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. ' Sunday Bloody Sunday' is a song by Irish band. It is the opening track from their 1983 album and was released as the album's third single on 11 March 1983 in and the. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' is noted for its militaristic drumbeat, harsh guitar, and melodic harmonies. One of U2's most overtly political songs, its lyrics describe the horror felt by an observer of in, mainly focusing on the incident in where British troops shot and killed unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders.
At the same time, the lyrics reject hate and revenge as a response, as noted in the line 'There's many lost, but tell me who has won.' Along with ',' the song helped U2 reach a wider listening audience. It was generally well received by critics on the album's release. The song has remained a staple of U2's live concerts. During its earliest performances, the song created controversy. Lead singer reasserted the song's anti-sectarian-violence message to his audience for many years.
Today, it is considered one of U2's, and is one of the band's most performed tracks. Critics rate it among the best political, and it has been by over a dozen artists. It was named the 272nd-greatest song by on their list of '.' Contents. Writing and recording 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' grew from a guitar riff and lyric written by in 1982.
While newlyweds and honeymooned in, the Edge worked in Ireland on music for the band's upcoming album. Following an argument with his girlfriend, and a period of doubt in his own song-writing abilities, the Edge—'feeling depressed. Channelled his fear and frustration and self-loathing into a piece of music.'
This early draft did not yet have a title or chorus melody, but did contain a structural outline and theme. After Bono had reworked the lyrics, the band recorded the song at in Dublin. During the sessions, producer encouraged drummer to use a, but Mullen was firmly against the idea. A chance meeting with (of ) – a drummer who used a click track religiously – changed Mullen's mind.
The opening drum pattern soon developed into the song's hook. A local violinist, approached the Edge one morning at a bus stop and asked if U2 had any need for a violin on their next album. In the studio for only half a day, Wickham's electric violin became the final instrumental contribution to the song. The direct impetus for the lyrics was an encounter with supporters in.
As a promotional gimmick, U2 manager had made arrangements for the band to appear in the 1982. However, he later found that there was a possibility that, an IRA hunger striker who had starved to death the previous year, would be the parade's honorary marshal. As they felt that the IRA's tactics were prolonging the fighting in Northern Ireland, McGuinness and the band members mutually decided they should withdraw from the parade. McGuinness met with one of the parade's organizers in a New York bar to arrange the cancellation, and ended up in a heated debate about the IRA. McGuinness recalled, 'He kept telling me to keep my voice down. The place was full of New York policemen - Irish cops - and he thought I was going to get us killed.'
Drummer Mullen said of the song in 1983: 'We're into the politics of people, we're not into politics. Like you talk about Northern Ireland, 'Sunday Bloody Sunday,' people sort of think, 'Oh, that time when 13 Catholics were shot by British soldiers'; that's not what the song is about. That's an incident, the most famous incident in Northern Ireland and it's the strongest way of saying, 'How long? How long do we have to put up with this?' I don't care who's who – Catholics, Protestants, whatever.
You know people are dying every single day through bitterness and hate, and we're saying why? What's the point?
And you can move that into places like El Salvador and other similar situations – people dying. Let's forget the politics, let's stop shooting each other and sit around the table and talk about it. There are a lot of bands taking sides saying politics is crap, etc. Well, so what!
The real battle is people dying, that's the real battle.' Composition. This two- guitar is repeated often throughout 'Sunday Bloody Sunday.' 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' is played at a of 103 beats per minute in a 4/4. The song opens with a militaristic drumbeat and part; the aggressive rhythm closely resembles a beat used to keep a in step.
The distinctive drum sound was achieved by recording Mullen's drumwork at the base of a staircase, producing a more natural. It is followed by 's repeating (see notation at left). The riff, which follows a –– 6 chord progression, establishes the territory of the piece.
As the song progresses, the lyrics and guitar become more furious. The guitar riff has been described as the 'bone-crushing arena-rock riff of the decade'. A kick on every beat provides the musical foundation until the first chorus, when 's bass guitar enters. In contrast to the violent nature of the verses, the emergence of creates a feeling of hope during Bono's 'How long, how long must we sing this song?' During the chorus, the Edge's backing vocals further develop this tread, using a harmonic imitative echo.
The snare drum is absent from this section, and the guitar parts are muted. This part of the song deviates musically from the raw aggression seen in the song's verses and gives the song a more uplifting structure. Bono once commented that 'love is.a central theme' of 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' The band have said the lyrics refer to the events of both Bloody Sunday in 1972 and in 1920, but are not specifically about either event.
The song takes the standpoint of someone horrified by the cycle of violence in the province. Bono rewrote the Edge's initial lyrics, attempting to contrast the two events with, but he has said that the band were too inexperienced at the time to fully realise that goal, noting that 'it was a song whose eloquence lay in its harmonic power rather than its verbal strength.'
