Bad (U2 song)

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"Bad"

Song by U2
from the album The Unforgettable Fire
Released	1 October 1984
Genre	Rock
Length	6:09
Label	Island Records
Writer(s)	U2 (music), Bono (lyrics)
Producer(s)	Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois
Chart positions
#19 (US Mainstream Rock Tracks)
The Unforgettable Fire track listing
"4th of July" (Track 6)	"Bad" (Track 7)	"Indian Summer Sky" (Track 8
Wide Awake in America track listing
	"Bad" (live) (Track 1)	"A Sort of Homecoming" (live) (Track 2)
The Best of 1980-1990 track listing
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" (Track 5)	"Bad" (edit) (Track 6)	"Where the Streets Have No Name" (Track 7))

"Bad" is the seventh track from U2's 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire. Often considered a fan favorite, it is U2's tenth most frequently performed song in concert [1], or eleventh behind "40" if snippets are counted in the performance total for "40" [2].

1 History
- 1.1 Live Aid
- 1.2 Today
2 Discography
3 External links

[edit] History

"Bad," like many of U2's songs, was born of an improvised guitar riff during a loose jam session at Slane Castle, Ireland. A testament to the influence of producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, The Edge's characteristic minimalist guitar sound is accompanied by atmospheric, ambient echo effects.

Bono's vague lyrics have led to many fan interpretations of the song's meaning, but Bono frequently told the story behind the song in concert: the song is about heroin—specifically, about a friend of Bono's "who was given on his 21st birthday enough heroin into his bloodstream to kill him." [3]

[edit] Live Aid

For a band still relatively unknown when compared with their fellow performers at Live Aid in 1985, U2 is often cited for their fiery performance at the concert in London. Along with "Sunday Bloody Sunday", U2 played an epic twelve-minute (over twice the length of the studio recording) version of "Bad." The song was extended further by snippets of Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love" and "Walk on the Wild Side," and The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" and "Sympathy for the Devil." Bono also utilized a two-minute instrumental interlude to dance with a fan offstage. The performance was so long that the band was only able to play two of the three songs in their set, leaving out "Pride (In the Name of Love)" which was supposed to end the band's performance.

[edit] Today

A staple of U2's concert tours of the 1980s, "Bad" was also frequently performed during the first four legs of the 1992–1993 Zoo TV Tour. Although a rarity on the Popmart Tour of 1997 and 1998, it returned to the normal setlist for 2001's Elevation Tour and has seen occasional performances during the Vertigo Tour of 2005 and 2006, sometimes even appearing as the closing song for shows.

Bono is known for singing a wide variety of snippets during performances of "Bad". Lyrics from over 50 different songs have been included in "Bad", ranging from brief quotes of a single line through to multiple verses. These snippets are typically sung after the "I'm not sleeping" line and Bono has included up to six different snippets in a single performance of "Bad". Performances without at least one snippet are rare.

[edit] Discography

Although "Bad" was never released a single, it is the first track on the 1985 EP Wide Awake In America, this being a live version recorded at London's Wembley Arena. Three other versions of "Bad" have been officially released by the band. An edit of the version from The Unforgettable Fire appears on The Best of 1980-1990—notably, "Bad" is the only non-single to appear on the track listing for the compilation album (although a hidden version of "October" is included as well).

In addition to the live performance included on Wide Awake in America, a live version of "Bad" from 1987's Joshua Tree Tour appears on the rockumentary Rattle and Hum. Also, the release of The Complete U2 in 2004 produced another live version of "Bad" appearing on the digital album U2 Love: Live from the Point Depot.