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One (U2 song)

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"One"
Song
"One"
Song

"One" is the third single from U2's 1991 album, Achtung Baby, and was released in 1992. While recording Achtung Baby, there was a rift between band members over the direction of the band's sound. Tensions almost prompted U2 to break-up until the band rallied around the writing of "One".[1] The song is widely considered to be one of the band's greatest songs and is consistently featured in lists of the greatest songs of all time. It was named the 36th greatest song by Rolling Stone on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and #1 on Q's list of the "1001 Greatest Songs of All-Time".[2] VH1 ranked the song #2 in its list of "Greatest Songs of the 90s".[3] The song reached #7 in the UK charts, and #10 in the US charts, and reached the top of the US Mainstream Rock Tracks and the US Modern Rock Tracks charts. It peaked at #10 on the Dutch Top 40.

History

During the recording of Achtung Baby, tensions in the band began to rise over the direction of the album. Bono and The Edge favored alternative rock and electronic dance music explorations, while Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton preferred a traditional rock approach. The conflict amongst the members of U2 very nearly led to the band breaking up, but the fighting subdued after The Edge, struggling with two bridge sections for the song "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" was encouraged to combine them by the band and producers Eno and Lanois. The band rallied around the riff and was inspired to write the song "One". The song changed the band's outlook on the album and was responsible for a renewed sense of optimism towards the material they had already recorded. Leaving Berlin on a high note, the band was able to complete the rest of the album in Dublin.

But it is just as likely that Bono was drawing on those emotions to paint a more non-autobiographical picture. In 1993, speaking to Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times, Bono offered a more ambiguous meaning to the lyrics, saying "It is a song about coming together, but it's not the old hippie idea of 'Let's all live together.' It is, in fact, the opposite. It's saying, We are one, but we're not the same. It's not saying we even want to get along, but that we have to get along together in this world if it is to survive. It's a reminder that we have no choice".

The Edge in Q magazine said, "I often come across people who've told me they played it at their wedding, And I think, 'Have you listened to the lyrics? It's not that kind of a song'".[4]

Others interpret the song as achieving oneness in the spiritual sense, while yet another point of view suggests that it's about the reunification of East and West Germany and the subsequent, slow healing of past wounds as the Berlin Wall collapses. This particular one is popular due to the time the band spent in Germany during the album's creation. Some have interpreted the lyrics as a the words of a young gay man trying to make peace with his unaccepting father. Others also believe it's about Bono's relationship with his own father, Bob Hewson.

Live

Since its first live appearance in 1992, the song has been played at every concert of the band's following tours up to the present day.[5] It has also been played at several benefit concerts, including the 1995 Pavarotti and Friends concert in Modena, the 1997 Tibetan Freedom Concert in New York, the 2003 46664 concert, at Live 8 in 2005, and with Mary J. Blige on Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast. The song took on an even more emotional meaning at U2's Popmart show at Mexico City in 1997, as featured on the live DVD of the same name, where the tearful rendition was dedicated to the late Michael Hutchence of INXS.

Music videos

There were 3 videos made for the song which adds to the discussions. One of them suggests that "One" is about a gay son confessing to his father that he is HIV-positive—largely assumed because of the content of director Anton Corbijn's video, in which the band dressed in drag and Bono sings the song to his own father. It is filmed in Berlin and has footage of the band driving in Trabant cars. Also, a large amount of sales from the single went to AIDS charities.

Another video, directed by Mark Pellington, has footage of blooming flowers and buffaloes, interspersed with numerous black title cards featuring the word "one" in white lettering, depicted in numerous languages. The buffaloes in the video originate from a photo by David Wojnarowicz, a gay artist who died of AIDS.[6] The photo is on the cover of the single. This video has also been used during live performances during the Zoo TV, Elevation, and Vertigo tours.

