I love this song, first heard it when the album came out and it definitely was groundbreaking in rock and pop at the time, as was the whole album . It still holds up for me just by the sheer passion and beauty of the whole. I feel like the connection in the lyrics with the bombings is that life is gone in an instant, and if the paintings were done by survivors, it could be their feelings towards loved ones that they lost
Eno's fingerprints are all over this song. The sparse elements, electronic music vibes, different sounds/embellishments, and production value are all very Eno-esque!
The jump from the previous album War to this was unexpected. I just graduated from high school in 1983, and like so many people at the time, we were all surprised at the change in musical direction. It grew on me, and then how the band interpreted Bad for live performances that still captivates me today. This was also my first cd, which i still have. U2 really hit it big with The Joshua Tree in 1987, and they were every where in the media.
My favorite U2 song of all time. I never get tired of listening to it. The way it is constructed, the lyrics, the singing and the fact that it took the band in a new musical direction Tino to expand their sound and focus on atmosphere and not just the Rock band element to making art. It grows on you the more you hear it. I wasn’t a huge fan of it when I first heard it but that’s simply not the case now.
Immediate chills in for me during that intro! The violin's were in the song in places, but there's a lot going on :) I love the cold feel of the song, very sparse, like an icy cavern with loads of reverb. In terms of the bridge, I think it's something that is more enjoyable when you know the song (as is the way sometimes). Thinking about it, it might be a slight key change after the bridge... I'm glad others have really enjoyed this selection as much as I did :) Great work as always!!!
Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois produced U2's 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire. The album was recorded at Slane Castle and Windmill Lane Studios, and was the band's first collaboration with Eno and Lanois.
Loved this break down!! Great insight. In its time - the video for this song came out very early after the album's release. I can't remember if it got much radio play, because it's NOT at ALL a typical pop or rock song. It's not structured like one - it's very artsy, and yet here it is, sounding like a mirage or an interlude between two songs? Their prior album WAR - was very bare bones, urgent, immediate, and as the title suggests - no frills. Obviously this album is about as opposite of War as you could get - but it retains the spirit of the band. Wild indeed. Unforgettable Fire launched them from indie band to something on par with Elvis. But the 80s gave us so much great experimentation in pop/rock that I doubt we've heard since. Around this time Kate Bush released Hounds of Love (kind of artsy in a similar way), Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads broke through to the mainstream.. All the electronic and synth stuff balanced by earthy instruments in the same track. Bono's voice is one of the rare voices that grabs you and speaks right to you in an intimate way - it's a RARE gift, you can't teach that.
I think the lyrics are less "one night stand" and more "save the moment". 80s, cold war, not knowing what's on the horizon, and wanting to just lock in a memory of peacefulness and happiness. And if he can have this moment, then he's good, no matter what tomorrow brings.
Very nostalgic for me. I loved U2 back in the day. I really enjoyed listening again here today. I cannot remember the last time I heard U2. Probably the song All I Want is You in the movie Reality Bites (on of my all time favorites).
This was a very experimental album as U2 made the shift from a harsh, raw punk sound that was previously heard on the first three albums to a more sonic complexity. They would perfect this sonic change in the The Joshua Tree album (considered the sister album to this) and sent into the stratosphere with Achtung Baby. That said, A Sort of Homecoming and Bad are true masterpieces from this album.
I saw them on the tour in support of the album this song is title track to. It was their fourth album and they were still hungry. The show was great. The song takes its title from an art exhibit about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. There were violin plucks earlier in one of the bridges. They brought in a solo violin on a couple of songs from their third album, War. U2's third album was more stripped down and straight ahead with a highly original sound for its times. It even features a bebop trumpet solo on another tune.
This is a track that flies under the radar a little bit but the quality is there for everyone to hear. I personally love it along with an unheralded track (Heartland ) from one the later album.
