U2 gave a career-making performance of “Bad” at Live Aid

Bad U2

Writer(s): U2 (music), Bono (lyrics) (see lyrics here) Released: October 1, 1984 (as album cut on The Unforgettable Fire) First Charted: August 24, 1985 Peak: 19 AR, 3 CO, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 47.5 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Bad” can arguably be called U2’s breakthrough moment – specifically their performance of the song at Live Aid on July 13, 1985. Their 12-minute performance of the song at the star-packed concert shown a global spotlight on the band then known mostly for “Pride (In the Name of Love),” their only U.S. top-40 hit. Not only did Bono come down off the stage to help a fan who was being crushed by the crowd, W1 but he showcased his star power, energy, and enthusiasm in capturing an audience of 72,000 people at Wembley Stadium in London with an anthemic performance of a song about heroin. Bono has given varying accounts over the years regarding the exact inspiration for the song, saying, among other things that “I wrote the song for a friend of mine; He has said the song is about a friend who died of a heroin overdose, but on another occasion said, “I also wrote it for myself because you can be addicted to anything. And, you know, that song’s not just about: it’s about a lot of things.” W1 At a performance in Pittsburgh in 2011, he said it was about “a very special man, who is here in your city.” W1 He’s also talked about it without reference to any specific person, saying of a lot of teens who fell victim to the heroin epidemic in Dublin in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s that “they gave up everything they held sacred to this drug…I tried to describe that with the song…what it was like to feel that rush, that elation, and then to go on to the nod, the awful sleep that comes with that drug, and then scream: ‘I’m wide awake, I’m wide awake, I’m not sleeping!’ I can see what’s going on.” SF The studio version of the song was criticized as “unfinished” and “unfocused,” but it made more sense on sense. Rolling Stone called the live version a “show stopper.” W1 The song was originally released on 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire, but an eight-minute live recording of the song was released on the 1985 EP Wide Awake in America. This latter version, recorded at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England on November 12, 1984, W2 was the one which garnered radio airplay. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for U2 SF Songfacts W1 Wikipedia page for “Bad” W2 Wikipedia page for Wide Awake in America Related Links: First posted 7/15/2021; last updated 3/18/2023.

U2 released “Pride (In the Name of Love)”

Pride (In the Name of Love) U2

Writer(s): U2 (see lyrics here) Released: September 4, 1984 First Charted: September 15, 1984 Peak: 33 US, 34 CB, 27 GR, 31 RR, 2 AR, 1 CO, 3 UK, 26 CN, 4 AU, 2 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 89.33 video, 127.03 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Over three albums, U2 had built a following with songs like “I Will Follow,” “New Year’s Day,” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” However, it was “Pride (In the Name of Love)” which gave the band their first Billboard top 40 hit. It became a staple in the band’s live sets and “a modern rock classic.” AMG It also represents the pinnacle of what U2 is about: “intense, passionate, 100 percent emotionally committed rock & roll; the pursuit of social justice and peace…and…the relentless spiritual quest of Irish Cathlocis…and how this spirituality interacts with everyday earthly concerns.” SS The song originated during a soundcheck before a November 1983 concert. Lyrically, Bono, the band’s lead singer, initially aimed to write a song “condemning Ronald Reagan for an arrogant pride that led to nuclear escalation.” SF The focus was on the pride that comes before a fall. TB However, after reading books about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X SF and seeing the King exhibit at the Chicago Peace Museum, SS Bono decided to write about civil rights campaigns and “those throughout history who have died because they preached of the equality of all men.” SF It was a concept an Irish band could relate to. The band’s guitarist, The Edge, said, “Because of the situation in our country, non-violent struggle was such an inspiring concept.” TC The song compares what King “tried to accomplish with the journey followed by Christ, and analogizes Christ’s betrayal by Judas with the assassination of Dr. King.” SS The song incorrectly asserts that King was shot in the morning, but it actually happened at 6pm. Bono typically fixes the error now in live performances. WK The song isn’t subtle. “The whole purpose of this record is to make a big noise.” PW It was “an excuse to shout really loud and beat the drum as hard and straight ahead as possible, guitars ringing gloriously all around.” PW “If this song were about anyone but MLK it would probably be terrifying.” PW It’s also important to note that “U2 couldn’t begin to pull this stuff off if they weren’t utterly and unmistakably and almost pathetically sincere about it.” PW Perhaps it was the song’s lack of subtlety that led to some mixed reviews. Rolling Stone’s Kurt Loder said the song “gets over only on the strength of its resounding beat and big, droning bass line, not on the nobility of its lyrics, which are unremarkable.” WK Robert Christgau complained in the Village Voice about the lyrics glorifying MLK’s martyrdom. WK On the flip side, Denise Sullian wrote at All Music Guide that “the freedom-fighting anthem is alternately gentle and powerful from verse to chorus” and that “the soundscape is unrelenting.” AMG The song became a rallying cry for turning MLK’s birthday into a national holiday when the band was touring for their next album, The Joshua Tree. The band received death threats for supporting the movement and at a show in Tempe, Arizona, Bono was warned by the FBI of someone who actually had a ticket to the show, was armed, and was threating to shoot Bono on stage if he sang “Pride.” Bono sang it anyway, closing his eyes during the lines about MLK being shot. When he opened his eyes, the bassist, Adam Clayton Jr., was standing in front of him, ready to take a bullet for his bandmate. SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for U2 AMG All Music Guide review by Denise Sullivan TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Page 437. SF Songfacts SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 139-40. DT Dave Thompson (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. Krause Publications: Iola, WI. Page 53. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 213. WK Wikipedia PW Paul Williams (1993). Rock and Roll: The Best 100 Singles. New York, NY: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc. Pages 218-20. Related Links: First posted 2/7/2021; last updated 3/30/2023.