Early versions opened with the line 'Don't talk to me about the rights of the,.' U2's bassist, recalls that better judgment led to the removal of such a politically charged line, and that the song's 'viewpoint became very humane and non-sectarian.which, is the only responsible position.' The chosen opening line, 'I can't believe the news today' crystallises the prevailing response, especially among young people, to the violence in Northern Ireland during the 1970s and 1980s. In successive stanzas, the lyrics paraphrase religious text from ('mother's children; brothers, sisters torn apart') and bring a twist to ('we eat and drink while tomorrow they die', instead of 'let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die').
The song finishes with a call for the Irish to stop fighting each other, and 'claim the victory Jesus won.on a Sunday bloody Sunday.' Reception U2 were aware when they decided to record 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' that its lyrics could be misinterpreted as, and possibly place them in danger.
Some of the Edge's original lyrics explicitly spoke out against violent rebels, but were omitted to protect the group. Even without these lyrics, some listeners still considered it to be a —even one which glorifies the events of the two Bloody Sundays to which the lyrics refer.
Commercially, the single had its biggest impact in the Netherlands, where it reached number 3 on the national charts. In the US, the song gained significant radio airplay, and together with the earlier 'New Year's Day' helped expose U2 to a mainstream American rock audience. Critical reception to the song was positive. In the Irish magazine, Liam Mackey wrote that 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' 'takes the widescreen view.a powerful riff and machine-gun drumming is crisscrossed by skipping violin.' Commented for that Mullen's opening drumwork 'helps set the tone for the unforgiving, take-no-prisoners feel of the song, as well as for the rest of the album.' In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' 272nd on its list of '.'
In 2006, named 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' the 18th-greatest song of the 1980s. The staff of the selected 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' as one of. The listed it as one of the Top 20 Political Songs, and similarly, named it one of the Top 10 Protest Songs. Live performances 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' has been performed more than 600 times by U2. It was first heard by a live audience in December 1982 in Glasgow, Scotland, on a twenty-one show 'Pre.' The band were particularly nervous about playing the song in, Northern Ireland. Introducing the song there at the Maysfield Leisure Centre, Bono stated 'It's not a rebel song.'
, attempted to further clarify this point by reciting the entire second verse ('Broken bottles under children's feet.' ), and added as a final note, 'If you don't like it, you let us know.' The crowd overwhelmingly enjoyed the song; the Edge recalls that 'the place went nuts, it drew a really positive reaction.' , also saying that 'We thought a lot about the song before we played it in Belfast and Bono told the audience that if they didn't like it then we'd never play it again.
Out of the 3,000 people in the hall about three walked out. I think that says a lot about the audience's trust in us.' The band remained apprehensive, however. Even by the song's sixth performance, Bono was introducing the song with the statement 'This song is not a rebel song.'
Throughout 1983's War Tour, Bono continued to reassure audiences that 'This song is not a rebel song, this song is 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' highlighting the non- intentions of the lyrics. The live performances on this tour featured a routine during which Bono would set a in the front of the stage while the band three chords—B minor, D major, and G major. (though the band traditionally tune their instruments down a half step so the chords are B flat minor, D flat and G Flat). As the band vamped, Bono would sing 'no more!'
With the audience. These performances were highly effective with U2's audience (at the time, U2 were most popular as a act). Live performances of the song subsequently appeared on their 1983 live album and their concert film.
In the of 1984 and 1985, 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' continued to be a prominent midpoint of each U2 concert—as did the 'no more!' Along with a performance of ',' the song was performed at in July 1985. As U2 reached new levels of fame in 1987 with, 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' continued to be a focal point of concerts. Some performances featured slower, more contemplative versions of the song; other concerts saw the wilder, more violent version. This tour marked the first time 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' was played in since 1982, and it has not been performed there since. The 1988 includes a particularly renowned version of the song, recorded on 8 November 1987 at in. On this version Bono's mid-song rant angrily and emphatically condemns the that had occurred earlier that same day in the Northern Irish town of: “ And let me tell you somethin'.
I've had enough of Irish Americans who haven't been back to their country in twenty or thirty years come up to me and talk about the resistance, the revolution back home.and the glory of the revolution.and the glory of dying for the revolution. Fuck the revolution! They don't talk about the glory of killing for the revolution. What's the glory in taking a man from his bed and gunning him down in front of his wife and his children?
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Where's the glory in that? Where's the glory in bombing a Remembrance Day parade of old age pensioners, their medals taken out and polished up for the day. Where's the glory in that? To leave them dying or crippled for life or dead under the rubble of a revolution that the majority of the people in my country don't want.
