This was U2's first big worldwide hit. They had gotten some minor AirPlay with songs off their first two albums Boy and October (Gloria and I Will Follow) but this (along with the MTV video featuring them riding horses in a frozen forest) broke them huge worldwide,
I loved this song the instant I heard it! It still amazes me. Bono's vocals and The Edge's guitar riffs are fantastic. And it's true what he says really: nothing changes on new years day. We can only cope and deal!
Joshua tree and Achtung Baby are my favorite albums. I was lucky enough to see them on the Lemon tour at the old Wembley stadium, best live show I've seen and heard 😎
“And so we’re told this is the golden age. And gold is the reason for the wars we wage.” Always my favorite lines from this classic. So much passion in this one.
The Solidarity Movement in Poland, in its simplest terms, led Poland to freedom from being part of the Soviet Union, and was the beginning of the end of the Cold War. There is SO MUCH going on you should read up on it!
The Edge doesn't get the credit he so deserves most of the time. He's my favorite kind of guitarist. A guy who supports the band, plays for the song. Not to show how fast he can pluck or tap... not a show off. He only plays what the song requires and NAILS it. The Beatles are the reason I started playing guitar, the Edge is who I wanted to aspire to be like.
I remember watching that video in LA as a kid, the next year we moved to Colorado up in the mountains outside of Denver. I got to see soo many great shows there at Red Rocks throughout the 80s and 90s
For me Live at Red Rocks is still the ultimate U2 concert back when they were hungry going on stage in all that rain & fog rolling in...epic version of New Years Day on this!
One of my buddies asked me if I wanted to go to this show. This was a dreary early June day, we had just graduated from High School in Colorado Springs. I really didn’t know much about U2 and, like my buddy’s girlfriend, I really didn’t want to be out in the cold, the rain with possible snow, for a group I didn’t know much about. This IS my biggest concert regret in my life. I’ve come to love U2 and really love the early 80’s music U2 put out. I’ve seen the entire video many, many times and know I would have absolutely loved this concert. Often we makes errors in judgement in our youth. This was one of mine.
I saw U2 play a show in December 1981 in a 400 seat bar in our college town. In 2010 I saw them 1/2 mile away from there, in a football stadium in a crowd of 75,000
@@JStarStar00 They weren't as polished as musicians then but there was a certain freshness and vibrance to their songs at the time that they just don't have anymore, imo. 'Boy' is still actually my favorite U2 album, An Cat Dubh my favorite U2 song.
I went back and listened to Boy and October straight thru recently and was struck by how much work The Edge was putting into getting interesting sounds. These guys really worked on being the best band they could be.
Jamel, this was when U2 was at their best, in my opinion. I strongly urge you to check out a few other songs from this early era, including "Gloria" (my personal favorite), "I Will Follow", and "Wire".
If you watch a live version of this song, where you could hear the guitar in the back wanting to be out, you'll see The Edge playing keyboard and guitar simultaneously.
Had this album on vinyl. Couldn't play this track loud enough. I always thought it was about the conflicts in Ireland but learned later it was about Lech Walesa and the struggles in Poland.
I used to operate an internet radio station in the early 2000s, and this would be the 2nd song I would play after midnight on New Years Eve. The first song would be AC/DC - Hells Bells, with the opening bell of the song starting right at the stroke of midnight.
Jamel, if you do "Sunday Bloody Sunday", PLEASE do the live from Red Rocks version. It's one of those rare occasions where the live version is even better than the album version. (IMHO)
That's not rare, but rather the norm with early U2. Their first 4 records were poor attempts to capture the power and magnetism of the band's live performances.
Your quote, "Just be a good human." lines up really well with what U2 were all about. The Solidarity movement in Poland began when Poland was still a Soviet satellite state. They were under harsh communist control as part of "The Eastern Block" of nations under Soviet communism. Lech Walesa was the leader of the Solidarity movement fighting for Polish independence and freedom from the oppression of communism. He had been arrested. The 80's were very cool politically in a lot of ways. Pope John Paul II, who was Polish, brought media attention to the plight of the Polish people under communism. This was the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union's Iron Curtain over Eastern Europe. By 1989, the people of Berlin had torn down the Berlin Wall and the horrible isolation of people on the eastern side of the wall came to an end after over 4 decades following the end of WWII. Also, Apartheid was brought to an end in South Africa. U2 did amazing work to bring the injustice of Apartheid into the worldwide spotlight, along with people like Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who passed just days ago. May he Rest In Peace. Together, they brought pressure on the government of South Africa by encouraging worldwide governments to levy economic sanctions and global corporations to boycott the South African government until Nelson Mandela was freed from prison and white minority rule (aka Apartheid) was brought to an end. These were great victories for the cause of global freedom in the 1980's and artists like U2 and others, used their popularity as a platform to call on others to wake up and stand up for the just cause of liberty and equality in various places around the world.
And yet you’ll see people in the comments of every U2 video saying they hate Bono because he “got political”. Instead, what actually happened is these people have been radicalised by right wing media and Facebook algorithms into right wing fascists and now Bono is everything they think is wrong with the world. “They should’ve just stuck to the music!” Were you not listening to anything they ever said before? Ffs.
This song was produced by Steve Lillywhite, who is famous for the depth of the soundscapes on the music he produces, so that may be part of the explanation for the guitars sounding far away to you. U2 is the most consistently excellent live band of all the shows I've seen, and it's difficult to overstate the influence the Edge has had on the sound of modern guitar.
