The song "Happiness," featured in the 20th-anniversary re-release of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, brings a lighter yet poignant emotional counterbalance to the more intense themes of the original album.
The lyrics of this U2 song intertwine themes of love, conflict, and existential questions, all while carrying undertones of political and social commentary, as seen through the reference to the "atomic bomb."
This imagery connects directly to How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the album's title, and serves as a recurring metaphor in both the album and the song "Fast Cars."
The "atomic bomb" can be interpreted as a symbol of imminent catastrophe or overwhelming tension—both personal and global. In this context, the desert landscape represents emotional desolation, while the atomic bomb evokes the feeling of living under the constant threat of destruction or collapse, whether on an intimate level in relationships or in the broader sense of societal instability.
But is Bono really here for that?
'Happiness' song lyrics by U2
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah yeah yeah
Yeah
Love has got a hold on me
Taking all control of me
It’s got the very soul of me
Soul soul soul soul
Want to take you next to me
Don’t want to be your enemy
Don’t think this world was meant to be
No no no no
And happiness is for those who don’t really need it
Stop talking
I’m talking to you
Keep walking
We’ll make it through
It’s hot here
Not even a breeze
Trying to make friends of my enemies
Can’t hear you
There’s an echo on the line
Not near you
But you’re on my mind
I’m in the desert
But I won’t be long
I’m here for the atomic bomb
Yeah-yeah-yeah
Uh huh
Yeah yeah
Teacher I’m going to have to pray
We heard the things you have to say
But do we have to do what we want today?
The boy that’s sitting next to me
Cleverness the enemy
Tell me why there needs to be
21st century
Hold on
Hold on
Hold on
Happiness
Is for those who don’t really need it
Stop talking
I’m talking to you
Keep walking
We’ll make it through
It’s hot here
Not even a breeze
Trying to make friends of my enemies
Can’t hear you
There’s an echo on the line
Not near you
But you’re on my mind
I’m in the desert
But I won’t be long
I’m here for the atomic bomb
Tonight we can be friends
Let’s get down on our knees
The world won’t have to end
Not tonight
Sugar please
Please baby please baby please
Please baby please
Please baby please baby please
Hey eh eh
Stop talking
I’m talking to you
Keep walking
We’ll make it through
It’s hot here
Not even a breeze
Trying to make friends of my enemies
Can’t hear you
There’s an echo on the line
Not near you
But you’re on my mind
I’m in the desert
But I won’t be long
I’m here for the atomic bomb
While How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb often grapples with weighty subjects like loss (Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own), faith (Yahweh), and conflict (Love And Peace Or Else), "Happiness" offers a more nuanced and complex meditation on joy and contentment.
Rather than a straightforward celebration, the lyrics suggest that happiness is elusive and fragile, fitting within the album’s broader themes of uncertainty, existential tension, and emotional struggle.
The recurring line, "Happiness is for those who don’t really need it," underlines this fragility, presenting happiness as something that slips away from those who actively seek it, aligning with the album’s introspective tone.
Check out the lyrics to Country Mile, from the same HTDAAB album reissue.
0 Achtung Babies:
Post a Comment