A Means To An End (track)
by Joy Division

A Means To An End by Joy Division
Year: 1980
From the album Closer (track #5)
Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 362 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history

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Closer (9 tracks) « Previous track (#4)
Colony
This track (#5)
A Means To An End
Next track (#6) »
Heart And Soul

A Means To An End appears on the following album(s) by Joy Division:


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A Means To An End ratings

Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 362 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this track.  | Show all 362 ratings for this track.

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RatingDate updatedMemberTrack ratingsAvg. track rating
 
70/100
 !
07/12/2026 08:33 Siromynian  Ratings distribution  18,08771/100
 
85/100
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07/07/2026 21:08 serpico  Ratings distribution  3,68590/100
 
95/100
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06/15/2026 18:15 matterhornrider  Ratings distribution  23,12386/100
 
90/100
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05/14/2026 15:27 swed  Ratings distribution  3,70288/100
 
65/100
 !
05/02/2026 15:51 Musicbuff123  Ratings distribution  60571/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)

This track is rated in the top 2% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 84.2/100, a mean average of 83.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 84.4/100. The standard deviation for this track is 13.2.


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A Means To An End favourites

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A Means To An End comments

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Rating:  
90/100
From 06/20/2022 17:03 | #286550
Another outstanding track as this album runs along.

What I love about this song in particular is the role the drums and especially their sound plays. The drumming itself is poppy and provides an upbeat feel, but the production masks and muddies it creating the feel of churning engine or as I hear it muffled breathing in the hi hat stabs.

That drumming is also reflecting the lyrical theme of a failed.. something or anything. As the song ends, the drums crap out like a machine finally giving out.

Out. Fucking. Standing.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 05/25/2019 11:26 | #236713
One of the most underrated joy division tune to me. The riff is amazing.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 08/30/2016 01:31 | #173756
Underrated Joy Division song. As much as I enjoy hearing Ian say "I put my trust in you", the true highlight of this song is Hooky's bassline.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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