@@paultomaszewski1964 ....wow! Thanks for this information! No wonder i love those Big Country albums! The soundscape was epic! I urge people to listen to those Big Country albums with headphones! Amazing!
War is a phenomenal record. And one of those, where having it on vinyl vs. listening digitally - it's night and day. When Sunday Bloody Sunday opens that record up, you say things to yourself like "I need bigger speakers". Front to back, a perfect album. Thanks Jamel, for the reminder of how good this is.
I am in the minority I am sure, but this is IMHO by FAR the best album put out by U2. Most people like their later music best, like Joshua Tree, but this is the hallmark sound and rawness that represents U2’s musical sound I think. I recommend reacting to Two Hearts Beat as One just because I know from how much you like Rush, you will enjoy the way the bass and guitar parts play off each other in this song. Not as sophisticated as Rush, but still there.
remember the first time I heard that album, it blew my mind and made me fall in love with that era of U2 when they were darker and more punkish, there is something magical in their sound. New Years Day is an amazing track in which you don't know what to focus on, every instrument is so well played, the bass line, the guitar, Bono's voice screaming with that energy. Thank you for reacting to this song. Have a wonderful New Year!!!
Me too. I was 10 years old when I heard U2 War in 1984 and I can still remember that I was sitting on a swing in the playground by our house, listening on my friend's older brother's Walkman. It was the gateway drug to all the great post-punk and new wave music of the 80s and the start of a lifelong passion for music. But U2 was always number 1 in my book. Hell, I even ended up working in the live music industry and one of my fondest memories are from when I helped build the stage and set up the production for U2 on their POPMART tour in 97.
U2’s songs are timeless. Good on you recognizing the Edge’s quality as a guitar player. Lots of guitar snobs knock him because he doesn’t play in the style of the blues/rock guitar gods from the 60s and 70s, but he created a completely unique style of rhythm-lead that perfectly serves their epic songs.
Achtung Baby is IMO the greatest rock album of all time. Zooropa and POP are both masterpieces as well. Songs of innocence is their best since POP. Those stuck in the 80’s have missed some amazing stuff
Edge is listed as the lead guitarist but what he does better than any one else is the texture and layers in their music. Lots of delay and reverb provide that space and dimension in their music
The period of time during the deconstruction of the Warsaw Pact was incredibly important to shaping me as a person. The combination of the music and being a young soldier arriving in Cold War Europe provided both a front row seat and a soundtrack to massively pivotal historical changes. Poland’s Solidarity Movement, Glasnoss in the Soviet Union, and peaceful blunders in East Berlin (see the news conference that brought down the Berlin Wall) paved a scary but hopeful path to unthinkable geopolitical possibilities. Seeing the Berlin Wall before it fell and after proved that what was once deemed impossible to be wrong. Though the thought of a world at peace was the dominant feeling in 1989, events from the massacre in Tianamen Square in China to the dissolving of Yugoslavia marked the beginning of our current state of international discord. It was wonderful to be alive in that small space in time where we lived with idea of peace was the norm. Man… what music can unlock in our memories and emotions. Great song. Impeccable reaction.
I still remember all those years ago when I first seen/heard this on MTV. Me and a friend had just smoked a big fatty and this came on the TV. I was mesmerized.
Glad you are doing U2! One of my favorites of the 80’s! Remember many of their songs are about freedom, not just the craziness of Ireland verses Northern Ireland/England rule, but other countries as well! Bono’s voice, the Edges’ guitar so different, bass player and Larry Mullen jr on drums! Many of their songs are so meaningful! Love, love, love U2!!!!
this was the first u2 song i ever heard.i was 11 didn't get the lyrics or meaning but i new it was deep and emotional from bono's voice.always loved it.
I recommend U2 performing "Bad" at Live Aid! U2 was getting to be well known just prior to Live Aid. Then their performance of Bad that day turned them into international superstars. I'll always remember seeing U2 in Hollywood, Florida 2 nights in a row back in 1985. They were the last shows on the American leg of their Unforgettable Fire tour. And I drank beer with Bono after each show as Bono was infamous for walking through the parking lot after the show and meeting the fans back in those days. I remember having a great conversation with him about The Who.
Good choice saw U2 many times but most notably in THE FOX THEATRE ATLANTA GEORGIA they were virtually unknown at that point and my word did that change big time
What an impact this album had on me back in 1983 when I bought the cassette at Peaches records.. helped to get me through some tough times.. so very powerful and uplifting coming from a depressed perspective..
There are so many great songs from their early days. I hope you can react to some of these songs soon! I Will Follow Gloria Rejoice With a Shout Sunday Bloody Sunday Like a Song Two Hearts Beat as One Pride (in the name of love) Wire Bad
God. I remember first hearing this back in the early 80s. It felt like a new spirit, a new awakening in music. I know that sounds crazy, but it really felt that way, The Edge’s guitar, the pulsing of the bass and drums. Bono’s voice, it was all so fresh. And it lives on. Awesome.
"Under a Blood Red Skyyyyyy" Love that lyric, the way it is delivered. And the bass line of this song gives me so much comfort. It's beautifully simplistic.
