"Desire" is a song by Irish

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band U2 and the third track on their 1988 album, ''

Rattle and Hum ''Rattle and Hum'' is a hybrid live/studio album by Irish Rock music, rock band U2, and a companion rockumentary film directed by Phil Joanou. The album was produced by Jimmy Iovine and was released on 10 October 1988, while the film was distri ...

''. It was released as the album's lead single on 19 September 1988, and became the band's first number-one single in the United Kingdom and Australia. It reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States, and topped both the

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

and

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

charts, making it the first song to reach number one on both charts simultaneously. It reached number two on the Dutch Top 40. At the

31st Annual Grammy Awards The 31st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 22, 1989, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Album of the Year went to George Michael for ''Faith'', and Song of the Year w ...

, "Desire" won the 1988

Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011. The award was discontinued after the 2011 award season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. Beginning in 2012, all solo or duo/group ...

History

U2 cite

the Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...

' song "1969" as the primary influence on "Desire," which is an interpolation of the Bo Diddley beat. The band originally recorded a demo of the song at STS Studios in Dublin. After re-recording it at

A&M Studios The Jim Henson Company Lot, formerly A&M Studios, is a studio property located just south of the southeast corner of North La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally established by film star Charlie Chaplin, the property serve ...

in Los Angeles, they agreed it sounded "tighter and more accurate", but according to guitarist the Edge, "it lacked feel". As a result, they abandoned the re-recording in favour of the original demo. The Edge later praised the song, saying it was "a

rock & roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

record – not a pop song." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said of it that "Bono and U2 go for the groove, a Magic Bus-like throb that harkens back to who knows Who." "Desire" debuted live on the first night of the

Lovetown Tour The Lovetown Tour was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place in late 1989 and early 1990 following the release of ''Rattle and Hum''. It was documented by noted rock film director Richard Lowenstein in the "LoveTown" docum ...

on 21 September 1989, and appeared at almost every concert on that tour. It segued into a cover of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

's " All Along the Watchtower". On the Zoo TV Tour, "Desire" was re-invented with different effects on the Edge's guitar, and it opened most encores.

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...

would use the song to accentuate characteristics of his onstage alteregos Mirrorball Man and

MacPhisto The Zoo TV Tour (also written as ZooTV, ZOO TV or ZOOTV) was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of their 1991 album ''Achtung Baby'', the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1992 to 1993. It was intended to mirror th ...

. On the PopMart Tour, Bono and the Edge would play the song acoustically. For the Elevation Tour, it was a stripped-down electric version played at the tip of a heart-shaped walkway that extended into the audience. Adam Clayton would join in with bass just before the bridge, and

Larry Mullen, Jr. Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. (; born 31 October 1961) is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2. Mullen was born in Dublin, where he attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School. In 1976, he co-founded U2 ...

played along on a single drum. On 15 October 2004, at an appearance on British television promoting the '' How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' album, Bono and Edge performed a rough electric version. On the Vertigo Tour, "Desire" was not played at all on the first three legs, and appeared just once in an acoustic form on the fourth leg in response to a fan's request in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

. It made a full electric debut at the beginning of the fifth leg at the second show in

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; this performance was ramshackle and it was refined before appearing at four subsequent concerts. "Desire" was played sporadically during the U2 360° Tour, usually played in a semi-acoustic form. On one occasion, it was combined with Bruce Springsteen's " She's the One." It was played semi-regularly on the Innocence + Experience Tour during their b-stage set, often with Bono bringing someone from the crowd to play guitar with the band. The song was not performed at all on The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 tour, making it the first tour on which the song was not performed. It returned to the setlist for the 2019 tour, being played to close the main set in rotation with " Angel of Harlem". The song was played at every date of the North American leg of the

Experience + Innocence Tour The Experience + Innocence Tour (styled as eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE Tour) was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of the band's 2017 album, ''Songs of Experience'', the tour visited arenas throughout 2018. Comprising two ...

in a remixed form, taking influences from the Hollywood Remix. "Desire"'s

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

"Hallelujah (Here She Comes)" has never been played in full live by U2 but was debatably snippeted once during " Bullet the Blue Sky."U2gigs.com
Setlist Of The Week #7: B-Sides Live
accessed 22 May 2007 "Desire" has appeared on two U2 compilation albums, ''

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 ...

'' and '' U218 Singles''. An early version of the song appears in the form of a studio performance in the ''Rattle and Hum'' film. "Desire" has furthermore appeared on '' Zoo TV: Live from Sydney'' (as a bonus track from a different concert), '' PopMart: Live from Mexico City'', '' Elevation 2001: Live from Boston'', and '' U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland''.

Music video

The music video for "Desire" was filmed in

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and directed by Richard Lowenstein and

Lynn-Maree Milburn Lynn-Maree Milburn is an Australian writer, director, editor and film producer. Milburn directed the feature-length documentary '' In Bob We Trust'' and co-directed the feature-length documentary '' Autoluminescent'', In 1993 she wrote, animat ...

. It is the Hollywood remix version of the song, with band members and local people in assorted places in the city, supplemented by random images pertaining to references in the song.

Track listings

Personnel

– lead vocals, harmonica * The Edge – guitar, backing vocals * Adam Clayton – bass guitar *

Larry Mullen Jr. Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. (; born 31 October 1961) is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2. Mullen was born in Dublin, where he attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School. In 1976, he co-founded U2 ...

– drums, percussion * Alexandra Brown – backing vocals on Hollywood Remix *

Edna Wright Edna Wright (February 2, 1945 – September 12, 2020) was an American singer, best known as the lead singer of Honey Cone, the girl group that went to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with the song "Want Ads" in 1971. She was the younger sister ...

– backing vocals on Hollywood Remix

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1988 singles 1988 songs Number-one singles in Australia Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Island Records singles Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Spain RPM Top Singles number-one singles Song recordings produced by Jimmy Iovine Songs written by Bono Songs written by the Edge Songs written by Adam Clayton Songs written by Larry Mullen Jr. U2 songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles