War (album)

War
Studio album by U2
Released February 28, 1983 (1983-02-28)
Recorded May 17, 1982 (1982-05-17)–August 20, 1982 (1982-08-20), Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin
Genre Post-punk, rock
Length 42:03
Label Island
Producer Steve Lillywhite
Professional reviews
U2 chronology
October
(1981)		 War
(1983)		 The Unforgettable Fire
(1984)
Singles from War
  1. "New Year's Day"
    Released: January 1983 (1983-01)
  2. "Two Hearts Beat As One"
    Released: March 1983 (1983-03)
  3. "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
    Released: March 1983 (1983-03)

War is the third studio album by Irish rock band U2, released on February 28, 1983 (1983-02-28). The album has come to be regarded as U2's first overtly political album, in part because of songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "New Year's Day", as well as the title, which stems from the band's perception of the world at the time; Bono stated that "war seemed to be the motif for 1982."[1]

While the central themes of their earlier albums Boy and October focused on adolescence and spirituality, respectively,[2] War focused on both the physical aspects of warfare, and the emotional aftereffects.[1] The album has been described as the record where the band "turned pacifism itself into a crusade."[3]

War was a commercial success for the band, knocking Michael Jackson's Thriller from the top of the charts to become the band's first #1 album in the UK. It reached #12 in the U.S. and became their first Gold selling album there. In 2003, the album was ranked number 221 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[4]

Contents

Recording

U2 began recording War on May 17, 1982 (1982-05-17). The band took a break soon afterwards, as newlyweds Bono and Ali honeymooned in Jamaica. It has been noted that it was not a typical honeymoon, as Bono reportedly worked on the lyrics for the upcoming album. The lyrics to "New Year's Day" had its origins in a love song Bono wrote for his wife,[5] but the song was reshaped and inspired by the Polish Solidarity movement.[6]

The album's opener, "Sunday Bloody Sunday", an ardent protest song, stems from a guitar riff and lyric written by The Edge in 1982. 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."[7] Early versions of the song opened with the line, "Don't talk to me about the rights of the IRA, UDA".[7] After Bono had reworked the lyrics, the band recorded the song at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin. The opening drum pattern soon developed into the song's hook. 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.[7]

During the sessions for "Sunday Bloody Sunday", producer Steve Lillywhite encouraged drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. to use a click track, but Mullen was firmly against the idea. A chance meeting with Andy Newmark (of Sly & the Family Stone) — a drummer who used a click track religiously — changed Mullen's mind.[7] Mullen used the click track to stay in time for other songs on the album.[8] Mullen said of the album in a 1983 interview, "I think the drumming has always been pretty simple, I don't think it needs to be flashy. For War I use a click track, something I haven't used before, it's a way of keeping time in my headphones. When I listened to the music in time with the click track I knew I had to bring it down to the real basics. Hopefully for the next LP it will be more complicated, I'll move on. I think of it as a musical progression for myself because I learned a lot recording this album, just about my own style and that's what I wanted to do. I think there is a definite style on War where there isn't on the previous albums."[8]

The studio version of "40" was recorded right at the end of the recording sessions for War. Bassist Adam Clayton had already left the studio, and the three remaining band members decided they didn't have a good song to end the album.[9] Bono, The Edge, and Mullen Jr. quickly recorded the song with The Edge switching off to both the electric and bass guitar. Bono called the song "40" as he based the lyrics on Psalm 40. In live versions of the song, The Edge and Clayton switch roles, as Clayton plays guitar and Edge plays the bass.

Three of the tracks featured backing vocals by The Coconuts, of Kid Creole and the Coconuts. In the words of Steve Lillywhite, "they just happened to be in Dublin on tour, so we hung out with them and they came in and sang on "Surrender." So it was sort of random - this serious Irish rock band having the Coconuts on their album."[10]

The album was titled War for several reasons; in 1982, Bono said that the album was called War because "War seemed to be the motif for 1982," adding that "Everywhere you looked, from the Falklands to the Middle East and South Africa, there was war. By calling the album War we're giving people a slap in the face and at the same time getting away from the cosy image a lot of people have of U2."[1] The Edge said that "It's a heavy title. It's blunt. It's not something that's safe, so it could backfire. It's the sort of subject matter that people can really take a dislike to. But we wanted to take a more dangerous course, fly a bit closer to the wind, so I think the title is appropriate."[1]

Composition

The sound of War is arguably harsher than that of the band's other albums, with the possible exception of Achtung Baby. A major reason for this is that The Edge uses far less delay and echo than in previous and subsequent works.

