scotland in an attempt to draw peace between the Axis and the Allies.
It starts with the lyrics "3 5 0 1 2 5 Go!" "31G-350125" was Hess's prisoner of war serial number when he was captured having flown to Eaglesham during World War II. The first verse then describes Hess's involvement with Hitler in the Beer Hall Putsch and infatuation with the Nazi Party. The second verse describes his disillusionment and estrangement from Hitler's inner circle. The last verse discusses his last days in prison after fleeing to Scotland to make peace for the Nazi Party. The chorus is a simple repetition of "31G", being the first three characters of his serial number. "31" signifies the European theatre of war and "G" German, the nationality of the prisoner.
It is featured in the video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2.