Sung in the perspective of a murdered victim, “1963” chronicles a man murdering his spouse to be with another woman, only to be wracked with guilt over his crime.

In the book New Order: Music 1981-1989, frontman Bernard Sumner writes:

“1963” is the year J.F.K was S.H.O.T and my theory is that he actually arranged for the gunman, “Lee Harvey Oswald” to shoot his wife, Mrs[.] K. so that J.F. could do one with M. Monroe who commi[t]ted suicide when she found out “Oswald” had hit the wrong target. Oswald was later shot by his boss (don[‘]t know his name) for doing such a bad job and causing his hitman business to go bust.