Hawkmoon 269

"Hawkmoon 269"
Song

"Hawkmoon 269" is the fourth track from U2's 1988 album, Rattle and Hum.The organ heard at the beginning of the track, is thought to be played by Bob Dylan. In an interview, Bono said the song was titled "Hawkmoon 269" in part as a tribute to writer Sam Shepard, who had released a book entitled Hawk Moon. Shepard's second book is titled Motel Chronicles, which is probably where the 269 comes from. Bono also said that the band mixed the song 269 times. This was thought to be a joke for years until it was recently confirmed by The Edge in "U2 by U2," who said that they spent three weeks mixing the song. He also conflicted Bono's assertion about Shepard, saying that Hawkmoon came from a section of a town in the midwestern United States. The song was used as one of the many concert openers for the band's Lovetown Tour and has not been played in full since, but was snippeted on one occasion during the Elevation Tour.[1]