HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY ... I can't think of a more fitting day to celebrate Ireland's biggest music import....the legendary U2 and their masterpiece.
"With or Without You" is the lead single from U2's 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. It has since become highly-acclaimed as one of the band's most popular songs. Released as a single in March 1987, it became the group's first American #1 hit, spending three weeks at the top of Billboards Hot 100 chart.
The guitar riff at the end of the song is a simple set of notes the Edge came up with to give the sad song a "happy ending".
Among many uses in pop culutre, the most notable ones's are...
- It was featured on the hit TV show Friends as the relationship song for Ross and Rachel and was played when Ross sends in a request to local radio station for Rachel to hear.
- The song was played in a segment of the Tommy Lee Jones movie, Blown Away , during a bomb building scene.
- The song was used in an episode of Cold Case.
As far as the music critics were concerned, U2 has finally written their "Hey Jude" and it was delievered in the form of "With or Without You"
7 comments:
I was really not a huge fan of theirs at the height of their popularity. I became more of a fan as I got older. This song is not one of my favorites, but good. A little too dreary and slow for me. I always thought they were a bit overrated.
Great song, great band. Wonder if this group will ever play a fair?? Wonder of this group will sustain 50 years of music. LOL...However, in honor of St. Patrick's Day you should have considered Ronan Tynan's version of God Bless America. HA!
Sustain 50 years of music ? I believe they already put in almost 30. Plus other than Sinatra and the Stones, who sustains 50 years of music ?
I agree with Anthony. Was not a big U2 fan even when Cousin Joe took me to the 1992 concert. When I got married in 2001, my appreciation for U2 slowly developed, thanks to my wife owning every album and playing their songs frequently. After the 2005 Vertigo concert, I was hooked. Joe, I would have went with a more obscure song, such as "Love Comes Tumbling", one of my personal favorites. It can be found on the 4 track EP "Wide Awake in America" released in 1985. It can also be found with a slightly different beginning on the limited edition B-sides disc of "The Best of 1980-1990" released in 1998.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide_Awake_in_America
"Love Comes Tumbling" ...i'll have to give it a try.
Post a Comment