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Pride (In the Name of Love)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Pride (In the Name of Love)
| cover = Pride (In the Name of Love) (U2 single) coverart.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = U2
| album = The Unforgettable Fire
| B-side = Boomerang II
| released = 3 September 1984
| recorded = MayAugust 1984
| studio =
*Slane Castle (County Meath)
*Windmill Lane Studios (Dublin)
| venue =
| genre = *Rock
*post-punk
| length =
* 3:48 (standard version)
* 4:40 (original 12" UK single)
| label =
| composer = U2
| lyricist = Bono
| producer =
| prev_title = 40
| prev_year = 1983
| next_title = The Unforgettable Fire
| next_year = 1985
| misc =
}}
"'Pride (In the Name of Love)'" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the second track on the band's 1984 album, 'The Unforgettable Fire', and was released as its lead single in September 1984. The song was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. Written about Martin Luther King Jr., "Pride" received mixed critical reviews at the time, but it was a major commercial success for U2 and has since become one of their most popular songs. It appeared on the band's compilation albums 'The Best of 19801990' and 'U218 Singles'.
In 2004, 'Rolling Stone' ranked it 378th on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". The song was included on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.
Writing and recording
The melody and the chords for "Pride" were improvised by U2 during a soundcheck prior to a November 1983 concert in Hawaii on the band's War Tour. Guitarist the Edge led the group with a series of chord changes during the soundcheck, but after someone made a mistake, the other members picked up on it and changed course, providing a "new twist" to the improvisation, according to Niall Stokes.Stokes (2005), pp. 5253 After the tour concluded, the group continued to work on the track at lead vocalist Bono's home in a Martello tower in Bray, County Wicklow,McCormick (2006), p. 147 where the Edge devised a guitar part for the song. "Pride" was further worked on at Slane Castle during the recording sessions for 'The Unforgettable Fire', and was ultimately completed at Windmill Lane Studios.
The song had been intended to be based on Ronald Reagan's pride in America's military power, but Stephen B. Oates's book 'Let The Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr.' and a biography of Malcolm X caused the lyricist Bono to ponder the different sides of the civil rights campaigns, the violent and the non-violent. In subsequent years, Bono has expressed his dissatisfaction with the lyrics, which he describes, along with another 'Unforgettable Fire' song, "Bad", as being "left as simple sketches". He says that he was swayed by the Edge and producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who played down the need to develop the lyrics as they thought their impressionistic nature would give added forcefulness to the song's feeling, particularly when heard by non-English speakers.McCormick (2006), p. 151 In 'U2 by U2', Bono said: "I looked at how glorious that song was and thought: 'What the fuck is that all about?' It's just a load of vowel sounds ganging up on a great man. It is emotionally very articulate - if you didn't speak English."McCormick (2006), p. 179
The song contains the erroneous reference to King's shooting as "Early morning, April 4," when it actually occurred after 6 p.m. Bono acknowledges the error and in live performances he often changes the lyric to "Early evening..."
Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders sang backing vocals on the recording. She was married to Jim Kerr of Simple Minds at the time and she is credited as "Christine Kerr".Graham (1996), p. 24
Composition
"Pride" is in the key of B, and is played at a tempo of 106 bpm. The song follows a chord progression of B-EAFm and the solo is BDEE.
Music videos
Three music videos were made. The first was shot in August by director Donald Cammell and features opening and closing shots of the Dublin Docklands area. Two versions of this video exist; black and white and colour (sepia). The band were not satisfied with Cammell's video, and they agreed to their principal photographer, Anton Corbijn, shooting an alternative. The second video was filmed in a basement near London's Heathrow Airport, it features U2 standing sternly in front of a wall under poor lighting conditions. The U2 camp was also unimpressed with this video and a third video is produced by compiling footage shot during 'The Unforgettable Fire' recording sessions at Slane Castle. The original (black and white) Cammell video was primarily used in promotion.McGee (2008), p. 76
Reception
"Pride" reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and number 8 on the Dutch Singles Chart. The song was the band's first top 40 hit in the United States where it peaked at number 33. It gained considerable US album-oriented rock radio airplay and its video was on heavy rotation on MTV, thus helping U2 continue its commercial breakthrough begun with the 'War' album. It reached number 1 in New Zealand, the first time a U2 single topped a country's singles chart.
