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Wide Awake In America
''Wide Awake in America'' is a four-track extended play by Irish rock band U2. It was released on 20 May 1985 through Island Records. It combines two live performances of songs from the group's 1984 album ''The Unforgettable Fire'' with two B-sides from the era, which had previously been available only in the United Kingdom. ''Wide Awake in America'' was originally released only in North America and Japan but it charted in the UK as an import. It was re-released internationally in 1990. The EP's centerpiece, " Bad", a song about heroin addiction, would become a staple of their live set, particularly after an extended performance at Live Aid in which lead vocalist Bono danced with a woman in the audience. Radio programmers often chose this ''Wide Awake in America'' version over the original studio recording for airplay. The EP's title is inspired by the chorus of "Bad", with its refrain, "Wide awake / I'm wide awake / I'm not sleeping." Song notes "Bad" was produced by the b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rock Music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States and United Kingdom.W. E. Studwell and D. F. Lonergan, ''The Classic Rock and Roll Reader: Rock Music from its Beginnings to the mid-1970s'' (Abingdon: Routledge, 1999), p.xi It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, a style that drew directly from the blues and rhythm and blues genres of African-American music and from country music. Rock also drew strongly from a number of other genres such as electric blues and folk, and incorporated influences from jazz, classical, and other musical styles. For instrumentation, rock has centered on the electric guitar, usually as part of a rock group with electric bass guitar, drums, and one or more singers. Usually, rock is song-based music with a time signature using a verse–chorus form, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Live Aid
Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a movement that started with the release of the successful charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in December 1984. Billed as the "global jukebox", Live Aid was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London, attended by about 72,000 people, and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, attended by 89,484 people. On the same day, concerts inspired by the initiative were held in other countries, such as the Soviet Union, Canada, Japan, Yugoslavia, Austria, Australia and West Germany. It was one of the largest satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time; an estimated audience of 1.9 billion, in 150 nations, watched the live broadcast, nearly 40 percent of the world population. The impact of Live Aid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Sort Of Homecoming (song)
"A Sort of Homecoming" is a song by Irish rock band U2, and is the opening track on their 1984 album, ''The Unforgettable Fire''. A live version of the track is found on 1985's four-track EP, ''Wide Awake in America''. Composition As the opening track on ''The Unforgettable Fire'', "A Sort of Homecoming" epitomises the new direction U2 had taken.Parra (1994), pp. 52-56 A far more atmospheric album than the previous overt-rock of ''War'', the album has a rich and orchestrated sound. Like much of the album, the song replaces the hard-hitting martial drum sound of ''War'' with a subtler polyrhythmic shuffle, and the guitar is no longer as prominent in the mix.Graham (1996), p. 23 On the War Tour and leading up to recording ''The Unforgettable Fire'', U2 lead singer and lyricist, Bono, had become a voracious reader. He read fiction, philosophy and poetry, and came to realise that his song-writing mission—which up to that point had been a reluctant one on his behalf—was a poetic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Single (music)
In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separately from an album, although it usually also appears on an album. In other cases a recording released as a single may not appear on an album. Despite being referred to as a single, in the era of music downloads, singles can include up to as many as three tracks. The biggest digital music distributor, the iTunes Store, accepts as many as three tracks that are less than ten minutes each as a single. Any more than three tracks on a musical release or thirty minutes in total running time is an extended play (EP) or, if over six tracks long, an album. Historically, when mainstream music was purchased via vinyl records, singles would be released double-sided, i.e. there was an A-side and a B-side, on which two songs would appear, one on each si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Unforgettable Fire (song)
"The Unforgettable Fire" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the title track of their fourth album (1984), and was released as the album's second single in April 1985. The band cited an art exhibition by victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that was held at The Peace Museum in Chicago as the lyrical inspiration for the song. It became the band's third top-ten hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number six on the UK Singles Chart and number eight on the Dutch singles chart. The song, like many tracks from ''The Unforgettable Fire'', is an atmospheric composition, with ambient use of guitar and a string arrangement by Irish jazz musician Noel Kelehan. Writing and recording The song evolved from a short piano composition that guitarist the Edge had written during a demo session with Jimmy Destri from the band Blondie. The Edge said it was written for no particular purpose, but he envisioned it as a film soundtrack piece. However, he did not know how to "a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Best Of 1980–1990