This concert in Mexico City in February 2006 depicts the elaborate stage effects used for 'Sunday Bloody Sunday.' After the Joshua Tree Tour, Bono was heard saying the band might never play the song again, because the song was 'made real' with the performance in Denver, and it could never be matched again. Following their original intent, 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' was not played during any of the forty-seven shows on the in 1989. The song reappeared for a brief period during the, and late during the second half of (1997–1998), U2 played an emotional concert in war-ravaged that included a solo performance of the song.
'Sunday Bloody Sunday' was subsequently played live in this style until the end of the tour in March 1998. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' was played at every concert on the 2001 and 2005–2006 tours. Performances in 2001 frequently included parts of 's ' and 'Johnny Was'.
A memorable mid-song message referencing the of 1998 ('Turn this song into a prayer!' ) is captured on the live DVD. In concerts in New York City after the, the 'no more!' Interlude was replaced by Bono holding an. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' was used during the Vertigo Tour of 2005 and 2006, often alongside ' and 'Love and Peace or Else' as a trio of politically driven songs performed during the middle part of the band's set. Bono extended the 'no more!'
Interlude to explain a headband he had donned in the previous song. The headband depicted the word 'coexist' (written to depict a, a, and a ). The Coexist symbol is trademarked in the United States by an in, and the original artwork was created in 2001 by a Polish artist. As with the 2001 shows, the Vertigo tour saw the song applied to subjects further afield than The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
During 2006 Australian shows, in Brisbane, Bono asked for Australian Terrorism suspect to be brought home and tried under Australian laws. In subsequent Australian concerts he dedicated the song to the victims of the – where 88 of the fatalities were Australians – saying 'This is your song now!' The song was also performed at every concert on the, paying tribute to the on each occasion by projecting scenes from the protests and writing in green on the video screen. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' has been played as the opening song at shows on.
Music video. This performance in June 1983 from the concert film U2 Live at Red Rocks was later released as the song's music video. Although a promotional music video had not been produced for the original release, the band used footage from a 5 June 1983 live performance filmed for the to promote the song. Directed by Gavin Taylor, the video displays Bono's use of a during performances of the song.
The video highlights the intensity and emotion felt by many audience members during U2's concerts, while the rainy, torch-lit setting in 's further adds to the atmosphere. In 2004, Rolling Stone cited the performance as one '50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll' and noted that 'the sight of Bono singing the anti-violence anthem 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' while waving a white flag through crimson mist (created by a combination of wet weather, hot lights and the illumination of those crags) became the defining image of U2's warrior-rock spirit and—shown in heavy rotation on MTV—broke the band nationwide.' Other releases The album version of 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' was originally included on, but it can also be heard on a number of promotional releases, including the compilations and. Several live versions have been released; the video available on Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky is from a performance at in June 1983, but the version on the live album Under a Blood Red Sky is from a performance on August 20th, 1983 during the Rockpalast Open Air music festival at the, (West).
Audio from the concert of 1997 is featured as a b-side on 1997's single '.' The song also appears on Rattle and Hum, and in the closing credits of the 2002 TV film. The only concert films that 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' does not appear on are and. In popular culture. This article appears to contain references to. Please to explain the subject's impact on popular culture rather than simply listing appearances; to if possible.
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2017) The song appears in the closing credits of the 2002 biopic. It is the subject of conversation in the episode 'To Kill a Mocking Alan', where he feels it 'really encapsulates the frustration of a Sunday.'
Before being told by executives (played by and ) the real meaning of the song. In 2007, covered 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' in a medley with ' for an NAACP dinner honouring Bono.
While the band played the song, rapped lines from the band's own 'False Media' and bits of 's 'War'. In 2008, sampled 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' in a version of 'Heart of the City' performed at the. During a version of 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' performed by the band at the 2009, Jay-Z improvised lyrics over the breakdown in the song before including a snippet of '.'
Formats and track listings 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' was commercially released throughout most of Europe in support of U2's album. Its cover art is the same as that of ',' except on the release. The on the single, 'Endless Deep,' is one of the few U2 songs that features bassist singing. 7' German and Netherlands release No.
Title Length 1. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' 4:34 2. 'Endless Deep' 2:58 7' alternate release No. Title Length 1. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' 4:34 2. 'Two Hearts Beat as One' (7' edit) 3:52 7' Japanese release No.
Title Length 1. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' 4:34 2. ' 4:03 12' and Austrian CD release No. Title Length 1. 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' 4:34 2. 'Two Hearts Beat as One' (U.S.
Remix) 5:40 3. 'New Year's Day' (U.S. Remix) 4:30 Personnel.
– lead vocals. – guitar, backing vocals. – bass guitar.
– drums. – electric violin Charts. Sams, Aaron; Kantas, Harry. Retrieved 1 Apr 2016. Gimarc, George (1997). Post Punk Diary: 1980–1982.
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VH1 Editors (2004). (Television series).
VH1 television. U2Wanderer.org. Retrieved 22 October 2006. ^ McCormick (2006), pp.
