Sunday Bloody Sunday (song)

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"Sunday Bloody Sunday"
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" cover
Single by U2
from the album War
Released March 1983
Format Vinyl (7″ and 12″), CD Single
Genre Rock
Length 4:42
Label Island
Producer(s) Steve Lillywhite
Chart positions
U2 singles chronology
"Two Hearts Beat As One"
(1983)		 "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
(1983)		 "40"
(1983)
War track listing
"Sunday Bloody Sunday"
(Track 1)		 "Seconds"
(Track 2)
Under a Blood Red Sky track listing
"Party Girl"
(Track 4)		 "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
(Track 5)		 "The Electric Co."
(Track 6)
The Best of 1980-1990 track listing
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
(Track 4)		 "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
(Track 5)		 "Bad" (Edit)
(Track 6)
U218 Singles track listing
"Sweetest Thing"
(Track 10)		 "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
(Track 11)		 "One"
(Track 12)
This article is about the song by U2. For John Lennon's "Sunday Bloody Sunday", see Some Time in New York City.

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is the opening track and third single from U2's 1983 album, War. The song, noted for its militaristic drumbeat, simple but harsh guitar,[3] and melodic harmonies, features lyrics that describe the horror felt by an observer of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Although controversial, the song was praised by many critics at the time of the album's release.[4][5]

The single was originally released in March 1983 in Germany and The Netherlands only—"Two Hearts Beat As One" was released instead in North America, the rest of Europe, Japan, and Australia.[1] Today, it is considered one of U2's signature songs. Critics rate it among U2's best protest songs.[6] It has become a staple of live performances,[7] and more than a dozen artists have covered (or parodied) the song.[8]

Contents

[edit] Background, writing, and recording

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" grew from a guitar riff and a lyric created by The Edge in 1982. While Bono and new wife Ali Hewson honeymooned in Jamaica, The Edge worked in Ireland on music for the band's upcoming album. Following an argument with his girlfriend and a period of doubt in his own song-writing abilities, The Edge, "...feeling depressed..." "...channeled [his] fear and frustration and self-loathing into a piece of music."[9] His first attempts had no title or chorus melody, but did have an outline and a theme, with the opening line Don't talk to me about the rights of the IRA, UDA[9]

The band has said the lyrics refer to the events of both Bloody Sunday (1972) and Bloody Sunday (1920) in Irish history but are not specifically about either event.[10] The song takes the standpoint of someone who is horrified by the cycle of violence in the province. When Bono returned, he rewrote the lyrics, attempting to contrast the two events with Easter Sunday, but he has said that the band was too inexperienced at the time to fully reach that goal.[9]

   
Sunday Bloody Sunday (song)
 It was a song whose eloquence lay in its harmonic power rather than it verbal strength
   
Sunday Bloody Sunday (song)
 
— Bono, U2 by U2 [9]

With a lyric and riff in place, the band began recording the song at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin. During recording sessions, producer Steve Lilywhite encouraged drummer Larry Mullen Jr. to utilize a click track but Mullen was firmly against this idea. A chance meeting with Andy Newmark (of Sly & the Family Stone fame)—a drummer who used a click track religiously—changed Mullen's mind.[9] The opening drum beats soon became the song's hook and recording progressed. A local violinist, Steve Wickham, approached The Edge one morning at a bus stop and asked if U2 had any need for a violin on their next album. In the studio for only half a day, Wickham's electric violin became the final instrumental contribution to the song.[9]

[edit] Musical structure and lyrics

This two-bar guitar riff is repeated often throughout "Sunday Bloody Sunday."
Enlarge
This two-bar guitar riff[11] is repeated often throughout "Sunday Bloody Sunday."

The studio version of the song opens with a martial drumbeat and an electric violin part at a medium tempo in 4/4 time.[11] An aggressive snare drum beat closely resembles a beat used to keep a military band in step. This sound was further enhanced by recording Mullen's drumwork at the base of a staircase, which produced a more natural echo. After the distinctive drum entrance, The Edge enters with repetitive arpeggios (see notation at right), which establish the minor chord territory of the piece. As the song progresses, the lyrics and guitar become more furious. The guitar ideas, in particular, were even called the "bone-crushing arena-rock riff of the decade" by a Rolling Stone reviewer.[12] A bass drum on every beat provides the musical foundation until the first chorus, when Adam Clayton's bass guitar enters.