U2 is one of my fave groups - many ways very underrated - listening to this it has the combo effect of the sociopolitical vibes of The Beatles and the snap/crack/boom/bang of The Stones - Bono's plaintive wails, The Edge's shredding lead guitar, Adam Clayton's epic bass and the crash of Larry Mullen Jr's percussion is just a perfect blend and combo ever overall. The song is very much relevant to their homeland of Ireland with all the strife that was going on between the Catholics and Protestants & the IRA terrorism. Fine job Jamel - HappyNewYear
The guitarist (the Edge) also plays the piano and sings in the background in this song. I play this song every new years day as a tradition. One of my first U2 songs I ever heard as a kid and been a loyal fan of them since. Their live version is amazing.
U2 is a band that LIVES by your slogan of "Just Be A Good Human!"... They sing about inequities, and when they had the music world held in their hands, they put their money where their mouths were! Played and organized many charitable concerts and other events.. They first started off by singing about the inequities in their homeland of Ireland - to helping erase apartheid in South Africa! Great Band - Better Human Beings!!
I remember it well when this came out - there was so much fresh, new-sounding New Wave music coming out about this time, 82-83 - U2, the Cars were hitting their peak, the Fixx, Modern English, INXS, on and on and on. Many of these bands lasted for a season or two, and had two or three hits, but it was U2 that continued to grow and develop and become international superstars later in the decade. They separated themselves in a big way from the pack. And they're still at it today. Fabulous song!
I'm a lifelong Deadhead... and the Edge is also one of my favorite guitarists. He approaches guitar differently than anyone else. Highly recommend watching the Red Rocks show, start with "Out of Control" - the video is great!
I've always been amazed by the production in this song. I'm also so glad you used this version, as I've always disliked when songs are cut up for airplay purposes.
this song holds up so well. what I love about U2 the most is along with their deep and thoughtful lyrics they were so great at reinventing themselves. Such an all time great band.
This was the first song for U2 on MTV and was a huge hit on alternative radio. The club I used to go to had Alternative Night on Thursdays and this used to pack the floor. U2 are incredible, and still cranking out wonders. Thank you so much for playing this, what a wonderful way to start the New Year!!!
J, that was 1983 !! Wrap ur head around that !! One of the most powerful songs…and it’s still sounds fresh on radio today. So much going on in that song vocally AND musically. A driving beat, peppered w/ piano and Edge’s guitar work brings you on an emotional roller coaster throughout the entire song. Bono’s powerful voice w/ Edge’s background (Ooohh, Oooh, Oooh’s). Don’t get any better! All time top 10!
This is the song that broke U2 internationally. Before this their output was really great, albums, Oktober, Boy were great albums. I saw them just as this came out at a club in New York, Long Island, Malibu. 1983. I was 17. They were great.
This era of U2 was when The Edge really became known as a distinctive guitarist. Songs like this have all of his trademarks like the scratchy rhythms and the delay (echo).
God,I forgot how much U2 were such a huge part of my life back in the day. I lived in England with my Grandmother in her 700 yr old home. We were hearing about the Bogside Massacre on the radio every day,in 1972. I know this song isnt about that,but it all came back to me rather suddenly.
U2 is such an amazing band.. They put out amazing albums on the 80s and had the guts to totally change their musical style... And the 90s were awesome... The same with the 2000s...
U2 was the band of the 80's and New Year's Day was my introduction to Bono (Paul David Hewson), The Edge (David Evans), Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen. This song instantly made me a fan and I followed them throughout the decade. They had three great albums in the 80's and Achtung Baby in the early 90's was also a monster smash.
Jamal, the Edge wasn’t considered a conventional guitar player. Definitely a unique player. During this time period he was using two Vox guitar amplifiers and two different delay effects usually TC electronics or the electro harmonix memory man, set at different speeds and repeat timing. Plus he used a technique called palm muting which is the sound your hearing in the background that sounds like it’s trying to break free. There’s a lot more going on but this is the basics to how he achieved his signature sound back in the day. Cheers.
The song is from the perspective of Lech Walesa writing a letter to his wife from prison. Or at least that's how I've always looked at it anyway. If you are not familiar with Lech Walesa, he was a labor movement leader in Poland back when Poland was part of the Soviet Union. Walesa spent some time in jail for standing up to the powers that be. Ah I should wait before I post. Yeah so I thought that I was on the right track with that. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Surrender" and "Red Light" are all great songs from this album as well.
Poland wasn't part of the Soviet Union but it was certainly under its influence; the Polish government tried to suppress Solidarity in part because if they didn't the Soviets would put a lot of pressure on them and maybe even invade.
My favourite U2 song. 😊 U2’s first top ten single back in 83. I know what you mean about the guitar in the back ground you can hear it more when you wear earphones. I love the harmonies, the beautiful piano flowing through this song, the bass guitar, EVERYTHING. 😊
This song is the second one by U2 that I heard in '83 ("Two Hearts Beat As One" was the first) after moving back to the States from living overseas. It has been one of my favorites by them ever since. As many others have suggested, I highly recommend watching the concert movie, "Live, Under A Blood Red Sky" to see their performance at Red Rocks in Colorado. The live version of this song is phenomenal. Edge even messes up a note in there. However, seeing him jump back and forth from the piano to guitar is awesome. I agree, the bass line from Adam is what drives this song from the get go.
If you can see the live version, please do. There is such power and magnetism that draws you in. A favorite song of mine is “A Sort Of Homecoming”. That’s why they are still so popular today from the early 80s. I saw them in concert. They are unbelievable. “Pride In The Name Of Love” talks about the murder of MLK Jr. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” about the fighting in Ireland.🇮🇪
This is one of those songs I've heard so many times I tend to switch it, but then when I actually listen to it I remember how good it was. Thanks for doing this one.
‘JUST BE A GOOD HUMAN’ Shirts and More, Enter Promo code ‘Jamel’ jamel-aka-jamal-youtube-store.creator-spring.com
This was U2's first big worldwide hit.
They had gotten some minor AirPlay with songs off their first two albums Boy and October (Gloria and I Will Follow) but this (along with the MTV video featuring them riding horses in a frozen forest) broke them huge worldwide,
I loved this song the instant I heard it! It still amazes me. Bono's vocals and The Edge's guitar riffs are fantastic. And it's true what he says really: nothing changes on new years day. We can only cope and deal!
can you react to rappers delight by the sugar hill gang the long version it is about 14 to 15 minutes long
HAPPY NEWS YEARS
. I WORK. in 12 hours. and
count down is 8 hours. bed in 2... to wake up at 2 am
work hard . play hard. live life loud...
If you were to look up (and watch on your own time) the Live At Red Rocks version of this song? I promise...you will be glad that you did!
80’s U2 is incredible.
The good old days.
Joshua tree and Achtung Baby are my favorite albums.
I was lucky enough to see them on the Lemon tour at the old Wembley stadium, best live show I've seen and heard 😎
So is 90's U2, in my humble opinion. 😎
Excellent! This was the song that kicked U2 into the mainstream back in 1983. Really great album too, one of the best of the 80's, imo.
This is the only song i like by U2.😂
This album is by far my favorite U2 album. It was just so dark but beautiful.
@@DavidBentley23 They never really topped it. It was brilliant.
Agreed Mike. This album really put them over the top.
@@bongodave13 agreed
“And so we’re told this is the golden age. And gold is the reason for the wars we wage.” Always my favorite lines from this classic. So much passion in this one.
Unfortunately, this line is cut out of many radio versions.
So beautiful, We always welcomed the new year with this song in my youth ! Hope and a determination to make this world a better one !
My favorite verse too. It is what makes this song so special and poignant. I hate the shortened version because of it.
@@williamwoods7374 glad they sang it fully live during Joshua Tree tour 2017
The Solidarity Movement in Poland, in its simplest terms, led Poland to freedom from being part of the Soviet Union, and was the beginning of the end of the Cold War. There is SO MUCH going on you should read up on it!
Solidarnosz! That’s what I remember seeing everywhere. Lech Walesa and the liberation of Poland. What a time to be alive.
this songs about poland ?
The Edge doesn't get the credit he so deserves most of the time. He's my favorite kind of guitarist. A guy who supports the band, plays for the song. Not to show how fast he can pluck or tap... not a show off. He only plays what the song requires and NAILS it. The Beatles are the reason I started playing guitar, the Edge is who I wanted to aspire to be like.
I agree, and Im not a huge fan of U2 but I appreciate how Edge adds his color to the music but allows it to breathe a little bit.
The guitar work on this song is hypnotizing.
Same technique on Noiseworks - Touch (1988)
The star of the show on this song is bassist Adam Clayton. He owns this.
Not to mention ‘with or without you.’
Speaking of "Under a Blood Red Sky"......what a live album that is, One of my all time favs recorded at Red Rocks.
I remember watching that video in LA as a kid, the next year we moved to Colorado up in the mountains outside of Denver. I got to see soo many great shows there at Red Rocks throughout the 80s and 90s
Red Rocks 1983 show almost canceled because of rain.... The lights the fog 🌁 Legendary......
That live version of 11 O’Clock Tick Tock is the best ever
I was a 19 year old American kid living in England when this first hit BBC radio. Stopped everything and turned up the volume, been a fan ever since.
Adam Clayton, bass. Big part of this song.
Look up the solidarity movement in Poland in the 1980s... About when you was born.
Yes! Lech Walesa and the solidarity movement ultimately ended Communist rule in Poland in 1989 which helped pave the way for the end of the Cold War.
For me Live at Red Rocks is still the ultimate U2 concert back when they were hungry going on stage in all that rain & fog rolling in...epic version of New Years Day on this!
1981 U2 is where it's at
Slane Castle.
One of my buddies asked me if I wanted to go to this show. This was a dreary early June day, we had just graduated from High School in Colorado Springs. I really didn’t know much about U2 and, like my buddy’s girlfriend, I really didn’t want to be out in the cold, the rain with possible snow, for a group I didn’t know much about. This IS my biggest concert regret in my life. I’ve come to love U2 and really love the early 80’s music U2 put out. I’ve seen the entire video many, many times and know I would have absolutely loved this concert. Often we makes errors in judgement in our youth. This was one of mine.
I saw U2 play a show in December 1981 in a 400 seat bar in our college town.
In 2010 I saw them 1/2 mile away from there, in a football stadium in a crowd of 75,000
So which show did you like better?
@@moonlily1
Probably 2010, because I knew all the songs. In 1981 they had only released one album and I only knew about 3-4 songs.
@@JStarStar00 They weren't as polished as musicians then but there was a certain freshness and vibrance to their songs at the time that they just don't have anymore, imo. 'Boy' is still actually my favorite U2 album, An Cat Dubh my favorite U2 song.
Every member of this band puts in work. You can't rate their importance. The Edge always has these epic riffs in the background.