135–139. ^ Henke, James (June 9, 1983). 'Blessed Are the Peacemakers'. (397): 11–14.
1 April 1983. Retrieved 6 November 2007. ^ Commercial sheet music for 'Sunday Bloody Sunday.' Universal-Polygram International Music Publishing. Distributed by Hal Leonard Publishing. Retrieved 12 December 2006. Connelly, Christopher (19 January 1984).
Archived from on 19 April 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2010. Lozaw, Tristam (1 June 1984). Retrieved 22 October 2006. U2, Rona Elliot (interviewer) (11 September 1987). (Online download).
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^ ' (in Dutch). (Special collectors edition). '80 Best Records of the '80s'. Archived from on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
Smith, Ian K (25 March 2010). Retrieved 25 March 2010. Silver, Alexandra (14 December 2011). Retrieved 11 June 2014. McCormick (2006), p. 179. de la Parra (1995).
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RCA / Columbia Video. Chatterton (2001). ^ U2, Phil Joanou (director) (1999). Mackey, Liam (1 December 1998).
Retrieved 22 October 2006. Guzman, Isaac (26 October 2001). 'No Bombast, but U2 Bands Together with N.Y'.
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Island / Interscope Video. Hutchinson, Kevin. Retrieved 16 December 2006. (in Polish). Archived from on 6 July 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2006. Edith Bowman.
London, England. 19 August 2009. 35:30 minutes in.
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. ' Released: 6 September 2017 ( 2017-09-06). 'Get Out of Your Own Way' Released: 19 December 2017 ( 2017-12-19) Songs of Experience is the fourteenth by Irish band. Released on 1 December 2017, it was produced by and with, Jolyon Thomas, and Declan Gaffney. The album is intended to be a to U2's previous record, (2014).
Whereas its predecessor explored the group members' adolescence in Ireland in the 1970s, Songs of Experience thematically is a collection of letters written by lead vocalist to people and places closest to his heart. Songs of Experience was first conceived during the Songs of Innocence sessions and initially started with Bono writing songs while recuperating from a serious November 2014 bicycle accident. U2 began work on the album in earnest during the 2015, with the band members individually collaborating with the producers while on the road. The sessions continued into 2016 and mostly wrapped up by the end of the year. The group had planned to release the album in the fourth quarter, but after the shift of global politics in a direction, highlighted by the UK's and the, they chose to put the record on hold and reassess its tone. With the extra time, U2 re-recorded many of the songs as a group while and exploring different production techniques. Bono rewrote his lyrics to reflect the political climate as well as a 'brush with mortality' that he experienced in late 2016.
The album was ultimately completed during. Compared to Songs of Innocence 's pervasive no-cost release through the, promotion for Songs of Experience was more understated, using several postal mail letters to fans to tease the album prior to its release. The record received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom believed it tread old ground for the band. Due in part to bundling with ticket purchases for the 2018 Experience + Innocence Tour, the album debuted at number one in the United States, making U2 the first group to top the country's chart in four consecutive decades.
In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number five. Contents. Background On 9 September 2014, U2 announced their thirteenth studio album, at an product launch event, and released it digitally the same day to all customers at no cost. The release made the album available to over 500 million iTunes customers in what Apple CEO called 'the largest album release of all time.' Apple reportedly paid and U2 a lump sum for a five-week exclusivity period in which to distribute the album and spent US$100 million on a promotional campaign. Produced by with, Declan Gaffney, and, Songs of Innocence recalls the group members' youth in Ireland, touching on childhood experiences, loves and losses, while paying tribute to their musical inspirations. Lead vocalist described it as 'the most personal album we've written'.
The record received mixed reviews and drew criticism for its digital release strategy; it was automatically added to users' iTunes libraries, which for many, triggered an unprompted download to their electronic devices. Chris Richards of called the release 'rock-and-roll as dystopian junk mail'. Within a few hours of Songs of Innocence 's release, Bono posted a note on U2's website indicating a companion release would follow: 'If you like Songs of Innocence, stay with us for Songs of Experience. It should be ready soon enough. Although I know I've said that before.'
U2 embarked on the in May 2015, visiting arenas in North America and Europe from May through December. The band originally began the tour with the intent to stage it in two phases, one with material primarily taken from Songs of Innocence and one with material that would eventually be from Songs of Experience.
The group structured their concerts around a loose autobiographical narrative of 'innocence' passing into 'experience', with a fixed set of songs for the first half of each show and a varying second half, separated by an intermission—a first for U2 concerts. The stage spanned the length of the venue floor and comprised three sections: a rectangular main stage, a smaller circular, and a connecting walkway.
The centerpiece of the set was a 96-foot-long (29 m) double-sided video screen that featured an interior catwalk, allowing the band members to perform amidst the video projections. U2's sound system was moved to the venue ceilings and arranged in an oval array, in hopes of improving acoustics by evenly distributing sound throughout the arena.