Don't forget.... the production is an artistic choice and application, contributing to the completed work. Look up Brian Eno ....his influence is all over this. This era of U2 was when they were not getting radio play outside of " college radio" stations. Many of their early started as tone poems and musical hooks pieced together. And there were MANY bands not on mainstream radio that were HUGELY influential on the following decade. While I studied music, I constantly had to remind my classmates that art is not a technical exercise . If it impacts the viewer or listener , it's successful . How successful is relevant to the listener or viewer . In other words..." Different strokes for....."
How much radio airplay (beyond college radio) the album before this one, War, got is debatable; it did get some, altho I agree with you not heavy. War's Sunday Bloody Sunday was an MTV hit & a sales hit more than mainstream radio hit. However, TUF album was *heavily* played on mainstream radio in the US, especially in New England & New York/New Jersey area. It's lead single---Pride (In the Name of Love)---was a big radio hit. That began to change things for U2 even before The Joshua Tree came out. Agree with you that many college radio bands were tremendously influential on the rock music scene in those days. Usually as a harbinger of what was to come.
I loved this song when it came out…and I still love it now. Even more so for the album. ❤️ U2’s The Unforgettable Fire album is one I’ve gone back to many times over the years. I can admit that U2’s The Joshua Tree (1987) and Achtung Baby (1991) are “better” albums; both are acknowledged masterpieces. But TUF-with it’s atmospheric soundscapes, genuine passion & an impressionistic feel-has this unique way of transforming into what you need it be decade to decade. I’ve never had an album change on me so much-and yet remain such a favorite. There’s so much unbridled heart in it (U2 was still quite young when they wrote it) and yet so much flexibility. Like with this title track. And the record’s 2nd side grew on me like I never expected. I think the album is just fantastic.
Great reaction. I was 6 when this came out, and my sister had bought the cassette. I was captivated by the sounds in this song (and album as a whole). The video was something special too! This is where my love for U2 began (and was solidified by '87's Joshua Tree!) Amazing song, production, feel. I think it holds up very well now! Cheers!
U2 is one of those bands that has pushed bounderies before those boundries became popular. This album was before Joshua Tree album which cemented their popularity. This is more of a turn the lights off and just listen to it with an open mind and see where it takes you.
Also - yes, parts are dated. Particularly that strange bridge with the dramatic lightening sounds - is SCREAMS 80s! I never liked those electronic sounding drums (I don't know what you call them) - they're a dead giveaway for an 80s - early 90s song. There may be some of that in here - if not a few outdated synth sounds. What's funny is a lot of people listening to U2 now say they sound so 80s - but I knid of think they're the one of the least overt 80s sounding bands of the era.
i recommend a cover version by a band called Crystal Dream, to get another angle of it, to see more of the potential realised, almost all the cover versions are improvements. also an acoustic version by hans van schendel
Wrong question about embellishment, IMO. Do you like the song or not? That's all that matters. And you don't know which came first - let's add because this is melodically sparse, or let's be melodically sparse because we can. Because we're in a studio with 2 of the greatest producers ever. U2 didn't sit down and write "good songs" back then. They would start with ideas about sound and go from there. For all we know, this song was written because Brian Eno did something on synth while they were hanging out and everyone said "HOLD ON!" The song makes more sense in the context of sitting down and listening to the album from front to back. That's why it didn't go anywhere as a single, I'd guess.
The band cited an art exhibition by victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that was held at The Peace Museum in Chicago as the lyrical inspiration for the song.
I think I read somewhere recently that the song was also about how they felt looking at those images? I checked Wiki but it doesn't elaborate so I can't remember where I saw it.. You''re right though, any connection lyically seems metaphorical and maybe tenuous at best.
Some of u2's songs, especially mid 80's to early 90's are more of a mood or a vibe (eno and lanois influence). There are some some key points that kind of set your mind to a point in time, or place, or thought, etc.- then your sort of free to journey off from there. (My humble analsis). Be very interested in you take on u2's Bad, 3 songs later on this album.