Even with the violent nature of the verses, the emergence of major chords creates a feeling of hope during Bono's "How long, how long must we sing this song?" musing. This is further developed with harmonic vocals from The Edge during the chorus in the form of an imitative echo. The snare drum is absent during this section, and the guitar parts are not as loud. These parts of the song deviate musically from the raw aggression seen in the song's verses and help bring a more uplifting structure to the song.[11] Bono once commented that in "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "love is…a central theme."[13]

The lyrics to the song intially describe the anger felt over the Bloody Sunday incidents of the past; in successive stanzas, however, they appear to disown that anger and place the song in a religious context—paraphrasing text from Matthew 10:35 ("mother's children; brothers, sisters torn apart") and bringing a twist to 1 Corinthians 15:32 ("we eat and drink while tomorrow they die"). The song finishes with a call for the Irish to stop fighting each other and "claim the victory Jesus won…on [a] Sunday bloody Sunday."[11]

[edit] Reactions

U2 knew when they decided to record "Sunday Bloody Sunday" that its lyrics could easily be misinterpreted as rebellious, which could jeopardize their personal lives. Some of The Edge's original lyrics, which spoke out against violent rebels, were omitted in order to protect the group.[9] Even without some of the lyrics, a few listeners still immediately passed off the song as a "rebel" song—even one that glorified the events of the two Bloody Sundays to which the lyrics referred.[14]

When the single was released in the UK, it did well, reaching number 7 on the UK Singles Chart, the group's highest spot to date. In the U.S., the song gained significant album oriented rock radio airplay, and together with the earlier "New Year's Day" exposed U2 to the mainstream American rock audience.

Critical reaction to the song was mostly positive. Liam Mackey wrote for the Irish magazine Hot Press that "Sunday Bloody Sunday" "takes the widescreen view…a powerful riff and machine-gun drumming [is] crisscrossed by skipping violin."[4] Denise Sullivan commented for All Music Guide that Mullen's opening drumwork "helps set the tone for the unforgiving, take-no-prisoners feel of the song, as well as for the rest of the album."[5] In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "Sunday Bloody Sunday" 268th on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[15]

[edit] Live performances

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is known to have been performed more than 600 times by U2.[7] It was first heard by a live audience in December 1982, on a twenty-one show "Pre-War Tour," including performances in Belfast. With the band nervous about playng the song in Belfast, Edge recalls recalls the songs first performance there:

   
Sunday Bloody Sunday (song)
 Bono without saying a word to us beforehand said: 'We are going to do a song for you now. If you don't like it, we'll never play it again. It's called "Sunday Bloody Sunday".' The place went nuts, it drew a really positive reaction.
   
Sunday Bloody Sunday (song)
 
— The Edge, U2 by U2 [16]

Even by the song's sixth performance, Bono began introducing the song with the statement "This is not a rebel song".[17] In performances before 1997, The Edge used a Fender Stratocaster.[18][19] When he performed it solo on the Popmart Tour in 1997, he used either his Gibson Les Paul or Gibson Les Paul Custom.[20] The Fender Telecaster has been used to perform the song at every show since the beginning of the Elevation Tour.[21]

[edit] Early live performances

This performance in June 1983 was later released as the song's music video.
Enlarge
This performance in June 1983 was later released as the song's music video.

Bono continued to introduce "Sunday Bloody Sunday" with a slightly modified preface throughout 1983's War Tour: "This song is not a rebel song, this song is 'Sunday Bloody Sunday.'"[22] The live performances on that tour featured a routine during which Bono would set a white flag in the front of the stage while the band vamped three chords—A minor, C major, and F major. As the band vamped, Bono would sing "no more!" with the audience.[23] These live performances were highly effective with U2's audience (at the time, U2 was most popular as a college rock act). In the Unforgettable Fire Tour of 1984 and 1985, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" continued to be a prominent midpoint of each U2 concert—as did the "no more!" interlude. Along with an epic performance of "Bad," the song was performed at Live Aid in July 1985.

[edit] Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum

As U2 reached new levels of fame in 1987 with The Joshua Tree, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" continued to be an focal point of concerts. Some performances featured slower, more contemplative performances of "Sunday Bloody Sunday"; other concerts saw the wilder, more violent version. This tour marked the first (and last) time "Sunday Bloody Sunday" was played in Northern Ireland since the Pre-War Tour of 1982.[7]

The 1988 rockumentary Rattle and Hum includes a particularly renowned version of the song—Bono's mid-song rant angrily and emphatically condemns the Remembrance Day Bombing that had occurred earlier that day, November 8, 1987, in the Northern Irish town of Enniskillen:

   
Sunday Bloody Sunday (song)
 Let me tell you somethin'. I've had enough of Irish Americans who haven't been back to their country in twenty or thirty years come up to me and talk about the resistance, the revolution back home…and the glory of the revolution…and the glory of dying for the revolution. Fuck the revolution! They don't talk about the glory of killing for the revolution. What's the glory in taking a man from his bed and gunning him down in front of his wife and his children? Where's the glory in that? Where's the glory in bombing a Remembrance Day parade of old age pensioners, their medals taken out and polished up for the day. Where's the glory in that? To leave them dying or crippled for life or dead under the rubble of the revolution, that the majority of the people in my country don't want. No more!
   