The edges riffs, Adams dirty bass lines, Larry’s kickass drumming and Bono’s amazing vocals ✌🏻🤘🏻
I went back and listened to Boy and October straight thru recently and was struck by how much work The Edge was putting into getting interesting sounds. These guys really worked on being the best band they could be.
@@JeffreyTheTaylor October is my favorite album of theirs. I lived and breathed that album for about 6 mos straight back in the day.
@@dipsydoodle7988 You can tell how much they were trying to hone their songwriting and song building chops on October.
@@JeffreyTheTaylor it's such a great album. Not a bad song on it.
Jamel, this was when U2 was at their best, in my opinion. I strongly urge you to check out a few other songs from this early era, including "Gloria" (my personal favorite), "I Will Follow", and "Wire".
The entire album - all the songs you mentioned, let's not forget "Surrender," my goodness, the whole album is wonderful.
"Bad" is one of my favorites!!
U2 got famous and seemed to lose themselves a bit. Still great, but IMO War is still their best album
@@anondandalus Agreed, on both points.
I agree it was their best.. their last good one was Joshua tree
U2 are legends. Lots of hit songs. The Edge is a great guitarist.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for not saying underrated...
He always had his own sound for sure.
More old U2 please!
Let's make 2022 better than last year!
The Best! U2 Era
Yes! Old U2
Sunday Bloody Sunday? :)
If you watch a live version of this song, where you could hear the guitar in the back wanting to be out, you'll see The Edge playing keyboard and guitar simultaneously.
Edge's solo in the middle still makes the hair on my arms stand up after almost 40 years! Just the best.
Had this album on vinyl. Couldn't play this track loud enough. I always thought it was about the conflicts in Ireland but learned later it was about Lech Walesa and the struggles in Poland.
Sunday Bloody Sunday, the album opener, was about The Troubles.
Still have it.
The Edge plays both guitar and piano on this song. Great watching him do it live. The man is a wizard!
He sings the backup vocals too, doesn't he?
@@omicron2018 Indeed he does.
I just listened to this. I listen every New Years.
I used to operate an internet radio station in the early 2000s, and this would be the 2nd song I would play after midnight on New Years Eve. The first song would be AC/DC - Hells Bells, with the opening bell of the song starting right at the stroke of midnight.
Jamel, if you do "Sunday Bloody Sunday", PLEASE do the live from Red Rocks version. It's one of those rare occasions where the live version is even better than the album version. (IMHO)
That's not rare, but rather the norm with early U2. Their first 4 records were poor attempts to capture the power and magnetism of the band's live performances.
The setting and the song... red rocks was just perfect. Totally agree, the live vid from red rocks is iconic.
Yes. Never a fan of U2 but the Red Rocks is the legend show.
@Jo mojo jo, everything from U2 Red Rocks is spectacular!! Sunday Bloody Sunday is masterpiece!
As much as I love the studio U2, many of their live versions are better. Bad, for example from "Wide awake in America" EP. Oh yeah...
U2 early stuff, up to Joshua Tree, had so much atmosphere. They could change your mood. Their early stuff is wonderful.
Your quote, "Just be a good human." lines up really well with what U2 were all about. The Solidarity movement in Poland began when Poland was still a Soviet satellite state. They were under harsh communist control as part of "The Eastern Block" of nations under Soviet communism. Lech Walesa was the leader of the Solidarity movement fighting for Polish independence and freedom from the oppression of communism. He had been arrested. The 80's were very cool politically in a lot of ways. Pope John Paul II, who was Polish, brought media attention to the plight of the Polish people under communism. This was the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union's Iron Curtain over Eastern Europe. By 1989, the people of Berlin had torn down the Berlin Wall and the horrible isolation of people on the eastern side of the wall came to an end after over 4 decades following the end of WWII. Also, Apartheid was brought to an end in South Africa. U2 did amazing work to bring the injustice of Apartheid into the worldwide spotlight, along with people like Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who passed just days ago. May he Rest In Peace. Together, they brought pressure on the government of South Africa by encouraging worldwide governments to levy economic sanctions and global corporations to boycott the South African government until Nelson Mandela was freed from prison and white minority rule (aka Apartheid) was brought to an end. These were great victories for the cause of global freedom in the 1980's and artists like U2 and others, used their popularity as a platform to call on others to wake up and stand up for the just cause of liberty and equality in various places around the world.
And yet you’ll see people in the comments of every U2 video saying they hate Bono because he “got political”. Instead, what actually happened is these people have been radicalised by right wing media and Facebook algorithms into right wing fascists and now Bono is everything they think is wrong with the world. “They should’ve just stuck to the music!” Were you not listening to anything they ever said before? Ffs.
The very first song of theirs that I heard...
I was and still am blown away.....
such raw power melded with beautiful poetry!!
I'd heard 'I will follow' as it was on MTV, but I first heard 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' on the radio and was blown away...
They are one of the most complete bands of all time.
This period of U2 is my favorite. I heard when they did the video for "New Year's Day", the band almost froze to death.
The end shot with the band on horses isn’t the band they found a bunch of girls and put them on horses 😂
@@mysticedge4 LOL oh yeah, that's right. Forgot all about that.
This song was produced by Steve Lillywhite, who is famous for the depth of the soundscapes on the music he produces, so that may be part of the explanation for the guitars sounding far away to you. U2 is the most consistently excellent live band of all the shows I've seen, and it's difficult to overstate the influence the Edge has had on the sound of modern guitar.
He also did Big Country's first two albums, he had a sound he produced.