In total, the tour grossed US$152.2 million from 1.29 million tickets sold. Writing and recording According to guitarist, the band realised early during the Songs of Innocence sessions that they were working on what would become two separate albums.
In a 12 October 2014 interview with, Bono recited lyrics to an in-progress song called 'The Morning After Innocence' (which later became 'The Little Things That Give You Away'), in which the song's protagonist asks his younger self for help. On 16 November 2014, Bono was injured in a 'high energy bicycle accident' in in New York City. He suffered fractures of his shoulder blade, and pinky finger, requiring five hours of surgery at /'s Emergency Department. Bono said he was uncertain that he would ever be able to play guitar again. During his recuperation, he wrote new songs, sometimes using another guitarist to play chords he was unable to. Bono said his accident benefited the album, explaining, 'The gift of it was that I had time to write while in the mentality that you get to at the end of an album.'
The Edge said, 'At the very end of an album you're at the height of your powers in terms of writing, arranging and performing. It's a shame that you have to stop then and start the other phase of what we do, which is playing live. This time we haven't really stopped. Bono is trying to capitalize on that momentum and that sharpness.'
While touring with his electronic music duo in Russia, musician received an offer to produce for U2. The following week, he flew to to join the group for what he described as a 'two-week tryout'.
Barlow was surprised by how receptive the band members were to his ideas and how quickly they trusted him, particularly Bono. After the session in Monaco, Barlow was asked to join the group in Vancouver for six weeks from April–May 2015 for another trial period as they rehearsed for the Innocence + Experience Tour at the. Producer Jolyon Thomas also joined them as the band used a mobile recording studio.
Among the in-progress songs previewed to during rehearsals were 'Red Flag Day', 'Civilisation', and 'Instrument Flying'. Prior to the tour's opening show on 14 May, the Edge said it was possible that the group would finish the album by the end of the year: 'I guess it really depends whether we feel it is worth pushing for within the ten weeks that we have at the end of this tour.'
Comparing the group's in-progress material to their 1993 album, which was completed between legs of their, the Edge said the Songs of Experience songs were 'a lot more developed'. After his time with the group in Vancouver, Barlow was officially given the job of producer.
The group continued to work on the album in their free time on tour. Barlow mostly collaborated with the band members individually for minutes at a time due to their schedules and because the size of the dressing rooms on tour did not afford the band enough space to work together. The producer described the process as 'piecing individual pieces of a jigsaw puzzle'.
Barlow would end up spending two years working with U2 in approximately ten countries, sometimes for months at a time. By his estimation, only 10 percent of his work took place in actual recording studios—most of it was done in dressing rooms, hotel rooms, and mansions. Through October 2015, the band had written approximately 18 songs, from which they planned to select 12. Around this time, the Edge wrote a new song provisionally titled 'Tightrope'. A cover story in that month also mentioned the tracks 'Much More Better' and 'The Little Things That Give You Away'. In November 2015, the Edge told that the group hoped to complete the album in early 2016 and release it by the end of that year. After finishing the Innocence + Experience Tour in December 2015, the band dedicated themselves to working on Songs of Experience throughout 2016.
In a February 2016 issue of Q, the Edge estimated that their existing songs could be completed in four-to-six weeks but said that they needed to write additional material. In the story, Bono discussed two new songs, 'Landlady' and 'Where the Shadows Fall'. In March, the group worked on the record with Thomas in a rented mansion in, an affluent seaside suburb of Dublin. They outfitted the house with a makeshift recording studio and jammed in the parlor overlooking the bay.
Mullen used a second drum kit positioned in an echoing stairwell. However, while working on the album in Los Angeles late that month, the Edge indicated that it was not near completion: 'It's really hard to say at this point when it will be done. We're definitely still in the weeds here. We're not booking the pressing plant, so to speak, just yet.' He said that he had worked on 50 pieces of music individually, 20 of which the group were excited to work on. He further added, 'We are trying to really be brutal with the material and only focus on the things that we're really convinced are the best ideas. I would say we're now at the point of starting to really edit down to the core collection of songs that will make the record.
Things are still in their rough state, but sounding really great.' The guitarist said that '80 percent of the record was started before 2016, but most of it was written in the early part of 2016'. In May, musician, reprising his role as co-producer from U2's previous record, said, 'I've never seen them this focused,' while describing their in-progress material as their most exciting since 2000's. Tedder also mentioned that the album was mostly new material and that only one or two songs from the Songs of Innocence sessions had survived. The following month, the Edge said the band were 'busting their ass' to release the album by the end of 2016. While attending a wedding in Valencia in August 2016, the band spoke to fans about the album's progress; bassist told fans to expect something within six months, while Bono, when asked about the Innocence + Experience Tour, said, 'the second part of the tour is for 2017.
