Why Bono changed the 'Early Morning' Lyric of Pride for Songs of Surrender

Pride from U2's The Unforgettable Fire was arguably U2's first 'proper' hit single. 

The song honours slain Baptist Minister and black rights activist Martin Luther King.

The original version of Pride features the lyric: "Early morning, April four" as the time that MLK was shot.

In reality, this was not the case, MLK was killed much later that day.

The Songs of Surrender version of Pride updates the incorrect 'early morning' lyric to "In the evening April 4" to reflect the actual time of MLK's assassination.

The U2 song MLK also refers to the man. 
 

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U2 'Songs of Surrender' album track list and lyrics

U2 have announced Songs of Surrender, an album which revisits and reworked and recorded songs both older and more recent - covering the entire rage of their catalogue. 

Some of the songs feature reworked lyrics by Bono. He said while promoting his Stories of Surrender novel "I have sometimes been rewriting some of the lyrics. During lockdown, we were able to reimagine forty U2 tracks for the Songs of Surrender collection, which gave me a chance to live inside those songs again as I wrote this memoir. It also meant I could deal with something that’s been nagging me for some time. The lyrics on a few songs that I’ve always felt were never quite written. They are now. (I think.)"

Track List for Songs of Surrender by U2

“Out of Control” – U2 (From Boy)
“Stories for Boys” – U2 (From Boy)
“I Will Follow” – U2 (From Boy)
“11 O’Clock Tick Tock” – U2 (Non-Album Single)
“Two Hearts Beat as One” – U2 (From War)
“Sunday Bloody Sunday” – U2 (From War)
“40” – U2 (From War)
“Bad” – U2 (From The Unforgettable Fire)
“Pride (In the Name of Love)” – U2 (From The Unforgettable Fire)
“Where the Streets Have No Name” – U2 (From The Joshua Tree)
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” – U2 (From The Joshua Tree)
“With or Without You” – U2 (From The Joshua Tree)
“Red Hill Mining Town” – U2 (From The Joshua Tree)
“Desire” – U2 (From Rattle and Hum)
“All I Want is You” – U2 (From Rattle and Hum)
“One” – U2 (From Achtung Baby)
“Until the End of the World” – U2 (From Achtung Baby)
“The Fly” – U2 (From Achtung Baby)
“Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” – U2 (From Achtung Baby)
“Stay (Faraway, So Close!)” – U2 (From Zooropa)
“Dirty Day” – U2 (From Zooropa)
“If God Will Send His Angels” – U2 (From Pop)
“Beautiful Day” – U2 (From All That You Can’t Leave Behind)
“Walk On” – U2 (From All That You Can’t Leave Behind)
“Peace on Earth” – U2 (From All That You Can’t Leave Behind)
“Electrical Storm” – U2 (Non-Album Single)
“Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” – U2 (From All That You Can’t Leave Behind)
“Vertigo” – U2 (From How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
“Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own” – U2 (From How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
“Crumbs from Your Table” – U2 (From How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
“Miracle Drug” – U2 (From How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
“Invisible” – U2 (Non-Album Single)
“Ordinary Love” – U2 (Non-Album Single)
“The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)” – U2 (From Songs of Innocence)
“Song for Someone” – U2 (From Songs of Innocence)
“Every Breaking Wave” – U2 (From Songs of Innocence)
“Cedarwood Road” – U2 (From Songs of Innocence)
“The Little Things that Give You Away” – U2 (From Songs of Experience)
“Lights of Home” – U2 (From Songs of Experience)
“Get Out of Your Own Way” – U2 (From Songs of Experience)

In a moment of keeping it real for the U2 fans, guitarist The Edge sent out letters - a key paragraph describes U2's intent with this album:

"Music allows you to time travel and so we started to imagine what it would be like to bring these songs back with us to the present day and give them the benefit or otherwise, of a 21st century re-imagining. What started as an experiment quickly became a personal obsession as so many early U2 songs yielded to a new interpretation. Intimacy replaced post-punk urgency. New keys. New chords. New tempos and new lyrics arrived. It turns out that a great song is kind of indestructible. Once we surrendered our reverence for the original version each song started to open up to a new authentic voice of this time, of the people we are, and particularly the singer Bono has become. … I hope you like our new direction.”

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What U2 songs does The Edge sing on?

What U2 songs does The Edge sing lead vocals on?

In the expansive discography of U2, a band renowned for its distinct sound and profound impact on the music industry, the contributions of the guitarist David Howell Evans, better known as The Edge, extend beyond his innovative guitar techniques and backing vocals. 

The Edge's role as a vocalist, although less prominent than that of the lead singer Bono, offers a unique and compelling dimension to U2's music. 

The Edge's vocal contributions, characterized by their clarity and emotive resonance, provide a contrast to Bono's more dominant and robust singing style. 

His voice, often described as introspective and ethereal, adds a layer of subtlety and depth to the songs he leads. The exploration begins with "Seconds" from the 1983 album "War," where The Edge's vocals punctuate the song's anti-nuclear message with a sense of urgency and starkness. This track stands as an early example of his ability to convey powerful themes through a more restrained vocal delivery.