@@paultomaszewski1964 And let's not forget his work with The Pogues -- particularly If I Should Fall From Grace with God.
Dave Matthews Band's most successful albums are produced by Lilywhite too.
@@paultomaszewski1964 ....wow!
Thanks for this information!
No wonder i love those Big Country albums!
The soundscape was epic!
I urge people to listen to those Big Country albums with headphones!
Amazing!
War is a phenomenal record. And one of those, where having it on vinyl vs. listening digitally - it's night and day. When Sunday Bloody Sunday opens that record up, you say things to yourself like "I need bigger speakers". Front to back, a perfect album. Thanks Jamel, for the reminder of how good this is.
After the British and American Rock and Roll scene had plateaued, Ireland came in with U2 and Sinead O'Connor to freshen things up.
I am in the minority I am sure, but this is IMHO by FAR the best album put out by U2. Most people like their later music best, like Joshua Tree, but this is the hallmark sound and rawness that represents U2’s musical sound I think. I recommend reacting to Two Hearts Beat as One just because I know from how much you like Rush, you will enjoy the way the bass and guitar parts play off each other in this song. Not as sophisticated as Rush, but still there.
Agree with you, 100%.
This album and The Unforgettable Fire is U2 to me.
After Joshua Tree they became commercialized and basically a whole other band.
@@kp4588 100%
Agree
For me, the whole album still holds up. My favorite of theirs. I think people who hate U2 have probably never heard it.
If you haven’t already done it you need to see “Sunday Bloody Sunday live at Red Rocks 1983”
remember the first time I heard that album, it blew my mind and made me fall in love with that era of U2 when they were darker and more punkish, there is something magical in their sound. New Years Day is an amazing track in which you don't know what to focus on, every instrument is so well played, the bass line, the guitar, Bono's voice screaming with that energy. Thank you for reacting to this song. Have a wonderful New Year!!!
Me too. I was 10 years old when I heard U2 War in 1984 and I can still remember that I was sitting on a swing in the playground by our house, listening on my friend's older brother's Walkman. It was the gateway drug to all the great post-punk and new wave music of the 80s and the start of a lifelong passion for music. But U2 was always number 1 in my book. Hell, I even ended up working in the live music industry and one of my fondest memories are from when I helped build the stage and set up the production for U2 on their POPMART tour in 97.
U2’s songs are timeless. Good on you recognizing the Edge’s quality as a guitar player. Lots of guitar snobs knock him because he doesn’t play in the style of the blues/rock guitar gods from the 60s and 70s, but he created a completely unique style of rhythm-lead that perfectly serves their epic songs.
U2 has so many amazing songs.
"Nothing changes on New Year's Day." I always say that to myself on this day.
Saw them in Memphis at the Orpheum- a very small theater- it was Bono’s 21st birthday. The Fabulous Poodles opened for them
That’s a cool band name.
Lucky
Great song. I really liked U2 in their early days but less so later.
Same. Their first five albums were their five best albums: Boy, October, War, The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree.
No love for Achtung Baby?
Achtung Baby is IMO the greatest rock album of all time. Zooropa and POP are both masterpieces as well. Songs of innocence is their best since POP. Those stuck in the 80’s have missed some amazing stuff
I agree. U2 was at their best in the early part of their career.
U2 post Zooropa isn't much better than the Rolling Stones post Tattoo You - blech!
Edge is listed as the lead guitarist but what he does better than any one else is the texture and layers in their music. Lots of delay and reverb provide that space and dimension in their music
The Edge changed the way rock guitar is played as much as anyone else ever.
Their lyrics are the best. Been following them for decades. Happy New Year All!!!! 🥳
Same here . Have been listening for years .. Happy New Year to you ..
@@donaldlove9195 Happy New Year 🥳
Love love love _War._ Early U2 is perpetually underrated.
gotta disagree.... for awhile they were the #1 selling band in the world...
The period of time during the deconstruction of the Warsaw Pact was incredibly important to shaping me as a person. The combination of the music and being a young soldier arriving in Cold War Europe provided both a front row seat and a soundtrack to massively pivotal historical changes. Poland’s Solidarity Movement, Glasnoss in the Soviet Union, and peaceful blunders in East Berlin (see the news conference that brought down the Berlin Wall) paved a scary but hopeful path to unthinkable geopolitical possibilities. Seeing the Berlin Wall before it fell and after proved that what was once deemed impossible to be wrong. Though the thought of a world at peace was the dominant feeling in 1989, events from the massacre in Tianamen Square in China to the dissolving of Yugoslavia marked the beginning of our current state of international discord.
It was wonderful to be alive in that small space in time where we lived with idea of peace was the norm.
Man… what music can unlock in our memories and emotions. Great song. Impeccable reaction.
This is my all-time favorite U2 song, been a fan since 1987.
I still remember all those years ago when I first seen/heard this on MTV. Me and a friend had just smoked a big fatty and this came on the TV. I was mesmerized.
Glad you are doing U2! One of my favorites of the 80’s! Remember many of their songs are about freedom, not just the craziness of Ireland verses Northern Ireland/England rule, but other countries as well! Bono’s voice, the Edges’ guitar so different, bass player and Larry Mullen jr on drums! Many of their songs are so meaningful! Love, love, love U2!!!!
this was the first u2 song i ever heard.i was 11 didn't get the lyrics or meaning but i new it was deep and emotional from bono's voice.always loved it.