Initial critical reactions to "Pride" were mixed, especially in regards to the lyrics. Robert Christgau in 'The Village Voice' complained of "the moralism with the turn-somebody-else's-cheek glorification of Martin Luther King's martyrdom."Village Voice Consumer Guide, "[http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=1634&name=U2 The Unforgettable Fire]". Meanwhile, Kurt Loder of 'Rolling Stone' wrote that Pride' gets over only on the strength of its resounding beat and big, droning bass line, not on the nobility of its lyrics, which are unremarkable." 'Cash Box' called it a "rousing anthem" with "powerful vocal and guitar," saying that "Bonos writing and vocal delivery are pure inspiration as is the pounding rhythm section." The 1984 'Pazz & Jop' poll of 240 music critics ranked "Pride" as the 12th-best single of that year, a higher ranking than the overall album, which finished 29th."[http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres84.php The 1984 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll]". Retrieved 14 December 2006. The single's ranking remained the highest of any U2 single until "One" achieved 8th in 1992."[http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres92.php The 1992 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll]". Retrieved 14 December 2006.
Live performances
concert
"Pride" was first played live at the opening show of the Unforgettable Fire Tour on 29 August 1984 in Christchurch, New Zealand. The song has been played at virtually every U2 concert since the Unforgettable Fire Tour, although it was played infrequently on the first and second legs of 2001's Elevation Tour and the second and third legs 2009's U2 360 Tour. Live performances during the 1980s and early 1990s were usually played in the key of B, while since the late 1990s the song has been played in the key of A. , it is the band's most played song with over 770 documented performances, though "I Will Follow" has likely been performed more often."I Will Follow" has 767 known performances, with many more earlier performances not documented. Clips from Martin Luther King speeches are often shown on the various tour video screens during these performances. In 2010, in Brisbane, Australia, the final verse was changed to reflect the 30th anniversary of the assassination of John Lennon (8 December 2010).
U2 performed the song, along with "City of Blinding Lights", to upwards of 400,000 people on 18 January 2009 at the We Are One concert at the Lincoln Memorial to celebrate the upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama. At the end of the performance Bono asked the audience to sing for King's dream, saying it was "not just an American dream; also an Irish dream, a European dream, an African dream", before referencing it to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict and saying that it was "an Israeli dream, and also a Palestinian dream." The performance of "Pride" closed off with Bono quoting part of King's speech "I Have a Dream," saying "Let freedom ring! Let freedom ring! Let freedom ring! Every village, every hamlet, every state, every city. Let freedom ring!" before seguing into "City of Blinding Lights." Bassist Adam Clayton later said "We were scratching our heads going, 'How does an Irish band get invited to play at the Presidential Inauguration?' Our way in was through a song like 'Pride'. It allowed Obama's people to express the connection without being too overt. It was one of those moments where you know the world is watching, but a healthy amount of anxiety gets your mojo working."
Live performances of "Pride" appear on the concert films 'Rattle and Hum' (both the album and motion picture), 'Zoo TV: Live from Sydney', 'PopMart: Live from Mexico City', 'U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle', 'Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago', 'Live from Paris', and 'U2 3D'.
Legacy
In 1989, 'Spin' named the song the 65th-greatest single in history. In 2004, 'Rolling Stone' placed the song at number 378 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"; the song was re-ranked to 388th on the magazine's 2010 version of the list. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame selected "Pride (In the Name of Love)" as one of 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Music television network VH1 ranked the song number 38 on the "100 Greatest Songs of the 80s" countdown in its series 'The Greatest'. In 2004, 'Mojo' placed the song at number 63 on its list of the "100 Epic Rock Tracks".
In 2007, the Roots covered "Pride" in a medley with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" for an NAACP dinner honoring Bono. The band also mixed in some of their own "False Media" and bits of Edwin Starr's "War".
Formats and track listings
Personnel
'U2'
*Bono lead vocals
*The Edge guitar, backing vocals
*Adam Clayton bass guitar
*Larry Mullen Jr. drums
'Additional performers'
*Chrissie Hynde (credited as "Christine Kerr") backing vocals
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
See also
*List of covers of U2 songs - Pride (In the Name of Love)
*Civil rights movement in popular culture
References
'Footnotes'
'Bibliography'
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Category:1984 singles
Category:Songs about Martin Luther King Jr.
Category:U2 songs
Category:CBS Records singles
Category:Island Records singles
Category:Song recordings produced by Brian Eno
Category:Songs written by Bono
Category:Songs written by the Edge
Category:Songs written by Adam Clayton
Category:Songs written by Larry Mullen Jr.
Category:Song recordings produced by Daniel Lanois
Category:Music videos directed by Anton Corbijn
Category:1984 songs
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
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