Sunday Bloody Sunday (song)
 
— Bono, [18]

After the Joshua Tree Tour, Bono was heard saying the band might never play the song again, because the song was "made real" with the performance in Denver, and it could never be matched again.[24][18]

[edit] Live performance omission

Following their original intent, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" was not played during any of the forty-seven shows on the Lovetown Tour in 1989. The song returned for a brief period of time in the midst of the Zoo TV Tour of 1992 and 1993, but was not present on the first part of the Popmart Tour (1997–1998). Late in the second leg of the tour, U2 played an emotional concert in war-ravaged Sarajevo that included a touching solo performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by The Edge. The song was subsequently played live in this style until the end of the tour in March 1998, omitted from just two concerts after Sarajevo.[7]

[edit] Elevation and Vertigo

This concert in Mexico City in February 2006 depicts the elaborate stage effects used for "Sunday Bloody Sunday."
Enlarge
This concert in Mexico City in February 2006 depicts the elaborate stage effects used for "Sunday Bloody Sunday."

Both the 2001 Elevation and 2005–2006 Vertigo tours featured "Sunday Bloody Sunday".[7] Performances in 2001 frequently included parts of Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up" and "Johnny Was." A memorable mid-song message referencing the Omagh bombing of 1998 ("Turn this song into a prayer!") is captured on U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle, a DVD release of one concert at Slane Castle, Ireland. In concerts in New York City after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the "no more!" interlude was replaced by Bono holding an American flag.[25]

The Vertigo Tour of 2005 and 2006 used "Sunday Bloody Sunday" as one of many politically-driven songs generally performed in the middle part of the band's set. Bono extended the "no more!" interlude to explain a headband he had donned in the previous song. It depicted the word "coexist" (written to depict a crescent, a Star of David, and a Christian cross). The "Coexist" symbol in the midwestern United States, the Coexist symbol is trademarked in the United States by an LLP in Indiana,[1] [2] and the original artwork was created in 2001 by a Polish artist.[3] As with the 2001 shows, the Vertigo tour saw the song applied to subjects further afield than The Troubles in Northern Island. During 2006 Australian shows, Bono dedicated the song to the victims of the 2002 Bali Bombings—88 of the fatalities were Australians—lamenting 'This is your song now!'.

[edit] Music video

Although a promotional music video was not originally produced, the band later promoted the song through a live video performance filmed June 5, 1983, and released on Under a Blood Red Sky. The video was directed by Gavin Taylor, and it was released in 1983.

The video highlights Bono's early use of a white flag during the song, and shows the intensity and emotion felt by many audience members during live performances. The rainy, torch-lit setting in Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre further added to the atmosphere of the performance. In 2004, Rolling Stone called the performance at Red Rocks one of the fifty moments that changed the history of rock and roll, noting that "[t]he sight of Bono singing the anti-violence anthem "Sunday Bloody Sunday" while waving a white flag through crimson mist (created by a combination of wet weather, hot lights and the illumination of those crags) became the defining image of U2's warrior-rock spirit and—shown in heavy rotation on MTV—broke the band nationwide."[26]

[edit] Single releases

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" was commercially released throughout most of Europe in support of U2's album War. Its cover art is the same as that of "Two Hearts Beat As One."

  • 7″ vinyl
  1. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (Album Version) (4:34)
  2. "Endless Deep" (2:58)

This is the most common version, released in Germany and The Netherlands.[1] The b-side to this single is unusual in that it is one of the few songs that features bassist Adam Clayton singing.
  • 12″ vinyl
  1. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (Album Version) (4:34)
  2. "Two Hearts Beat As One" (US Remix) (5:40)
  3. "New Year's Day" (US Remix) (4:30)

This version was released in several European countries, and later as a CD single in Austria.[1]

[edit] Other releases

The album version of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" was originally included on War, but it can also be heard on a number of promotional releases, and is on The Best of 1980-1990 and U218 Singles. Several live versions have been released; the video available on Under a Blood Red Sky is from a performance in June 1983, but the audio CD version is from a performance in August 1983. Audio from the Sarajevo concert of 1997 is featured as a b-side on 1997's single "If God Will Send His Angels." The song appears on Rattle and Hum, Popmart: Live From Mexico City, Elevation: Live From Boston, U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle, and Vertigo: Live From Chicago.[27][28]

[edit] Cover versions

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" has been covered by over a dozen different artists, spanning many musical styles.[8] The song is frequently among the tracks recorded for U2 tribute albums. Irish songwriter and performer Phil Coulter's 1990 cover version, featured on the album Recollections, distinctly contrasts U2's original with many lush instrumental effects and soft piano melody. Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine recorded a version of the song for their 2005 album Aperitif for Destruction. Their mambo version of the song parodied U2's use of the Spanish language on their 2004 single "Vertigo."