I recommend U2 performing "Bad" at Live Aid! U2 was getting to be well known just prior to Live Aid. Then their performance of Bad that day turned them into international superstars. I'll always remember seeing U2 in Hollywood, Florida 2 nights in a row back in 1985. They were the last shows on the American leg of their Unforgettable Fire tour. And I drank beer with Bono after each show as Bono was infamous for walking through the parking lot after the show and meeting the fans back in those days. I remember having a great conversation with him about The Who.
Good choice saw U2 many times but most notably in THE FOX THEATRE ATLANTA GEORGIA they were virtually unknown at that point and my word did that change big time
It is very hard to describe the impact this album had on music and culture. HUGE!!!
Yeah
All is quiet on New Year's Day
A world in white gets underway
I want to be with you
Be with you, night and day
Nothing changes on New Year's Day
On New Year's Day
I will be with you again
I will be with you again
Under a blood red sky
A crowd has gathered in black and white
Arms entwined, the chosen few
The newspapers says, says
Say it's true, it's true
And we can break through
Though torn in two
We can be one
I, I will begin again
I, I will begin again
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Ah, maybe the time is right
Oh, maybe tonight
I will be with you again
I will be with you again
And so we're told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage
Though I want to be with you, be with you
Night and day
Nothing changes
On New Year's Day
On New Year's Day
On New Year's Day
Traducir al español
Fuente: LyricFind
Compositores: Dave Evans / Larry Mullen / Adam Clayton / Paul Hewson
Letra de New Year’s Day © Universal Music Publishing Group
"So we're told this is the golden age. And gold is the reason for the wars we wage". That always sticks out to me when I hear this one
Early U2 really hits me. Earnest, simple, and driving.
My favorite U2 song! Damn they used to ROCK
What an impact this album had on me back in 1983 when I bought the cassette at Peaches records.. helped to get me through some tough times.. so very powerful and uplifting coming from a depressed perspective..
There are so many great songs from their early days. I hope you can react to some of these songs soon!
I Will Follow
Gloria
Rejoice
With a Shout
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Like a Song
Two Hearts Beat as One
Pride (in the name of love)
Wire
Bad
And please the version of Bad off "Wide Awake In America!"
The piano is mixed so great in this. Heavy reverb, back of the room-ish, haunting and tolling like a bell.
Watch “Bad” at Live Aid. That’s where the world learned of U2
U2 cop a lot of hate for some reason, but they're one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
This is because of bono preaching his views instead of sticking to the music which the other group members would just prefer for him to shut up ?
Used to be my favorite band but lost me when Bono got on his high horse and started preaching.
@@cdf3073 When was that, exactly? Because he was political from the start and hasn’t changed. Maybe you’ve changed.
@@Dreyno It's kind of funny since Bono and U2 have always been Political !
U2 is one of those bands that’s fashionable to hate on. That said, the iPhone debacle definitely didn’t win them any new fans!
Remember, this was made during Ireland' Troubles, their civil war. That was an obvious huge influence on their early work.
God. I remember first hearing this back in the early 80s. It felt like a new spirit, a new awakening in music. I know that sounds crazy, but it really felt that way, The Edge’s guitar, the pulsing of the bass and drums. Bono’s voice, it was all so fresh. And it lives on. Awesome.
Yes, exactly what I felt.
I love how cold and desolate the piano sounds. It captures the mood of the song. Plus, Edge's guitar has so much depth.
"Under a Blood Red Skyyyyyy" Love that lyric, the way it is delivered. And the bass line of this song gives me so much comfort. It's beautifully simplistic.
U2 is one of my fave groups - many ways very underrated - listening to this it has the combo effect of the sociopolitical vibes of The Beatles and the snap/crack/boom/bang of The Stones - Bono's plaintive wails, The Edge's shredding lead guitar, Adam Clayton's epic bass and the crash of Larry Mullen Jr's percussion is just a perfect blend and combo ever overall. The song is very much relevant to their homeland of Ireland with all the strife that was going on between the Catholics and Protestants & the IRA terrorism. Fine job Jamel - HappyNewYear
The guitarist (the Edge) also plays the piano and sings in the background in this song. I play this song every new years day as a tradition. One of my first U2 songs I ever heard as a kid and been a loyal fan of them since. Their live version is amazing.
Your music mirrors your mind
Song suggestion: Red Skies at Night
Band: The Fixx
Damn, last time I heard this was at the funeral of a good buddy in August ☹ Hope we all will have a better year.
Boni has one of the greatest voices. Haunting and soul stirring
U2 is a band that LIVES by your slogan of "Just Be A Good Human!"... They sing about inequities, and when they had the music world held in their hands, they put their money where their mouths were! Played and organized many charitable concerts and other events.. They first started off by singing about the inequities in their homeland of Ireland - to helping erase apartheid in South Africa! Great Band - Better Human Beings!!
I remember it well when this came out - there was so much fresh, new-sounding New Wave music coming out about this time, 82-83 - U2, the Cars were hitting their peak, the Fixx, Modern English, INXS, on and on and on. Many of these bands lasted for a season or two, and had two or three hits, but it was U2 that continued to grow and develop and become international superstars later in the decade. They separated themselves in a big way from the pack. And they're still at it today. Fabulous song!
I'm a lifelong Deadhead... and the Edge is also one of my favorite guitarists. He approaches guitar differently than anyone else. Highly recommend watching the Red Rocks show, start with "Out of Control" - the video is great!