You might see a few things in September or October though.' Picked up on these comments and reported that an album launch in September or October 2016 was possible to coincide with the band's 40th anniversary, and that the Innocence + Experience Tour would resume in March 2017. At the end of August, the song ' debuted in the form of an remix by Norwegian DJ during his performance at the Cloud 9 Festival. Delay and rework The group had planned to release Songs of Experience in the fourth quarter of 2016, but they ultimately decided to delay it; after the shift of global politics in a direction, highlighted by the UK's and the, the band wanted to reassess the tone of the album.
The Edge said, 'we suddenly realized that the world we were about to release it into had changed. So we gave ourselves a moment to reflect if this was a good idea, and concluded it might be better to wait for a minute. To pause, see what was going on in the world, see if the album we had just finished was what we wanted to say.' Bono said, 'the new songs were about ready to go, and then the world changed. We just had one of those moments where you go, 'Let's step back from this for a second.'
It is a very personal album, and it's not gonna become a political album overnight. But it has to now go through the filter of what's happened in the rest of the world.'
According to the Edge, most of the resulting changes to the songs were lyrical and some were very subtle, emphasising or better expressing an idea. He also indicated that the group might write one or two new songs with their extra time. The group were also interested in exploring different production techniques and for their songs. Clayton said they wanted to tweak the songs' after dissatisfaction with those from Songs of Innocence: 'There wasn't clarity to some of the mixes and we needed to be a little bit more inventive sonically. I mean, that record, when we performed it live, the songs became very, very masculine and very tough and we didn't really capture that on the record.' Bono echoed these sentiments, saying that Songs of Innocence lacked 'coherence in production'.
As a result, in autumn 2016, the Edge, Clayton, and Mullen (and Bono for the final few days) convened in a rehearsal space to perform the songs together 'with half an eye and ear to how they might be performed in a live concert setting'. The group were hoping to find arrangements that would work live and on record, so as to avoid their habit of recording, releasing, and ultimately rearranging songs when preparing for a tour. In an interview with in September, Bono affirmed a tour would take place in 2017 but was non-committal on a release date for the album. In October 2016, Tedder mentioned that he had been working with U2 on the record for a year, and said that there would be 'really good remixes that are going to kick an entirely new door wide open for U2 fans'. In a video released on Christmas in December, the band announced that Songs of Experience would be released in 2017. Lead singer Bono experienced a 'brush with mortality' in late 2016, which affected the album's lyrical direction. As the sessions continued, Bono had what the Edge called a 'brush with mortality'.
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Reported that sometime in late 2016 between Christmas and New Year's Day, Bono had a near-death experience; he declined to elaborate any further on what happened. As a result of the episode, he decided to rework the album's lyrics. He followed the advice of Irish poet to write as if he were dead, which the Edge said 'frees you of having to.
Be delicate or be anything other than a pure expression of your essence'. As a result, Bono wrote the lyrics as a series of letters to people and places closest to his heart. He said, 'I know U2 go into every album like it's their last one but even more this time I wanted the people around me that I loved to know exactly how I felt.' He also borrowed an idea from poet to compare oneself as an innocent person to who they become through experience. U2 felt that their chemistry was not adequately represented on the album's recordings. Many of the individual parts, particularly Mullen's drums and Clayton's bass parts, had been recorded separately, and in the band's opinion, they lacked the energy that could be captured from a live band.
Having re-rehearsed their in-progress material, in March 2017, U2 entered in New York with their long-time producer to re-record the songs as a group. Bono called Lillywhite the 'best guy for recording us in the studio with the band playing live'. The group were satisfied with the results, as they found a synthesis of their 'raw band performances' with from previous recorded versions. The Edge called it 'the best of the band chemistry mixed in with the best of the 21st-century production technology.'
In May 2017, U2 began performing 'The Little Things That Give You Away' during, making it the first new song from the album that they debuted. In an April 2017 cover story for, Clayton said there were 15 or 16 songs that were contenders for the album, which they still hoped to whittle down to 12. The story mentioned new songs titled 'The Showman', 'Summer of Love', and 'The Best Thing About You Is Me'. After embarking on in May 2017, U2 debuted 'The Little Things That Give You Away' live. During an interview with Hot Press on the second date of the tour, Bono mentioned a new song entitled 'American Soul', which had been sampled by for his song '. Later that month, when asked about Songs of Experience, Bono remained non-committal on a release date, saying, 'I thought it was done last year.' He admitted that spending additional time working on the album had improved it, but said that 'if you left it to Edge he'd still be remixing it next year.'
