Desire (U2 song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Desire”
“Desire” cover
Single by U2
from the album Rattle and Hum
Released September 1988
Format CD, cassette, 12"
Genre Rock
Length 2:59
Label Island
Producer Jimmy Iovine
U2 singles chronology
"One Tree Hill" (New Zealand only)
(1987)		 "Desire"
(1988)		 "Angel of Harlem"
(1988)
Rattle and Hum track listing
"Van Diemen's Land"
(2)		 "Desire"
(3)		 "Hawkmoon 269"
(4)
The Best of 1980-1990 track listing
"Sweetest Thing"
(10)		 "Desire"
(11)		 "When Love Comes to Town"
(12)
U218 Singles track listing
"One"
(12)		 "Desire"
(13)		 "Walk On"
(14)

"Desire" is the lead single from U2's 1988 album, Rattle and Hum. It was also their first #1 single in the UK. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.

Contents

[edit] Song

"Desire" debuted live on the first night of the Lovetown Tour on 21 September 1988, and appeared at almost every concert on that tour.[1] It segued into a cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower", and the Lovetown performances of this song are considered by fans to be far superior to the one found on Rattle and Hum. On the Zoo TV Tour, "Desire" was re-invented with different effects on The Edge's guitar, and it opened most encores. Bono would use the song to accentuate characteristics of his onstage alteregos Mirrorball Man and MacPhisto.[2] On the PopMart Tour, Bono and Edge would play the song acoustically.[3] For the Elevation Tour, it was a stripped-down electric version played at the tip of a heart-shaped walkway that extended into the audience. Adam Clayton would join in with bass just before the bridge, and Larry Mullen played along on a single drum. On 15 October 2004 at an appearance on British television promoting the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb album, Bono and Edge performed a rough electric version.[4] On the Vertigo Tour, "Desire" was not played at all on the tour's first three legs, and appeared just once in an acoustic form on the fourth leg in response to a fan's request in São Paulo.[5] It made a full electric debut at the beginning of the fifth leg at the second show in Sydney;[6] this performance was ramshackle and it was refined before appearing at four subsequent concerts.

"Desire"'s B-side "Hallelujah (Here She Comes)" has never been played in full live by U2 but was debatably snippeted once during "Bullet the Blue Sky".[7]

"Desire" has appeared on two U2 compilation albums, The Best of 1980-1990 and U218 Singles.

An early version of the song appears in the form of a studio performance in the Rattle and Hum film.

[edit] Track listings

[edit] MC: Island / 99250-4 (US)

  1. "Desire" (2:59)
  2. "Hallelujah (Here She Comes)" (4:12)

[edit] MC: Island / CISX400 (UK)

  1. "Desire (Hollywood Remix)" (9:23)
  • Promo cassette

[edit] 7": Island / IS400 (UK)

  1. "Desire" (2:59)
  2. "Hallelujah (Here She Comes)" (4:12)
  • also available in a gatefold sleeve (ISG400)

[edit] 12": Island / 12IS400 (UK)

  1. "Desire" (2:59)
  2. "Hallelujah (Here She Comes)" (4:12)
  3. "Desire (Hollywood Remix)" (5:23)
  • also available in a gatefold sleeve (12ISG400)

[edit] 12": Island / 12ISX400 (UK)

  1. "Desire (Hollywood Remix)" (9:23)
  • Promo 12"

[edit] CD: Island / CIDP400 (UK)

  1. "Desire" (2:59)
  2. "Hallelujah (Here She Comes)" (4:12)
  3. "Desire (Hollywood Remix)" (5:23)

[edit] Chart positions

Year Single Chart Position
1988 "Desire" Australian Singles Chart #1
1988 "Desire" UK Singles Chart #1
1988 "Desire" US Billboard Hot 100 #3
1988 "Desire" US Modern Rock Tracks #1
1988 "Desire" US Mainstream Rock Tracks #1
1988 "Desire" US Hot Dance Music/Club Play #37
Preceded by
"He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by The Hollies		 UK number one single
October 2, 1988		 Succeeded by
"One Moment in Time" by Whitney Houston
Preceded by
"All That Money Wants" by The Psychedelic Furs		 Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number one single
November 5, 1988 - November 19, 1988		 Succeeded by
"Orange Crush" by R.E.M.

[edit] Covers

[edit] References

  1. ^ U2-Vertigo-Tour.com, Lovetown Tour, accessed 22 May 2007
  2. ^ U2-Vertigo-Tour.com, 1992-02-29, Lakeland Arena, accessed 22 May 2007
  3. ^ U2-Vertigo-Tour.com, 1997-09-11, Estadio Jose Alvalade, accessed 22 May 2007
  4. ^ U2-Vertigo-Tour.com, 2004-10-15, BBC carpark, accessed 22 May 2007
  5. ^ U2-Vertigo-Tour.com, 2006-02-21, Morumbi, accessed 22 May 2007
  6. ^ U2-Vertigo-Tour.com, 2006-11-11, Telstra Stadium, accessed 22 May 2007
  7. ^ U2-Vertigo-Tour.com, Setlist Of The Week #7: B-Sides Live, accessed 22 May 2007

[edit] External links

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
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" • "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)
Languages