One of my all time favorite bands. You should react to Bad from their Unforgettable Fire album.
The Wide Awake In America live version is even better!
THIS is the song that sealed the deal for me as a fan of U2 forever....this is one of my all time favorite songs as a youngster. Still is...
First U2 album I bought...they were their best in their younger years
I've always been amazed by the production in this song. I'm also so glad you used this version, as I've always disliked when songs are cut up for airplay purposes.
Rip Betty White I love you and I always been a fan of The Golden girls you will be forever missed
I bet you’d love Two Heats Beat as One by U2. Another early single of theirs 🥰🎤🎸🥁
this song holds up so well. what I love about U2 the most is along with their deep and thoughtful lyrics they were so great at reinventing themselves. Such an all time great band.
Timely and appropriate.
This was the first song for U2 on MTV and was a huge hit on alternative radio. The club I used to go to had Alternative Night on Thursdays and this used to pack the floor. U2 are incredible, and still cranking out wonders. Thank you so much for playing this, what a wonderful way to start the New Year!!!
J, that was 1983 !! Wrap ur head around that !! One of the most powerful songs…and it’s still sounds fresh on radio today. So much going on in that song vocally AND musically. A driving beat, peppered w/ piano and Edge’s guitar work brings you on an emotional roller coaster throughout the entire song. Bono’s powerful voice w/ Edge’s background (Ooohh, Oooh, Oooh’s). Don’t get any better! All time top 10!
Oh, yes. Probably my favorite song by U2, especially that intro.
This is the song that broke U2 internationally. Before this their output was really great, albums, Oktober, Boy were great albums. I saw them just as this came out at a club in New York, Long Island, Malibu. 1983. I was 17. They were great.
This era of U2 was when The Edge really became known as a distinctive guitarist. Songs like this have all of his trademarks like the scratchy rhythms and the delay (echo).
God,I forgot how much U2 were such a huge part of my life back in the day. I lived in England with my Grandmother in her 700 yr old home. We were hearing about the Bogside Massacre on the radio every day,in 1972.
I know this song isnt about that,but it all came back to me rather suddenly.
U2 is such an amazing band.. They put out amazing albums on the 80s and had the guts to totally change their musical style... And the 90s were awesome... The same with the 2000s...
U2 was the band of the 80's and New Year's Day was my introduction to Bono (Paul David Hewson), The Edge (David Evans), Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen. This song instantly made me a fan and I followed them throughout the decade. They had three great albums in the 80's and Achtung Baby in the early 90's was also a monster smash.
Love me some U2 . a great Irish band.
Jamal, the Edge wasn’t considered a conventional guitar player. Definitely a unique player. During this time period he was using two Vox guitar amplifiers and two different delay effects usually TC electronics or the electro harmonix memory man, set at different speeds and repeat timing. Plus he used a technique called palm muting which is the sound your hearing in the background that sounds like it’s trying to break free. There’s a lot more going on but this is the basics to how he achieved his signature sound back in the day. Cheers.
The song is from the perspective of Lech Walesa writing a letter to his wife from prison. Or at least that's how I've always looked at it anyway. If you are not familiar with Lech Walesa, he was a labor movement leader in Poland back when Poland was part of the Soviet Union. Walesa spent some time in jail for standing up to the powers that be. Ah I should wait before I post. Yeah so I thought that I was on the right track with that. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Surrender" and "Red Light" are all great songs from this album as well.
Poland wasn't part of the Soviet Union but it was certainly under its influence; the Polish government tried to suppress Solidarity in part because if they didn't the Soviets would put a lot of pressure on them and maybe even invade.
@@lemurvision sorry I should have said that it was a Warsaw pact country - basically in the USSR.
@@bminturn Within the Soviet sphere of influence for sure and probably the country most dominated by the USSR.
My favourite U2 song. 😊 U2’s first top ten single back in 83. I know what you mean about the guitar in the back ground you can hear it more when you wear earphones. I love the harmonies, the beautiful piano flowing through this song, the bass guitar, EVERYTHING. 😊
I’m Irish proud when I hear their music. They are one of the greatest bands.
Bono rocks the world
U2 and Mary J Blige singing, One. You'll love it.
This song is the second one by U2 that I heard in '83 ("Two Hearts Beat As One" was the first) after moving back to the States from living overseas. It has been one of my favorites by them ever since. As many others have suggested, I highly recommend watching the concert movie, "Live, Under A Blood Red Sky" to see their performance at Red Rocks in Colorado. The live version of this song is phenomenal. Edge even messes up a note in there. However, seeing him jump back and forth from the piano to guitar is awesome. I agree, the bass line from Adam is what drives this song from the get go.
If you can see the live version, please do. There is such power and magnetism that draws you in. A favorite song of mine is “A Sort Of Homecoming”. That’s why they are still so popular today from the early 80s. I saw them in concert. They are unbelievable. “Pride In The Name Of Love” talks about the murder of MLK Jr. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” about the fighting in Ireland.🇮🇪
Absolutely !!! Can’t get much better than U2 live!!
This is one of those songs I've heard so many times I tend to switch it, but then when I actually listen to it I remember how good it was. Thanks for doing this one.
this is a stealthy headbanger, the song gets heavier with each new listen.
This was the first U2 song I ever heard on the radio and love it to this day. I listen to New Year's Day each and every January 1
You like the rhythmic guitar in this… try U2 “ Where The Streets Have No Name” official video ( roof top downtown LA)