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He later said that by putting the finishing touches on the album while touring, the music was imbued with a directness that would have been missing if they had been working in the studio for three years. In September 2017, the Edge said the band had agreed upon the album's track listing, running order, and mixes, indicating that it was 'absolutely ready to go beside the last polish', such as small mixing tweaks or lyrical changes. Barlow said that Bono was making lyric changes up to the last second before. Artwork and title The photo on the, taken by the band's long-time photographer, depicts Bono's son Eli and the Edge's daughter Sian holding hands. The album's title, along with that of the group's previous record, Songs of Innocence, are taken from William Blake's collection of poems. Release and promotion On 23 May 2017, U2 appeared on and performed 'The Little Things That Give You Away'. In August, reported that 'You're the Best Thing About Me' would be released as the first single from Songs of Experience, and that the album would be released on 1 December.
On 21 August 2017, several U2 fans in the United States received cryptic letters via teasing a new release from the band. The letters contained text mentioning Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience, with a silhouette of Bono's son and the Edge's daughter from the album cover blocking out most of the text except for a few words, revealing the message, 'Blackout. The bottom of the letters said 'U2 will announce' but blacked-out the release title and date. Many of the recipients of the letter were in the path of. On 29 August, the band posted a short video clip online of a new song 'The Blackout' and announced that the song would premiere in full the following day on; the band also announced that 'You're the Best Thing About Me' would be released as Songs of Experience 's first single on 6 September.
On 30 August, the band unveiled a video showing a live performance of 'The Blackout'. The following week, on 6 September, 'You're the Best Thing About Me' was released, and published an article on the album, stating it would be released on 1 December. On 7 September, the band performed 'You're the Best Thing About Me' on before debuting it live at a concert in Indianapolis three days later on the Joshua Tree Tour 2017. In late October, fans once again received mysterious postal mail letters, this time containing the Songs of Experience track listing blacked-out except for one song. On 1 November, the band officially announced details of the album's release: a 1 December release date was confirmed, the album artwork was unveiled, and the release formats were announced; additionally, the tracks 'Get Out of Your Own Way' and 'The Blackout' were released, and 2018 North American tour dates for the Experience + Innocence Tour were announced.
The tour will make use of Ticketmaster's Verified Fan platform for combating, making U2 the first group to do so for an entire tour. Every ticket purchased for the tour will include a copy of Songs of Experience. The album will be released in three formats: compact disc, vinyl record, and digital download. Deluxe editions will include up to four bonus tracks. The group performed at in London on 11 November prior to them receiving the Global Icon Award for the. On 17 November, the song 'American Soul' was released. On 24 November, the group released a 12-inch of 'The Blackout' for.
Released in partnership with, the single includes the album version of the song and a remix by Jacknife Lee. During the week of the album's release, U2 took part in several promotions. Produced online radio programming about the band called The U2 Experience; the content, which was available for the two days prior to the album's release date, included songs from across the band's career, interviews, and live recordings from the Joshua Tree Tour 2017. Similarly, produced a mini-documentary about the group called U2 in America that was made available as part of a playlist of their songs. On the day of release, Bono made an appearance on the American football television program, and the band briefly performed on a sidewalk underneath the in New York City. U2 was the musical guest on American sketch comedy television series on 2 December, with fellow countryperson hosting. Five days after the album's release, Bono and the Edge traveled and gave a short performance on a station platform.
Aired an hour-long television special about the band on 19 December, U2 at the BBC. The programme featured performances and interview segments. Critical reception Professional ratings Aggregate scores Source Rating 5.8/10 64/100 Review scores Source Rating C– 5.3/10 Songs of Experience has received mixed reviews. At, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 64 based on 27 reviews. Of found that the band are 'old masters at pomping up whatever the kids are buying', comparing portions of the album to songs by and. The review concluded, 'U2 have built a stadium rock cruise liner they've zero interest in rocking, and '.Experience' is 50 minutes of very plain sailing indeed.'
David Sackllah of said the album too often 'finds the band retreading well-worn material'. He said that the lyrical rewrites to reflect the political climate resulted in the album being 'full of references that can feel shoehorned in'. Calum Marsh of said that Songs of Experience is 'the shameless effort of four men in their late 50s to muster a contemporary, youthful sound.' The review criticized Bono's lyrics for their platitudes and attempts to tackle political subjects, saying, 'Despite the blatant bid to sound modish and rejuvenated, U2 cannot help in certain respects but sound the same.' Andy Gill of said, 'Rarely has a band of such stature sounded quite so enervated and bereft of inspiration as U2 do here'.
The review said the band had been 'reduced to hackneyed cheap tricks and tired old truisms barely worth the chords they're strung on – which are themselves the limpest melodies of their career.' James McNair of called Songs of Experience an 'infinitely more satisfying beast than its patchy predecessor' and 'U2's strongest album this century'. He praised the record for its hooks and for its final songs, on which he felt Bono was at his most vulnerable. Andrew Perry of said the album 'will likely go down as a late-career classic'. The review lauded the group for their ability to evoke a range of moods and sounds: 'U2 have dug deep, yet they remain both postmodern and unpredictable.