The violins are used throughout the song. Please don't take this the wrong way, but you likely missed them and other nuances, as you were talking whilst the track was playing. Might be worth pausing before commenting, or even better, watching it through without interruption and then giving your analysis. Just my thoughts mate, of course its your channel and you're free to do as you please 👍
I still like this album, but I don't think it aged very well. It just sounds SO '80s to my ears today. At the time it didn't come off that way for me; I loved it. Once their next album, The Joshua Tree, came out I rarely went back to it.
One of the few U2 songs that I really like. And yes, the production on it is phenomenal. Fun trivia: if you listen closely, at the start, you can hear the drummer counting down too early and swearing 😅
"When does the embellishment become the song?" Yes, that is a very pertinent question when it comes to U2. My thought is that for most of their career at least through the 80s, U2 had one distinct schtick which worked to make them stand out in the pop marketplace. It was to shift the continuous musical lines from the usual culprits (drums / bass / riffs) to the unexpected at least at that time: lead / atmospheric guitar + ethereal vocal lines. And so the guitar and vocals would often just trade off from one another the same basic melodic phrase. That's what makes the result similar to electronica, because later electronica is all about closed phrases repeating, with no emphasis on harmonic or melodic development. U2's Eno/Lanois phase was probably one of the considerable influences to later electronic producers. They would have simply discarded the pop band elements, and built on the ambient sonic collage ideas from those records. I am guessing this was a natural consequence of having two "atmospheric" producers who were steeped in the worlds of both Ambient and stagnant hypnotic grooves, collaborating with a musically limited band, a band who needed to stand out in ways that didn't depend on competence on their instruments or songwriting craft. Something else that should be mentioned, the next album Joshua Tree you find U2 breaking out of that mold I described above, you know real "mature" songwriting without the meandering (with some exceptions). But the problem is I think that album is far from just a "U2" album, unless they suddenly became accomplished mature songwriters overnight. The specific folky vibe, cadence, and resolving structures of the Joshua Tree songs are clearly in line with Daniel Lanois' later solo songwriting output. So he was way more than just a producer to bounce ideas off of for those sessions. The more Daniel Lanois music you get exposed to, the more you realize Joshua Tree is a Lanois record performed by U2 more or less. I don't have a ton of respect for this band because of that, at least as far as the merits of them having biggest band in the world status. They certainly got there with more than a little help from their friends.
I disagree with your discounting of U2's songwriting & artistry here: ["The more Daniel Lanois music you get exposed to, you realize Joshua Tree is a Lanois record performed by U2 more or less."] All due respect, this is a tired & debunked myth. Co-producer Daniel Lanois himself has refuted this in interviews over the years about their sessions together. Lanois gave a recent long interview with RU-vidr Rick Beato where he even talks about how The Edge would often come in with the basic song parts (songwriting) if they didn't arise from a U2 jam session (their usual process), but that Edge was also a complete "studio head" who would stay all hours in production after the rest of the band members had gone home and basically was a co-producer on those albums w/ Eno, Lanois, and Flood, if uncredited. And btw, U2's sound & song structures have shifted tremendously across their albums---The Joshua Tree is not some outlier. You may personally appreciate TJT songs more, but they are not such unicorns that their quality has to be...explained away as due to someone else?? Your "one distinct schtick" comment shows a lack of knowledge about the band overall. I'm not downplaying the Eno-Lanois contribution...it's undeniable. I love both Eno and Lanois (the latter the most). Perhaps you do not like (or respect?) U2, which I won't argue with because music is subjective. But the degree to which you just disappeared U2 from their own work has to be countered, because it simply isn't true.
Just a little critique of your delivery when a musical legend such as U2 are playing just sit down and let the music take you to another plane don't interrupt it with your thoughts its a bit like looking at a masterpiece art production by someone like Da Vinci or Monet and scribbling over it with your crayons. Cheers