War opens with the protest song "Sunday Bloody Sunday". The song describes the horror felt by an observer of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, specifically Bloody Sunday (1972). Already a departure from the themes of innocence and spirituality displayed on the group's first two albums, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" introduces the album with a startling, military-esque drum beat by Larry Mullen, Jr., a fuming solo by The Edge that segues into staccato bursts reminiscent of machine gun fire, and pointed lyrical couplets such as: "And today the millions cry / We eat and drink while tomorrow they die." The album as a whole is more direct than the ambient Boy and October. Bono said in 1983,

“ A lot of the songs on our last album were quite abstract, but War is intentionally more direct, more specific. But you can still take the title on a lot of different levels. We're not only interested in the physical aspects of war. The emotional effects are just as important, 'the trenches dug within our hearts'. People have become numb to violence. Watching the television, it's hard to tell the difference between fact and fiction. One minute you see something being shot on The Professionals, and the next you see someone falling through a window after being shot on the news. One is fiction and one is real life, but we're becoming so used to the fiction that we become numb to the real thing. War could be the story of a broken home, a family at war.[1] ”

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is considered to be among the greatest political protest songs,[11] and has remained a staple of U2's live concerts for 25 years.[12]

"Seconds" is a song about nuclear proliferation, and the possibility that Armageddon could occur by an accident.[13] The track contains a clip from the 1982 documentary Soldier Girls.[14] The Edge sings the first two stanzas, making it one of the rare occasions on which he sings lead vocals.[13]

In continuing the political motif of the album, "New Year's Day" is about the Polish solidarity movement.[13] In 2004, Rolling Stone placed it as the 427th greatest song of all time.[15] The song remains a staple of the band's live set, and is their third most frequently performed song behind "I Will Follow" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)".[16]

"Like a Song..." was intended as a message to those who believed that the band was too worthy, sincere, and not "punk" enough.[13] Bono speculated that the song's punk attitude would have made more sense in the 1950s and 1960s, as opposed to the "dressing up" of the genre in the early 1980s.[13] "Like a Song..." was only played live once.[17]

"Drowning Man" is the fifth track on the album. Its sound is a departure from the other tracks in War as it is a quiet, atmospheric song heavily influenced by the work of the Comsat Angels. It was never performed live, although there are also unconfirmed reports that it was performed at a concert in 1983.[18]

Other songs concern topics such as prostitution ("Red Light") and love ("Two Hearts Beat as One").

Release

The album was first released on February 28, 1983.

The boy on the cover is Peter Rowen (brother of Bono's friend, Guggi). He also appears on the covers of Boy, Three, The Best of 1980–1990, and Early Demos. Bono described the reasoning behind the cover: "Instead of putting tanks and guns on the cover, we've put a child's face. War can also be a mental thing, an emotional thing between loves. It doesn't have to be a physical thing."[1]

Singles

In January 1983 (1983-01), "New Year's Day" was released internationally as the album's lead single. The single reached the top ten in the UK, and was the first release by the band to reach the Billboard Hot 100. In March 1983, "Two Hearts Beat as One" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" were released as singles in different regions. "Two Hearts Beat as One", a single in the US, UK, and Australia, reached #18 on the UK Singles Chart; "Sunday Bloody Sunday", released in Germany and the Netherlands, reached #3 on the Netherlands' charts. "40" was not released as a commercial single, but rather as a promotional single in Germany.