Numb

"Numb" was released as Grammy Winner, Zooropa's first single. 

Numb is a repeating, monotonous mantra spoken by The Edge with a drumbeat sampled from the Leni Riefenstahl film Olympia. 

"Numb" also features backing vocals by Bono and Larry Mullen, Jr i.e. while The Edge sings in a slow rap monotone while Bono sings around it in his 'opera' voice. Bono did the same on Zooropa, the Johnny Cash track. 

Here's the video of Numb as it's a classic!

Van Diemen's Land

Van Dieman's Land was the original name used by Europeans for the island of Tasmania, Australia. The lyrics were written and sung by U2's one and only The Edge. 

The song is dedicated to a Fenian poet named John Boyle O'Reilly, who was deported to Australia because of his poetry and Fenian leanings. 

The track itself is from Rattle and Hum.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

During the Pop Mart tour, The Edge took lead vocal duties live on stage for this song. Edge sang alone and without accompaniment from the rest of the U2 band, save for his own guitar and capo on the second fret.

You're The Best Thing About Me

From Songs of Experience, The Edge sings a full verse near the end of the song:

"I can see it all so clearly
I can see what you can’t see
I can see you lover her loudly
When she needs you quietly"

The Edge is also noted as singing the first half of the song "Seconds" from War, dual vocals with Bono in "Discotheque" from the Pop album, and the bridge in the song "Miracle Drug" (though there's some debate about that).

Recently The Edge sang the last verse on Country Mile from the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb reissue.

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U2 lyrics that explore religion, Jesus, Yahweh and The Good Book

It seems almost obligatory to do a post on U2's spiritual side. They are perhaps the world's most popular Christian band after all!  I say Christian very loosely though as for some people that kind of connotation can turn them right off  but U2's is most definitely a band that is not shy of exploring their spiritual lyrical side.

Bono, U2's main lyric writer, is a noted musical magpie who steals lines from the Bible to help with his song crafting. Indeed, there's a whole page of bible references Bono has made across the U2 song catalogue.

You could almost put U2's song lyrics into two distinct camps - songs about spirituality and songs about politics (such as nuclear war). 

You could throw in a third camp about of U2's love songs if you wanted but since when has 'love' not ever been spiritual or a matter of politics?

Jesus is a popular man in U2 songs, along with mentions of Yahweh, the references to the Koran and a few other Saints - so I thought  I'd feature a few U2 song lyrics that show case Bono's spiritual side and give a little insight into what I think the lyrics mean and perhaps give a little context on the genesis of some of them...

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Many people suddenly found themselves to be U2 fans in the late 80s when The Joshua Tree album started topping charts around the world.

Helping lead the charge was I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For which is the gold standard if you are looking for a U2 song that focuses on a spiritual yearning. 

Stealing the line from the Bible's 1 Corinthians 13:1: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." Bono directly references Corinthians 13 in Elvis Ate America from the Original Soundtracks Vol 1.

Bono sung  "I have spoken with the tongue of angels" thus heralding to the world where he was coming from yet he then signalled his mischievous side with the following lyric that he had also 'held the hand of the Devil'.

Wake Up Dead Man from the Pop album

In tough times people often turn to their spiritual advisor for support - Wake Up Dead Man is Bono trying to get a direct line with Jesus to come and fix "the fucked up world'.

Originally written during the Zooropa recording sessions, the final version ended up on Pop as an effective album closer.

Fun aside, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me also came from the Zooropa recording sessions and asks a question of Jesus.

Gloria 

The lyrics of "Gloria" from U2's October album are a powerful expression of spiritual yearning and the tension between human limitations and divine transcendence. Bono uses the Latin phrase "Gloria in te Domine" (Glory in you, Lord), immediately situating the song within a religious context, invoking a direct appeal to God. 

The chorus, with its repetition of "Gloria," echoes a form of worship, a plea for connection with the divine. The verses reflect a personal struggle—Bono sings of feeling both empowered by faith and constrained by doubt, as he expresses the desire to "sing out loud," but feels his "voice can't take the strain." This contrast between the desire for liberation and the awareness of human frailty runs through the song, capturing the essence of spiritual conflict. 

"Gloria" is about searching for God amidst life's chaos, seeking to break free from earthly confines to embrace something higher. The recurring imagery of rising and being lifted points to a longing for spiritual elevation, while the song's soaring melody mirrors this aspiration. 

Ultimately, "Gloria" is both a cry for help and an act of devotion, reflecting Bono's ongoing quest for faith and purpose, which is a central theme of the October album.

Yahweh

A beautiful track from U2's How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, Yahweh's lyrics are a reflection of Bono's faith (as the son of a Catholic father and an Anglican mother) and points to the differences in the power that he believes between God and mankind. 

The word 'yahweh' has traditionally been by transliterated from the word Jehovah. Jehovah is often described as "the proper name of God in the Old Testament".

Larry, Bono, Edge and Adam, hold the bike while I get on?

