"Love Will Tear Us Apart" is a song by English rock band Joy Division, released on June 27, 1980 as a non-album single.

Its lyrics were inspired by lead singer Ian Curtis's marital problems and struggles with epilepsy.

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" was written about Ian Curtis' troubled relationship with his wife, Deborah Woodruff, whom he married in August 1975.

Additionally, it deals with his own struggles with epilepsy, which he was diagnosed with in 1979, and the overwhelming stress of holding down a day job and his growing career as a singer.

Joy Division heard the track being played and asked founding member Frank Ewart permission to adapt it.

[12][13] Joy Division first recorded "Love Will Tear Us Apart" at Pennine Studios, Oldham, on 8 January 1980, along with the B-side, "These Days".

However, singer Ian Curtis and producer Martin Hannett disliked the results and the band reconvened in March at Strawberry Studios, Stockport (where the Neil Sedaka song "Love Will Keep Us Together" had been recorded in 1973)[11] to re-record it.

[11] Drummer Stephen Morris recalled: Martin Hannett played one of his mind games when we were recording it – it sounds like he was a tyrant, but he wasn't, he was nice.

[15] While Curtis generally did not play guitar, to perform the song live, the band taught him how to strum a D major chord.

[23] For the 12" version of the single, a photograph of a grieving angel on the Ribaudo family tomb in Genoa's Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno (sculpted by Onorato Toso c. 1910) was used.

When being interviewed for New Order Story, Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys stated that "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was his favourite pop song of all time.

At Christmas 2011, listeners of Dublin's Phantom FM voted "Love Will Tear Us Apart" as their favourite song of all time.

Serbian rock musician, journalist and writer Dejan Cukić wrote about "Love Will Tear Us Apart" as one of the 45 songs that changed history of popular music in his 2007 book 45 obrtaja: Priče o pesmama.

[33] Following Curtis's suicide, his wife Deborah had the phrase "Love Will Tear Us Apart" inscribed on his memorial stone.

[50][51] In May 2005, ambient dance duo Honeyroot reached number 70 on the UK Singles Chart in May 2005 with their cover.

[53] In 2021, English producer and member of the electronic band Faithless, Rollo Armstrong (under the alias R Plus) released a cover version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart", featuring vocals from Amelia Fox.

[54][55] On December 24, 2023, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds released a demo version of their more poppy sounding cover of the Joy Division track.

[56] In November 2024, PJ Harvey released a cover of the song for Apple TV+ series Bad Sisters.