Reception

This album became U2's first #1 album in the UK, supplanting Michael Jackson's Thriller at the top of the charts. In 1989, War was ranked #40 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s".[19] In 2003, the album was ranked number 221 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[4]

War Tour

In support of the album, the band began touring on December 1, 1982. The first month of shows, referred to as the "Pre-War Tour", preceded the album's release and the bulk of the tour, and was meant to showcase and test the new songs in a live setting.[20][21] The War Tour proper began on February 26, 1983 and lasted until November 30 of that year. In total, the band played 110 gigs to promote War. Performances often consisted of Bono waving white flags, a sight which became associated with the band after a memorable show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre was captured by the concert film Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky and shown on MTV. The band also released a live EP in 1983 entitled Under a Blood Red Sky (named after a lyric in "New Year's Day"), a compilation of live recordings from the War Tour.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by U2. 

No. Title Length
1. "Sunday Bloody Sunday"   4:40
2. "Seconds"   3:10
3. "New Year's Day"   5:35
4. "Like a Song..."   4:46
5. "Drowning Man"   4:14
6. "The Refugee" (produced by Bill Whelan) 3:40
7. "Two Hearts Beat as One"   4:03
8. "Red Light"   3:46
9. "Surrender"   5:34
10. "40"   2:35
Total length:
 42:03

In 1993, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab remastered the album and released it as a special gold CD. This edition has slightly different running times: most notably, "Seconds" runs 3:22, adding 11.5 seconds in the break section (beginning at approx. 2:03), while "Like a Song..." runs 5:00, extending the playout section (beginning at approx. 4:45).

2008 remastered edition

Following the remastered re-release of The Joshua Tree in 2007, it was rumoured that the band would also remaster and re-release War, along with the albums Boy, and October.[22] This was confirmed by U2.com on April 9, 2008 (2008-04-09).[23] The remastered album was released on July 21, 2008 (2008-07-21) in the UK, with the U.S. version following it the next day. It was released in three different formats:[23]

  1. Standard format: A single CD with re-mastered audio and restored packaging. Includes a 16 page booklet featuring previously unseen photos, full lyrics and new liner notes by Niall Stokes. The 10-tracks match the previous release of the album.
  2. Deluxe format: A standard CD (as above) and a bonus CD. Bonus CD includes b-sides, live tracks and rarities. Also includes a 32 page booklet with previously unseen photos, full lyrics, new liner notes by Niall Stokes, and explanatory notes on the bonus material by The Edge.
  3. Vinyl format: A single album re-mastered version on 180gram vinyl with restored packaging.

Bonus tracks

All songs written and composed by U2. 

No. Title Original release Length
1. "Endless Deep"   "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Two Hearts Beat as One" singles 2:58
2. "Angels Too Tied to the Ground"   Previously unreleased outtake from "War" sessions 3:34
3. "New Year's Day" (7" single edit) "New Year's Day" single 3:56
4. "New Year's Day" (USA remix) "Two Hearts Beat as One" single 4:31
5. "New Year's Day" (Ferry Corsten extended vocal mix) "New Year's Dub 2000" promotional single 9:42
6. "New Year's Day" (Ferry Corsten vocal radio mix) "New Year's Dub 2000" promotional single 4:37
7. "Two Hearts Beat as One" (Long mix) "Two Hearts Beat as One" promotional single 5:56
8. "Two Hearts Beat as One" (USA remix) "Two Hearts Beat as One" single 4:24
9. "Two Hearts Beat as One" (Club version) "Two Hearts Beat as One" single 5:43
10. "Treasure (Whatever Happened to Pete the Chop)"   "New Year's Day" single 3:24
11. "I Threw a Brick Through a Window / A Day Without Me" (Live from Werchter -- July 4th, 1982) "New Year's Day" single 6:58
12. "Fire" (Live from Werchter -- July 4th, 1982) "New Year's Day" single 3:46
Total length:
 59:21

Charts and certifications

Album

Country Peak
position		 Certification Sales
Belgium Platinum[24]
Canada 4[25] 3× Platinum[26] 300,000+[26]
France 2× Platinum[27]
Germany Gold[28]
Netherlands Gold[29]
Switzerland Gold[30]
United Kingdom 1[31] 2× Platinum[32]
United States 12[33] 4× Platinum[34]