''The Best of 1980–1990'' is the first greatest hits compilation by Irish rock band U2, released in 2 November 1998. It mostly contains the group's hit singles from the 1980s, but also mixes in some live staples, as well as one new recording, " Sweetest Thing". In April 1999, a companion video (featuring music videos and live footage) was released. The album was followed by another compilation, ''The Best of 1990–2000'', in 2002. A limited edition version of the album that included a second disc of B-sides was released a week earlier than the standard single-disc version. At the time of release, the official word was that the two-disc album would be available the first week the album went on sale, then pulled from stores. While this edict never materialized, it did result in the two-disc version being in very high demand. Both versions charted in the ''Billboard'' 200, with the two-disc version debuting at number two and setting a new first-week sales record in the United ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for two millennia. The City of London, its ancient core and financial centre, was founded by the Romans as '' Londinium'' and retains its medieval boundaries.See also: Independent city § National capitals The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has for centuries hosted the national government and parliament. Since the 19th century, the name "London" has also referred to the metropolis around this core, historically split between the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire, which largely comprises Greater London, governed by the Greater London Authority.The Greater London Authority consists of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. The London Mayor is distinguished fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-seat facility is London's second-largest indoor arena after The O2 Arena, and the List of indoor arenas in the United Kingdom, ninth-largest in the United Kingdom. History The Empire Pool (also known as Empire Pool and Sports Arena) was built for the 1934 British Empire Games at Wembley, by Arthur Elvin, and originally housed a swimming pool, as reflected by its name. The pool itself was last used for the 1948 Summer Olympics. Today, the building is used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. It was designed by the engineer Sir Owen Williams (engineer), Owen Williams, without the employment of an architect. Williams built a unique structure, with cantilevers meeting in the middle, thus avoiding the need for internal pillars. He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Sort Of Homecoming (U2 Song)
"A Sort of Homecoming" is a song by Irish rock band U2, and is the opening track on their 1984 album, ''The Unforgettable Fire''. A live version of the track is found on 1985's four-track EP, ''Wide Awake in America''. Composition As the opening track on ''The Unforgettable Fire'', "A Sort of Homecoming" epitomises the new direction U2 had taken.Parra (1994), pp. 52-56 A far more atmospheric album than the previous overt-rock of ''War'', the album has a rich and orchestrated sound. Like much of the album, the song replaces the hard-hitting martial drum sound of ''War'' with a subtler polyrhythmic shuffle, and the guitar is no longer as prominent in the mix.Graham (1996), p. 23 On the War Tour and leading up to recording ''The Unforgettable Fire'', U2 lead singer and lyricist, Bono, had become a voracious reader. He read fiction, philosophy and poetry, and came to realise that his song-writing mission—which up to that point had been a reluctant one on his behalf—was a poetic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Edge
David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist of the rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 14 studio albums with them as well as one solo record. His understated style of guitar playing, a signature of U2's music, is distinguished by chiming timbres, use of rhythmic delay, drone notes, harmonics, and an extensive use of effects units. Born in England to Welsh parents and raised in Ireland, the Edge formed the band that would become U2 with his classmates at Mount Temple Comprehensive School and his elder brother Dik in 1976. Inspired by the ethos of punk rock and its basic arrangements, the group began to write its own material. They eventually became one of the most successful acts in popular music, with albums such as 1987's ''The Joshua Tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Unforgettable Fire Tour
The Unforgettable Fire Tour was a concert tour by Irish rock band U2 that took place in 1984 and 1985 in support of band's album ''The Unforgettable Fire''. Beginning in August 1984 with the band's first tour to Australia and New Zealand, the tour spanned four further legs which included 43 concerts in Europe and 50 in North America. Initially challenged by the sonic complexity of the new album's material, the band were able to translate the complex layered atmospheric textures of the new studio-recorded tracks to live performance through the use of programmed sequencers, which the band until then had been reluctant to use. Since then sequencers are now used on the majority of U2 songs in performance. Songs criticised as being "unfinished", "fuzzy" and "unfocused" on the album, including the live favourite, " Bad", made more sense on stage. For the first time, U2 consistently played in arenas instead of smaller halls and theatres, and sometimes for multiple nights. The group h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight. The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Paleolithic period, but takes its name from the Angles, a Germanic tribe deriving its name from the Anglia peninsula, who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in the 10th century and has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century. The English language, the Anglican Church, and Engli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