Perhaps the most notable "cover" version of the song appeared online in June 2006. A music video that lip-syncs footage taken from U.S. President George W. Bush's speeches to create the illusion that he was singing the song was created by a group called "The Party Party." The video achieved moderate success as a viral video, garnering nearly 3,000,000 views on Google Video.[29]

[edit] Chart positions

Year Single Chart Position
1983 "Sunday Bloody Sunday" UK Singles Chart[1] #7
1983 "Sunday Bloody Sunday" US Mainstream Rock Tracks[2] #7

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e U2Wanderer.org. U2 Discography - Sunday Bloody Sunday Single. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
  2. ^ a b "Mainstream Rock Tracks", Billboard, October 16, 1983.
  3. ^ Hillburn, Robert. "The Songwriters - U2 - 'Where Craft Ends and Spirit Begins'", Los Angeles Times, 2004-08-08. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
  4. ^ a b Mackey, Liam. "Review of War", Hot Press, 1983-02-18. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
  5. ^ a b Sullivan, Denise. Song Review: "Sunday Bloody Sunday". All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
  6. ^ VH1 Editors. (2004). VH1's 25 Greatest Protest Songs [Television series]. VH1 television.
  7. ^ a b c d e U2-Vertigo-Tour.com. U2 on Tour - played songs: Sunday Bloody Sunday. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
  8. ^ a b U2Wanderer.org. U2 Cover Songs Discography. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g U2, McCormick, N. (2006-09-26). U2 by U2. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 135–139. ISBN 0-06-077675-7.
  10. ^ U2, Rona Elliot (interviewer). (1987-09-11). U2: The Rona Elliot Interview [Online download]. NBC via iTunes Store. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
  11. ^ a b c d Commercial sheet music for "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Universal-Polygram International Music Publishing. Distributed by Hal Leonard Publishing. ISBN 0-7119-7309-1. Retrieved December 12, 2006.
  12. ^ Connelly, Christopher. "Rolling Stone: Under A Blood Red Sky Review", Rolling Stone, 1984-01-19. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
  13. ^ Lozaw, Tristam. "Love, Devotion & Surrender", U2 Magazine, 1984-06-01. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
  14. ^ Flanagan, Bill (1996-09-01). U2 at the End of the World. New York: Dell Publishing, 385. ISBN 0-385-31154-0.
  15. ^ Editors, Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time — #268. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
  16. ^ U2 Limited (2006). U2 by U2. London: HarperCollinsPublishers, 179. ISBN0-00-719668-7.
  17. ^ de la Parra, Pimm Jal (March 1995). U2 Live: A Concert Documentary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-9198-7.
  18. ^ a b c U2, Phil Joanou (director). (1999). U2: Rattle and Hum [DVD]. Paramount.
  19. ^ U2, David Mallet (director). (2006). Zoo TV: Live from Sydney [DVD]. Island / Polygram Video.
  20. ^ U2, David Mallet (director). (1998). U2: PopMart Live from Mexico City [VHS]. Paramount Home Video.
  21. ^ U2, Hamish Hamilton (director). (2005). Vertigo 2005: U2 Live from Chicago [DVD]. Island / Interscope Video.
  22. ^ U2. Under a Blood Red Sky. Island Records. Compact disc, 1983.
  23. ^ U2, Gavin Taylor (director). (1983). Under a Blood Red Sky [VHS]. RCA / Columbia Video.
  24. ^ Mackey, Liam. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Part 1", Hot Press, 1998-12-01. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
  25. ^ Guzman, Isaac. "No Bombast, but U2 Bands Together with N.Y.", New York Daily News, 2001-10-26.
  26. ^ Cave, Damien, et. al. "U2's Gamble at Red Rocks", Rolling Stone, 2004-06-24, p. 146.
  27. ^ U2Wanderer.org. U2Wanderer.org - U2 Discography - By Song U2 Discography. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
  28. ^ U2Wanderer.org. U2Wanderer.org - U2 Discography - U2 Video and DVD Releases. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
  29. ^ The Party Party. George Bush singing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - Google Video. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.

[edit] References

  • Alan, Carter (1997). U2: The Road to Pop. Boston: Faber & Faber. ISBN 0-571-19930-5.
  • Assayas, Michka (2005). Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 1-57322-309-3.
  • Dunphy, Eamon (1987). Unforgettable Fire. New York: Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-38974-9.
  • Stockman, Steve (2003). Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2. Orlando, Florida: Relevant Books. ISBN 0-9760357-5-8.
  • U2 with Neil McCormick (2006). U2 by U2. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-077675-7.

[edit] External links

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