Songs

Year Song Peak
IRE
[35]		 CAN
[36]		 NL
[37]		 UK
[38]		 US Hot 100
[33]		 US Main Rock
[33]
1983 "New Year's Day" 2 41 4 10 53 2
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" — — 3 — — 7
"Two Hearts Beat As One" 2 — — 18 — 12
"Surrender" — — — — — 27

"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Personnel

U2
Additional personnel

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Thrills, Adrian (February 26, 1983). "War & Peace". NME. http://u2_interviews.tripod.com/id19.html. Retrieved 2007-11-07. 
  2. ↑ "Review: War". Rolling Stone. 1983-03-31. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/210489/review/6067451/war. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  3. ↑ Reynolds, Simon. Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Penguin, 2005. p. 367. ISBN 0-14-303672-6
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938174/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time/3. Retrieved 2008-07-19. 
  5. ↑ Niall Stokes, Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song.
  6. ↑ Robert Hilburn, The Los Angeles Times, "Where Craft Ends and Spirit Begins", 8 August 2004. Retrieved 14 December 2006.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 U2; McCormick, N. (2006-09-26). U2 by U2. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. pp. 135–139. ISBN 0-06-077675-7. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Larry Mullen Interview". White Lucy. April 1, 1983. http://u2_interviews.tripod.com/id18.html. Retrieved 2007-11-06. 
  9. ↑ On the Edge Entertainment Weekly. Accessed January 4, 2007
  10. ↑ BBC NEWS: U2's producer reveals studio secrets, 18 July 2008
  11. ↑ VH1 Editors. (2004). VH1's 25 Greatest Political Protest Songs. [Television series]. VH1 television. http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/68962/episode_countdown.jhtml. 
  12. ↑ U2-Vertigo-Tour.com. "U2 on Tour - played songs: Sunday Bloody Sunday". http://www.u2-vertigo-tour.com/song11.html. Retrieved 2008-03-07. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Stokes, Niall (2005). U2: Into the Heart - The Stories Behind Every Song. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN 1-56025-765-2. 
  14. ↑ "Seconds by U2". Songfacts.com. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=891. Retrieved 2008-01-14. 
  15. ↑ "The Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. 2004-12-09. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/5. Retrieved 2008-03-12. 
  16. ↑ "All songs U2 ever played in concert". U2-vertigo-tour.com. http://www.u2-vertigo-tour.com/most-played-songs-no-snippets.html. Retrieved 2008-03-12. 
  17. ↑ "Like a Song". U2-vertigo-tour.com. http://www.u2-vertigo-tour.com/Like_A_Song-s228.html. Retrieved 2008-03-12. 
  18. ↑ "1983-06-03: Salt Palace Assembly Hall - Salt Lake City, Utah, USA". U2gigs.com. Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. http://www.u2gigs.com/show448.html. Retrieved 2008-07-19. 
  19. ↑ "Rolling Stone - The 100 Greatest Albums of the 80s". Rolling Stone Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rstone.html#80's. Retrieved 2008-07-19. 
  20. ↑ "U2 tour details". 2000-01-01. http://u2tours.com/find.src?TOUR=Pre-War&Concert=&x=11&y=9. Retrieved 2008-02-29. 
  21. ↑ "@U2 Podcast, Edition 4-2 "The @U2 Warcast". 2008-02-29. http://podcast.atu2.com/index.php?post_id=312271. Retrieved 2008-02-29. 
  22. ↑ Futterman, Erica (2008-02-11). "News Ticker: Ozzfest, Pete Townshend, U2, Dr. Dre". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/02/11/ticker/. Retrieved 2008-03-12. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Boy, October, War: Remastered". U2.com. April 9, 2008 (2008-04-09). http://www.u2.com/news/index.php?mode=full&news_id=2216. Retrieved 2008-04-09. 
  24. ↑ "Les disques d'or/de platin - 2009" (in French). Ultratop. Hung Median. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/certifications.asp?year=2009. Retrieved 2010-01-24. 
  25. ↑ "Search Results: War U2". RPM. 1983-05-28. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=8btpc55uesvhffgnhp22r4co86&q1=%22War%22+U2. Retrieved 2009-11-25. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "CRIA Certification Results: U2". Canadian Recording Industry Association. 1987-12-03. http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php?page=1&wclause=WHERE+artist_name+like+%27%25U2%25%27+ORDER+BY+cert_date%2C+cert_award+&rcnt=81&csearch=20&nextprev=1. Retrieved 2009-11-17. 
  27. ↑ Disque En France
  28. ↑ IFPI Germany
  29. ↑ IFPI Germany
  30. ↑ IFPI Switzerland
  31. ↑ "Everyhit.com". Everyhit.com. http://www.everyhit.com. Retrieved 2010-01-23.  Note: U2 must be searched manually under the album category.
  32. ↑ BPI
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 "U2: Charts and Awards". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gifwxqr5ldde~T50. Retrieved 2010-01-23. 
  34. ↑ "Gold and Platinum Database Search". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH. Retrieved 2010-01-23.  Note: U2 must be searched manually.
  35. ↑ "Search the charts". Irishcharts.ie. http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement. Retrieved 2010-01-23.  Note: U2 must be searched manually
  36. ↑ "RPM archive". RPM. 1983-05-21. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/index-e.html. Retrieved 2010-01-23.  Note: U2 needs to be searched manually.
  37. ↑ "U2 – New Year's Day". Hung Median. http://www.ultratop.be/en/showitem.asp?interpret=U2&titel=New+Year%27s+Day&cat=s. Retrieved 2010-01-23. 
  38. ↑ "U2 singles". Everyhit.com. http://everyhit.com/. Retrieved 2009-10-29.  Note: U2 must be searched manually.
Preceded by
Thriller by Michael Jackson		 UK Albums Chart number one album
March 12–18, 1983		 Succeeded by
Thriller by Michael Jackson
War track listing