Sunday Bloody Sunday

A protest song about the political troubles that have face the people of Ireland, its inspiration was a couple of events where soldiers shot civilians in Northern Ireland. 

The Derry massacre, or Bloody Sunday, was deeply intertwined with the religious divide between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, where Catholics, largely identifying as Nationalists, sought reunification with the Republic of Ireland, while the Protestant Unionists favored continued British rule. 

The religious divide was a driving force behind the sectarian violence, with British military intervention being perceived by many Catholics as siding with the Protestant-dominated government.

Until the End of the World

This has proved to be an incredibly popular song from U2's Achtung Baby and has been played on just about every tour U2 have done since that album was released in 1991.

In U2 fan circles, the song is semi-legendary for being interpreted as a fictional conversation between Jesus and Judas following the betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane.. The lyrics subtly convey a deep sense of remorse on Judas's part, suggesting that he came to regret his actions after betraying Jesus. This spiritual theme delves into the weight of guilt, forgiveness, and the consequences of moral failure, culminating in Judas’s tragic decision to take his own life. The song invites listeners to reflect on themes of redemption, betrayal, and the complex human emotions tied to spiritual crises.

Tomorrow

A classic earnest lyric from Bono, the song reflects a period in his life when he was grappling deeply with his faith, mortality, and spiritual identity. 

The October album, in particular, marks a pivotal moment in Bono’s songwriting, often referred to as the "God Watch" phase. This phase was characterized by an intense personal search for meaning, fueled by the loss of his mother and the existential questions that followed. 

His mother's death, which occurred when Bono was a teenager, left a lasting impact on him, and this grief permeates much of the album's lyrical content, as he contemplates life, death, and what lies beyond.

Bono's lyrics reflect internal dialogue about his relationship with God, his struggles with doubt, and the idea of meeting Jesus. It's as if the songs are meditations or prayers, filled with both yearning and uncertainty, as Bono navigates the tension between his faith and the harsh realities of life. 

Stranger in a Strange Land

The lyrics of U2's "Stranger in a Strange Land" evoke the biblical story of the Road to Emmaus from Luke 24, where the resurrected Jesus appears as a stranger to two of his disciples. Throughout their journey together, the disciples fail to recognize him until he breaks bread with them, revealing his true identity. 

This theme of spiritual blindness and revelation resonates in the song's lyrics, with Bono seemingly drawing parallels between the experience of feeling disconnected from or alienated within the world and the deeper spiritual realization that can suddenly arise in unexpected moments. 

The metaphor of being a "stranger" captures the human condition of searching for meaning, struggling with faith, and the longing for a connection that transcends the ordinary—similar to how the disciples, initially lost and disillusioned, found hope and recognition in Jesus once their eyes were opened. 

If God Will Send His Angels

It's hard to discern the actual message of this song. The lyrics possibly suggest the character is living in a world where they need some help and they need some angels to come and sort things out.

The line "where is the hope, and where is the faith, and the love?" hints at a lost soul that needs some guidance in light of a world they are concerned about such one where the cartoon network leads into the news and the blind lead the blondes.

The song featured on the City of Angels soundtrack and was a fairly popular single from the Pop album.

Salome

Salome is inspired by the story of the death of John the Baptist which was from the gospel of Mark.

Supposedly a seductive dancer (in the modern-day vernacular, she'd be known as a stripper) Salome's super gyrations convinced the King to grant her a wish to which she asked for the head of John.

Pretty random story and sounds like something that got lost in translation when the Bible got rewritten. It's either that or Oscar Wilde had an overactive imagination. 

These eight songs were only a taste of the many songs that Bono has imbued with lyrics that refer to the Bible or have looked into an 'ecumenical' matter of sorts - Gloria, for example, could probably have a whole essay written about it.

The Wander

In "The Wanderer" from Zooropa, Johnny Cash's vocals paint a vivid picture of a man drifting through a dystopian landscape, searching for meaning in a morally bankrupt world. His journey takes him through the "capitals of tin," a metaphor for modern cities where superficiality reigns, and freedom is stifled, symbolized by the line "where men can't walk or freely talk, and sons turn their fathers in." This chilling observation reflects a society where trust is broken, and even familial bonds are sacrificed for survival or conformity.

As he stops outside a church, Cash highlights the paradox of people desiring the comforts of a spiritual kingdom but rejecting the divine presence itself—"they say they want the kingdom, but they don't want God in it." 

This speaks to a hollow, materialistic spirituality devoid of true faith or connection. The wanderer continues his ride down "that old eight lane," a symbol of the vast, impersonal highways of modern life, passing countless signs, searching for his identity, but finding nothing. His journey is both physical and spiritual, one of existential longing, as he went out "with nothing but the thought you'd be there too, looking for you," a poignant reflection of the hope that perhaps in this desolate world, he might find someone who shares his quest for meaning, love, or redemption. 

The song, rich with metaphor, explores themes of isolation, disillusionment, and the relentless pursuit of something greater in a fractured world.

What other songs do you think show U2's spiritual side? What do they mean for you?

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