A Celebration

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“A Celebration”
UK cover
Single by U2
B-side	"Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl"
Released	March 1982 (1982-03)
Format	7" vinyl
Recorded	1982
Genre	Rock
Length	2:57
Label	CBS - CBS 2214 Island - WIP6770 Polystar - 7S-69
Producer	Steve Lillywhite
U2 singles chronology
"Gloria" (1981) "A Celebration" (1982) "New Year's Day" (1983)
Alternate Covers
France cover
Japan cover

"A Celebration" was a non-album single released by U2 between the October and War albums in 1982. It is probably better known for its B-side, "Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl" (later shortened to "Party Girl"), which has become a fan favorite throughout the years. In recent years, when questioned about "A Celebration" by fans, the band has made comments implying that they do not like the song,^{[citation needed]} and the fact that it is noticeably absent from any U2 compilation CDs appears to support this view. Nevertheless, the band did film and release a video for the song, most of which was shot in and around a prison in Dublin.This video was never included into any official video compilation, released by the band.

"A Celebration" made its live debut in late February 1982 and sporadically appeared at concerts throughout that year until it became a regular of the Pre-War Tour during the month of December. It then appeared at some early dates of the War Tour in February and March 1983. Its last live appearance was on November 30, 1983 in Tokyo.

In contrast, after its debut on February 26, 1983 (1983-02-26) at the first War Tour concert, "Party Girl" became a regular of the tour's encores. This happened despite the fact that after the initial performance, Bono stated "that is the first and probably last time we play that song." It continued to be a regular for the next couple of tours (earning an inclusion on the live album Under a Blood Red Sky) and has appeared sporadically at U2 concerts since then, usually for special occasions such as the birthday of a band member. The only tour on which it was never played was the PopMart Tour in 1997-1998, and it is the most frequently performed b-side in U2's live history, and the only b-side to be played more than a hundred times. Only one non-album song has been played more times, the 1980 single "11 O'Clock Tick Tock."

"A Celebration" was available on CD only on the 1999 compilation Now That's What I Call Music! 1982 - The Millennium Series (released in the UK and now out of print) and on iTunes either separately or as part of The Complete U2, which also is no longer available. "A Celebration" will make its first appearance on an official U2 compact disc, together with "Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl" and other tracks from the period, on the bonus CD of the remastered "Deluxe Edition" of October, to be released on July 21, 2008 (2008-07-21).

Contents 1 Music Video 2 Track listings 2.1 7": Ireland / WIP6770 2.2 7": Polystar / 7S-69 3 Chart positions 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Music Video

Despite the band's apparent dislike of the song, a video for it was filmed at Kilmainham Jail in Dublin, later a setting for the film In the Name of the Father.

Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. said of the music video in 1983, "We did a video of it. We went to this prison in Dublin, where the 1916 uprising took place, called Kilmainham Jail, and filmed it with the idea of breaking out. It was very much a look at ourselves. Like when we were in school and everyone was telling us 'you're crap' and we couldn't get a record deal, it was the triumph of breaking through."^[1]

[edit] Track listings

[edit] 7": Ireland / WIP6770

1. "A Celebration" – 2:57
2. "Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl" – 2:32

• regular 7" release in most countries.

[edit] 7": Polystar / 7S-69

1. "A Celebration" – 2:56
2. "Fire" – 3:50

[edit] Chart positions

Chart (1982)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	47

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• A Celebration's performance history at U2-Vertigo-Tour.com—Lists all concerts at which A Celebration is known to have been performed.
• Party Girl's performance history at U2-Vertigo-Tour.com—Lists all concerts at which Party Girl is known to have been performed.
• Discography entry at U2 Wanderer—Comprehensive details on various editions, cover scans, lyrics, and more.

v • d • e U2's singles discography 1980s 1980: "Another Day" • "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" • "A Day Without Me" • "I Will Follow" • 1981: "Fire" • "Gloria" • 1982: "A Celebration" • 1983: "New Year's Day" • "Two Hearts Beat as One" • "Sunday Bloody Sunday" • "40" (Germany only) • 1984: "Pride (In the Name of Love)" • 1985: "The Unforgettable Fire" • 1987: "With or Without You" • "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" • "Where the Streets Have No Name" • "In God's Country" (North America only) • 1988: "One Tree Hill" (Australia / New Zealand only) • "Desire" • "Angel of Harlem" • 1989: "When Love Comes to Town" (with B. B. King) • "All I Want Is You" 1990s 1991: "The Fly" • "Mysterious Ways" • 1992: "One" • "Even Better Than the Real Thing" • "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" • 1993: "Numb" • "Lemon" • "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" • 1995: "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" • "Miss Sarajevo" (as Passengers) 1997: "Discothèque" • "Staring at the Sun" • "Last Night on Earth" • "Please" • "If God Will Send His Angels" • "Mofo" • 1998: "Sweetest Thing" 2000s 2000: "Beautiful Day" • 2001: "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get out Of" • "Walk On" • "Elevation" • 2002: "Electrical Storm" • 2004: "Vertigo" • 2005: "All Because of You" • "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" • "City of Blinding Lights" • "Original of the Species" • "One" (with Mary J. Blige) • 2006: "The Saints Are Coming" (with Green Day) • 2007: "Window in the Skies" • 2008: "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" (with The Dubliners, Kíla, and A Band of Bowsies)