Most longtime readers know Jonn tolerates my occasional verbal \u201cwalkabouts\u201d on music and other topics. Many have also picked up on the fact that I\u2019m a fan of U2. The reasons for the latter are varied, and personal; I’m not going to share those here.<\/p>\n
This walkabout is about their coming of age as a band. My opinion, of course; YMMV.<\/p>\n
Read on, or not, as you like.<\/p>\n
. . .<\/strong><\/p>\n U2 formed in Dublin in 1976. By the early 1980s, they were moderately successful \u2013 and had developed a hugely loyal following.<\/p>\n With their third album, they\u2019d even achieved some degree of chart success. That album \u2013 War<\/em> \u2013 could be considered their commercial breakthrough, giving them mainstream visibility with their first US Hot 100 hit \u201cNew Year\u2019s Day\u201d.<\/p>\n Yet at the time, they were still in danger of being pegged as nothing more than \u201cyet another post-punk rock band\u201d. It was their next release that announced they were indeed different \u2013 and special.<\/p>\n That release was The Unforgettable Fire<\/em>. And while it features one of their best-known tunes, it also features two you may never have heard which IMO are even better.<\/p>\n . . .<\/strong><\/p>\n The Unforgettable Fire<\/em> was an intentional departure by U2 from their previous work. They changed production teams (Steve Lillywhite had produced their first 3 albums; for The Unforgettable Fire<\/em>, they began working with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno). They explored different musical ideas.<\/p>\n The result was a different musical sound and style \u2013 and one that simply worked as intended. It announced to the world that these guys just might indeed be truly special.<\/p>\n The best-known track on the album, \u201cPride (In the Name of Love)\u201d is indeed good. But it\u2019s IMO the third<\/em>-best track on the album. Two others are better.<\/p>\n And as often seems the case, all three of those songs have a somewhat tragic and dark inspiration. “Pride” was inspired by the assassination of Martin Luther King. I’ll discuss briefly the inspiration for the others below.<\/p>\n . . .<\/strong><\/p>\n Here are what I consider the two best tunes from The Unforgettable Fire<\/em>. The first was reputedly inspired by U2\u2019s lead singer knowing someone who was addicted to heroin. (Bono\u2019s description of precisely who inspired him to write the tune has varied over the years, so perhaps take his accounts as metaphoric vice literal.) The tune is one that works better live; I\u2019ve included the version from Wide Awake in America<\/em> below.<\/p>\n The second was inspired by U2 visiting a traveling memorial for Hiroshima in Chicago in the early 1980s. The studio version of that tune is featured below.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n