Able to assume many sounds and voices; to invoke their early-'80s innocence, but also none-more-experienced, masters of every inch of their game'. Of said that the album is filled with 'big meaty hooks matched by singalong aphorisms'. He was complimentary of the group for melding their personal conflict with the positivity of their music, saying the album demonstrates them at 'their most mature and assured, playing songs of passion and purpose, shot through and enlivened with a piercing bolt of desperation'. Of said the group's reflection on their mortality provides an 'urgency that binds and propels the mosaic jump of Experience'. Fricke praised the group for offering glimpses of their past work, saying, 'The mounting effect is a charge of dynamic moods and a still-certain mission'. In their end-of-year rankings, Rolling Stone named Songs of Experience the third-best album and 'Lights of Home' the fifth-best song of 2017. 'The Blackout' appeared in ' list of the 54 best songs of the year.
Commercial performance Songs of Experience debuted at number one in the US on the with 186,000 earned in its first week, 180,000 of which were sales. It was the band's eighth number-one album in the US, the third-most of any group, and made them the first group to attain number-one albums in the US in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. It was the largest sales week of any rock album in the US in 2017. The record debuted at number one on the with 24,000 copies sold among 25,000 album-equivalent units, making it U2's sixth album to top the country's chart during the era.
On the, the record debuted at number five with 40,669 copies sold in its first week. Track listing All lyrics written by Bono; all music composed by U2, except where noted. Standard edition No. Title Music Producer Length 1.
'Love Is All We Have Left' 2:41 2. 'Lights of Home'.
U2 performing on Studio albums 14 Live albums 1 Compilation albums 3 Video albums 15 Music videos 67 EPs 8 Singles 67 Subscriber-exclusive albums 11 The of Irish band consists of fourteen studio, one live album, three compilation albums, sixty-seven, and eight (EPs). The band formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1976 as teenagers.
In 1979, the group issued their first release, the EP, which sold well in Ireland. The following year, the group signed to and released their debut album,. It reached number 52 in the UK and number 63 in the US. They followed it up with the release of (1981) and (1983).
War was a commercial success, becoming the band's first number-one album in the UK while reaching number 12 in the US. The album yielded the singles ' and ' and have since become among the band's most popular songs. On the subsequent, the group recorded the live album and concert film, both of which sold well and helped establish them globally as a live act. The band shifted towards a more ambient, abstract musical direction for (1984), their first collaboration with producers and. The album went to number one in the UK and produced the group's biggest hit to that point, the UK top-10 single '. The group's fifth album, (1987), made them international superstars and was a critical and commercial success, reaching number one in over 20 countries; it is one of the (10 million copies shipped) and (25 million copies sold). It produced their only number-one singles in the US, ' and '.
U2 followed this up with the 1988 release of, a double album and companion documentary film which documented their experiences with from with a collection of new studio tracks, cover songs, and live recordings. The lead single ' was the band's first number-one single in the UK. The album sold sold over 14 million copies, while the film grossed $8.6 million.
Facing a backlash from Rattle and Hum and creative stagnation, U2 reinvented themselves musically in the 1990s. The band's following album, (1991), marked a dramatic shift towards, and. It debuted at number one in the US, eventually sold 18 million copies worldwide, and spawned five singles, including ', ', and the UK number-one '. U2's follow up albums and continued the band's experimentation with alternative rock and electronic dance music, reaching number one worldwide but with reduced sales. U2 regained commercial favour with the release of in 2000, returning to a more mainstream sound. The album sold over 12 million copies and won seven. It spawned several successful singles, including ', ', ', and '.
The following album, (2004), was promoted with the popular lead single '. The album was another commercial success and ultimately won all nine of its Grammy Award nominations. The group's twelfth album, (2009), reached number one in 30 countries but its sales of 5 million were seen as a disappointment by the band, and it did not contain a hit single. Their 2014 album was released at no cost to over 500 million users but the pervasiveness of the promotion brought controversy; the album's sales and charting duration were among the weakest in the band's discography. U2 have sold 175 million records worldwide. With 52 million certified units by the RIAA, U2 rank as the. U2 have eight albums that have reached number one in the US, the third-most of any group.
'Numb' was not eligible to enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 61 on the chart. 'Lemon' did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number three on the chart. 'Please' did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number three on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
'Elevation' did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 16 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. 'Walk On' did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 18 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. 'All Because of You' did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number one on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
'Invisible' did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number eight on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. 'You're the Best Thing About Me' did not enter the, but peaked at number five on the NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart. References General U2: The Ultimate Compendium of Interviews, Articles, Facts and Opinions from the Files of Rolling Stone. Transatlantic Publications.