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 359 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history

Listen on Spotify SPOTIFY
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:


Product Details
Availability

eBay
eBay
Audio CD A Means To An End The Music Of Joy Division Album *PROMO Virgin 1995
Condition: Very Good


eBay
eBay
A Means to an End: The Music of Joy Division CD 1995 | Tribute Compilation |...
Condition: Very Good


eBay
eBay
Used Music Audio CD A Means To An End The Music Of Joy Division Album *PROMO
Condition: Good


  My favourite store:  

Upcoming concerts

Mar
14
Sat
Rainbow Kitten Surprise: bones North American Tour
The Met Presented by Highmark, Philadelphia, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Apr
16
Thu
Jarv x RDGLDGRN
The Echo, Los Angeles, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Apr
21
Tue
Strings & Heart - Plastic Wine Tour Pt. III 
The Foundry, Philadelphia, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 

Listen to A Means To An End on YouTube

Loading content from YouTube...

A Means To An End ratings

Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 359 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 359 ratings for this track.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberTrack ratingsAvg. track rating
 
85/100
 
3 days ago Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  80,77470/100
 
85/100
 
02/26/2026 06:56 zsolti  Ratings distribution  6,99380/100
 
90/100
 
02/07/2026 09:19 mash  Ratings distribution  4,35292/100
 
100/100
 
10/19/2025 19:06 Rayzer6  Ratings distribution  19,01089/100
 
90/100
 
10/13/2025 22:56 Superunknown  Ratings distribution  50786/100

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 83.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 84.4/100. The standard deviation for this track is 13.1.

Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating

A Means To An End favourites

Showing all 14 members who have added this track as a favourite

A Means To An End comments

Showing all 3 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

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)
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment

Your feedback for A Means To An End

Anonymous
Let us know what you think of this track by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
Log in or register to assign a rating or leave a comment for this track.
Back to Top