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" · "Seconds" · "New Year's Day" · "Like a Song..." · "Drowning Man" · "The Refugee" · "Two Hearts Beat as One" · "Red Light" · "Surrender" · "40"
October
U2
Bono • Adam Clayton • The Edge • Larry Mullen, Jr.
Studio albums
Boy • October • War • The Unforgettable Fire • The Joshua Tree • Rattle and Hum • Achtung Baby • Zooropa • Pop • All That You Can't Leave Behind • How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb • No Line on the Horizon
Compilations and EPs
Three • Wide Awake in America • Please: PopHeart Live EP • The Best of 1980–1990 • 7 • The Best of 1990–2000 • Exclusive • The Complete U2 • Live from Under the Brooklyn Bridge • U218 Singles • Wide Awake in Europe
Other albums
Under a Blood Red Sky • Melon: Remixes for Propaganda • Original Soundtracks 1 • Hasta la Vista Baby! U2 Live from Mexico City • The Million Dollar Hotel soundtrack • Live from the Point Depot • U2.COMmunication • Zoo TV Live • U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland • Live from Paris • Medium, Rare & Remastered • Artificial Horizon • U2:DUALS • Best of U2
Videos and films
U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky • The Unforgettable Fire Collection • Rattle and Hum • Achtung Baby: The Videos, The Cameos, and a Whole Lot of Interference from Zoo TV • Zoo TV: Live from Sydney • PopMart: Live from Mexico City • Elevation 2001: U2 Live from Boston • U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland • Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago • Vertigo 05: Live from Milan • U218 Videos • Live from Paris • U2 3D • Linear • U2 360° at the Rose Bowl
Tours and concerts
Boy Tour • October Tour • War Tour • The Unforgettable Fire Tour • A Conspiracy of Hope • The Joshua Tree Tour • Lovetown Tour • Zoo TV Tour • PopMart Tour (concert in Sarajevo) • Elevation Tour • Vertigo Tour • U2 360° Tour
Additional personnel
Anton Corbijn • Brian Eno • Dik Evans • Flood • Howie B • Jimmy Iovine • Daniel Lanois • Steve Lillywhite • Paul McGuinness • Willie Williams
Lists and miscellany
Awards • Discography • Songs • Covers of U2 songs • Concert tours • Mother Records • The Dalton Brothers • Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Wikipedia book Book • Category Category • Portal Portal • WikiProject WikiProject • U2 Timeline • Singles