"Red Light" is a song by
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. It is the eighth track from their 1983 album ''
War
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
''.
Writing and recording
Taking advantage of American musical group
Kid Creole and the Coconuts
Kid Creole and the Coconuts is an American musical group created by August Darnell with Andy Hernandez and Adriana Kaegi. Its music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, in particular a mix of disco and Latin American, Caribbean ...
being in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
, U2 invited the trumpet player to work on "Red Light", thinking that it would freshen up the sound of the band. Three singers joined as well. Bono said, "We had the studio lit red for effect, and one Coconut took her top off and sang in what looked like a ballerina's bra. The boys from
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
had difficulty breathing."
Reception
Sid Smith of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
wrote of the song, "U2's palette broadens on 'Red Light' with backing vocals from
's Coconuts no less, and some equally superfluous trumpet – the latter making a tokenistic jazz noise atop the impervious surface of the band's default setting, that only loosens up enough to work effectively by the time the track is fading-out."
contributor, John Cruz, felt the song indicated a change of tone on the album, saying: "The album's mood becomes looser, with Bono chasing hopeless love in Red Light".