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U2 “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”

sfilzen — Wed, 25 May 2022 16:54:14 +0000

U2 “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” released 35 years ago today, May 25th, 1987. 12″ single on Island Records. The track was the second single from their international smash The Joshua Tree. Like the first single “With or Without You,” it hit #1 in the US (it went to #6 in the UK). It also was nominated for two Grammys and is ranked high on many publications “best of” lists. It’s anthemic and epic, like most U2 songs, conjuring up big open spaces and sweet melancholy set to The Edge’s signature jangle and Bono’s gospel-inspired vocals. The backing choir vocals came from The Edge and producers Brian Eno (!) and Daniel Lanois.

On the B-side the 12″ single is “Spanish Eyes,” a rough rocker as compared to its A-side that is more reminiscent of U2’s earlier recordings, while “Deep in the Heart” is more U2-emotive and sparse.

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U2 “October”

sfilzen — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 17:30:01 +0000

U2 “October” released 40 years ago today, October 12th, 1981. October, their second album (no. 2 in the UK and no. 104 in the US) solidified U2′s epically big and soaring anthemic post punk sound with a heavy emphasis on religion and spirituality. “Gloria,” with its soaring chorale chorus (“Gloria, in te domine”), is one of the strongest tracks on the record; it went to #55 on the UK single charts. “Fire” was another single (#35 UK). The album also has an air of beautiful sadness, particularly on “Tomorrow” about which Bono said, “[Its] influences: primarily Joy Division, Invisible Girls. A great example of how you can write a song and not know what you’re writing about. ‘Tomorrow’ is a detailed account of my mother’s funeral. But I had no idea when I was writing it.” U2 wrote much of October while touring the US for their first album, Boy, but bad luck plagued the band: Bono lost the lyrics for the album backstage during a show and the songwriting process needed to be rushed along in order to keep the studio recording schedule. Producer Steve Lillywhite stated the recording sessions were “completely chaotic and mad.”

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U2 “Boy”

sfilzen — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 19:06:23 +0000

U2 “Boy” released on this date, October 20th, 1980. Island Records, North American cover. U2′s debut LP, Boy reached #52 in the UK and #63 in the US, propelled by their first hit single, the soaring “I Will Follow.” The entire album showcases U2′s penchant for recording BIG music, songs meant to take up vast amounts of space, echoing large in the aural field and their raw emotions ripping huge heart holes. Wiki says, “The album’s theme is the psychological nature of the transition of adolescence from childhood to manhood, with lyrics and atmospheric music examining a dawn of sexuality (“An Cat Dubh”), the entry into adolescence (“Twilight”), mortality (“Out of Control”), the exile from one’s past enforced by the passage of time (“Into the Heart”), mental disturbance (“The Electric Co.”) and youthful ambition (“The Ocean”). “I Will Follow” focused on the trauma of the early death of Bono’s mother when he was a young teenager. The album’s lyrics possess several literary references, “Shadows and Tall Trees” taking its name from a chapter title in the dystopian William Golding novel Lord of the Flies, and “The Ocean” mentioning Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Grey.”

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U2 “October”

sfilzen — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 13:35:20 +0000

U2 “October” released on this date, October 12th, 1981. U2′s second album that to some critics at the time suffered the dreaded sophomore slump, not helped by the LP’s recording, during which Bono’s lyrics for the album were lost and the songwriting process needed to be rushed along in order to keep the studio recording schedule. The album has a heavy emphasis on religion and spirituality, not necessarily popular themes for alternative or mainstream rock-n-roll; but “Gloria,” with its soaring chorale chorus (“Gloria, in te domine”), is one of the strongest tracks on the record. The album also has an air of beautiful sadness, particularly “Tomorrow” about which Bono said, “[Its] influences: primarily Joy Division, Invisible Girls. A great example of how you can write a song and not know what you’re writing about. ‘Tomorrow’ is a detailed account of my mother’s funeral. But I had no idea when I was writing it.”

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