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U2 History - Part 7

When U2 began the progress of making their new album, they knew that a big change needed to be made if their creative spark were to continue. Although "War" had been successful commercially, they knew that following the style of music on the album would lead to eventual failure. To continue on with something like "War" would make their creative spirit dependent on the expectations of their peers - that U2 could change the world with hard-hitting, "slap in the face" music. In addition, U2 wanted to make something with individuality which they could identify themselves with and that gave them a reason why they formed in a band in the first place - "..."Boy" is a sexual record of sorts. "October" is a spiritual record. "War" I don't know what. It was as if U2 were learning how to be U2. Now we want to find out what U2 can do". Because of this, they chose Brian Eno as their new producer to replace Steve Lillywhite who also followed U2's philosophy in making original music.

Initially, Eno didn't find their past music inspiring. However, he made up his mind to become the producer as soon as he met U2. Eno on Bono and U2 - "He talked about how they worked as a band, not in terms of playing and so forth, but in terms of contribution, what contributed to the identity of the band as a whole". So intrigued was Eno on Bono's comments and beliefs that Eno couldn't resist the temptation and decided to help them out, choosing Slane Castle as the location to produce their new music in May 1984 before returning back to Windmill Lane in June.

Although they had little time to record, their new album "Unforgettable Fire" was released on schedule in October 1984, giving U2 their second UK number 1 album. The name of the album was inspired by a collection of works done by the victims of the Hiroshima bombing at the Museum of Peace in Chicago. For the album, the name symbolized the strength of the human spirit, a quality that was clearly apparent by the victims who created the drawings shown at the exhibition.
Singles that came out of the album which enforced the message of human spirit included "Pride" and "The Unforgettable Fire". Both these songs were well received by the UK charts.

"Pride" was an energetic rock track about Martin Luther King, and how his spirit and beliefs have lived on despite being brutally assassinated, again fitting neatly into the themes presented in the album. "Pride" also proved to be the most difficult track to record, where they had to scrap the original recording made in Slane castle and redo the recording at Windmill Lane Studios.

On the other hand "The Unforgettable Fire" was an even greater shift, with more atmospheres built by the RTE light orchestra, yet still displaying the energy that identifies U2. Even though "Pride" proved to be the most successful, many critics regard "The Unforgettable Fire" as the most beautiful piece of music composed by U2.

U2 Articles The History of U2 The History of U2 - Part 1 The History of U2 - Part 2 The History of U2 - Part 3 The History of U2 - Part 4 The History of U2 - Part 5 The History of U2 - Part 6 The History of U2 - Part 7 The History of U2 - Part 8 The History of U2 - Part 9 The Story of U2 The Story of U2 - Part 1 The Story of U2 - Part 2 The Story of U2 - Part 3 The Story of U2 - Part 4 The Story of U2 - Part 5 The Story of U2 - Part 6 The Story of U2 - Part 7 The Story of U2 - Part 8 U2 News & More U2 - January 1993 U2 - Worlds Most Popular Rock Act U2 Earnings - 2001 U2 In Africa U2 Performs for iPod Commercial U2 Gets Replacement Recording Studio U2 Article Index