"Hawkmoon 269" 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 is the fourth 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 ...

''.

Recording

"Hawkmoon 269" was recorded in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in Sunset Sound studios. The name "Hawkmoon" was inspired by the town of Hawkmoon,

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

, which U2 had passed through while on tour.(There is no town in either Dakota's named Hawkmoon). This name was probably inspired by a Sam Shepard book. The number "269" in the title refers to the number of mixes the song went through before the final recorded version, according to the Edge, who said they spent three weeks on the track.

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 ...

plays the Hammond organ on this track; Dylan also collaborated with Bono on writing another of the songs on

, ''Love Rescue Me''. In addition, U2 covers the Dylan song ''All Along the Watchtower'' on

References

U2 songs Songs written by Bono Songs written by the Edge Songs written by Adam Clayton Songs written by Larry Mullen Jr. 1988 songs {{1980s-rock-song-stub