Yet another version of the video, directed by Phil Joanou, shows Bono in a bar, smoking a cheroot and drinking beer combined with snippets of the band performing in concert.[7]

Bank of America controversy

In late 2006, a Bank of America employee sang "One" with lyrics modified to refer to the Bank of America and MBNA merger. The video subsequently became an Internet phenomenon.[8] Universal Music Group, the copyright owner of the song, posted a cease and desist letter directed at Bank of America in the comments section of Stereogum, one of the blogs that posted the video.[9]

Accolades

"One" was ranked #36 in the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, the highest ranked U2 song. The track was also voted #1 on Q Magazine's "1001 Best Songs Ever" list,[2] and the 5th most popular song of all time in a poll conducted by Sony.[citation needed] A listener's poll conducted by the popular Israeli radio station Galgalatz ranked "One" as the best song of the 1990s, and in April 2006 it was voted as having Britain's number one lyric – "One life, with each other, sisters, brothers" – by a VH1 poll.[4] In a recent poll, the listeners of the Portuguese radio RFM voted "One" as the best song ever, while VH1 listed the song at #2 on the Top 100 Songs of the 1990s.[10]

Duet version with Mary J. Blige

After being invited to join the group on stage at a New York concert in 2005, Mary J. Blige performed the track with U2 and received a standing ovation. The song was then recorded featuring Blige on lead vocals, with Bono supplying additional vocals and the band performing the music.

"One" is featured on Mary J. Blige's multi-platinum album The Breakthrough, released in late 2005. It was released as the second international single in April 2006, having already been featured heavily on BBC Radio 1's playlist, and it has been a staple record on Capital FM's playlist since late January 2006. In May 2006, Blige performed the song at the finale of American Idol with finalist Elliott Yamin, ahead of its full release to American radio. It was also used by Fox for its end-of-season montage after game five of the 2006 World Series.

On December 31, 2006, "One" was announced by BBC Radio 1 to be the thirty-fifth highest-selling single of 2006 in the UK.[11]

It was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in December 2006.

Track listings

Credits

U2 version
  • Artwork : Works Associates Dublin
  • Photography (back cover) : Anton Corbijn
  • Photography (front cover) : David Wojnarowicz
  • Producer : Paul Barrett
  • Published by Warner Chappell Music, except "Satellite of Love" (written by Lou Reed [Oakfield Avenue Music/Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc.]) and "Night and Day" (written by Cole Porter)

Certifications

Country Certification Date Sales certified
Denmark[12] Platinum December 21, 2006 8,000

Charts

Preceded by Irish IRMA number-one single
March 5, 1992 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number-one single
April 4, 1992 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Canadian RPM number-one single
May 9, 1992 - May 30, 1992 (4 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
"I Still Burn" by Tobias Regner
 Ö3 Austria Top 40 number-one single
May 5, 2006 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
"Nie genug" by Christina Stürmer
Preceded by
"Respekt for Grandiosa" by Grandiosa
"A Little Perfect Too" by Aleksander Denstad With
"Neste såmer" by Ravi me De Lilos
 Norwegian VG-Lista number-one single
21/2006 (1 week)
28/2006 (1 week)
33/2006 - 36/2006 (4 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"A Little Perfect Too" by Aleksander Denstad With
"Neste såmer" by Ravi me De Lilos
"SexyBack" by Justin Timberlake

See also

References

  1. ^ Flanagan, Bill (1995). U2 at the End of the World. Delacorte Press. ISBN 0-385-31154-0. pp. 6-11.
  2. ^ a b "U2's One named 'greatest record'". BBC Online. 2003-11-18. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  3. ^ "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s". VH1. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  4. ^ [1] U2 MOL: One
  5. ^ "U2gigs.com FAQ: So have any songs never missed a concert since their debut?". U2gigs.com. Retrieved 2009-02-8. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ [2] Whirlpool: James- Out To Get You
  7. ^ [3] Answers.Yahoo: Best Answer
  8. ^ "One Bank". Retrieved 2007-01-03.
  9. ^ Aspan, Mario (2006-11-20). "Lyrics Celebrating Bank Merger Impress Only Copyright Lawyer". New York Times.
  10. ^ 100 Greatest Songs of the 90's
  11. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/top40_2006.shtml Official UK top 40 singles of 2006
  12. ^ Danish certifications ifpi.dk (Retrieved January 16, 2009)
  13. ^ a b c d "One", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved January 16, 2009)
  14. ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved January 16, 2009)
  15. ^ "One", UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved January 16, 2009)
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "One (duet version), in various singles charts Acharts.us (Retrieved January 16, 2009)
  17. ^ a b "One" (duet version), in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved January 16, 2009)
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