City of Blinding Lights
| "City of Blinding Lights" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"City of Blinding Lights" is the third single from U2's 2004 album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. The song was released as a single in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2005 and debuted at #2.
History
During an impromptu promo concert in New York underneath the Brooklyn Bridge, Bono talked about the band's first arrival in New York City in 1980, saying it was an "amazing, magical time in our life, when we didn't know how powerful it was not to know." He then introduced City of Blinding Lights, saying "the chorus is set in New York City, looking at Brooklyn."[1]
Bono has also remarked he was inspired by a concert the band played in New York City on their Elevation Tour following the terrorist attacks of September 11. It was the band's first time back in the city since the attacks occurred. When the lights went up during one of the songs, he could see tears streaming down the faces of all the fans. It was this passion and emotion of the city's fans that partially inspired the song.
The song is reminiscent of another U2 single, "Where the Streets Have No Name." The style of both songs is uplifting and both have a similar crescendo. Both songs start quietly, but build up quickly, using a combination of keyboards (or organ, in the case of "Streets") and The Edge's signature ringing guitar.
Bassist Adam Clayton plays the keyboard intro to the song during live performances.
The song received considerable airplay on US alternative rock radio since mid-February 2005, especially on WBCN (Boston) and WOCL (Orlando). A promo single was issued in early June 2005, and the track was added to the playlists of about 15 alternative rock stations. However, it failed to gain sufficient momentum to enter the Modern Rock Tracks chart in July. Nevertheless, the song was able to debut on the Adult Top 40 chart on 24 September 2005. It reached #40. The song entered the Mega Top 100 in The Netherlands at #2, in the week starting at June 20, 2005.
In the UK, the single spent nine weeks in the top 75 and also reached #16 on the download chart.
The song won Best Rock Song at the 2006 Grammy Awards.
The song was frequently played first at shows on the band's Vertigo tour.
Music video
A music video for this song was shot during the Vertigo Tour in Vancouver, British Columbia. Most of it was shot on April 27, 2005, with members of the public invited into the venue for free in order to have a crowd on the video. The cameras also filmed at the two proper concerts that were held over the following two days. Out of all the songs used to open Vertigo Tour concerts, "City of Blinding Lights" has been used the most frequently.
Use in films and television
- It has been used during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, both in commercials for the tournament and when introducing players.
- It is used in The Devil Wears Prada for the scenes when Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway arrive in Paris at night.
- It was used in 2005 Baltimore Orioles commercials aired in the Washington, D.C. region.
- It was featured in the episode of the HBO show Entourage, "I Love You Too," where the five main characters attend a U2 concert and Bono wishes a happy birthday from stage to Johnny "Drama" Chase.
- It was the theme song chosen by 105.4 Century FM during its coverage of Manchester United in the 2005/06 season.
- FOX network used the song in the 2006 NLCS which pitted the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals. After the conclusion of a game in New York, FOX used the song when running a package of the game's highlights.
- The New York Times feature the song as an intro and closure to a video clip spoken by Adam Nagourney reporting on Senator Barack Obama. [2]
Track listings
CD: Island / CID890 (UK)
- "City of Blinding Lights" (Radio Edit) (4:11)
- "All Because of You" (Killahurtz Fly Mix) (5:40)
CD: Island / CIDX890 (UK)
- "City of Blinding Lights" (Radio Edit) (4:11)
- "The Fly" (Live from "Stop Sellafield") (4:38)
- "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Live from "Stop Sellafield") (3:50)
CD: Island / 987 193 3 (Germany)
- "City of Blinding Lights" (Radio Edit) (4:11)
- "Out of Control" (Live at Brooklyn Bridge) (5:05)
- This is a 3" CD single
DVD: Island / CIDV890 (UK)
- "City of Blinding Lights" (Live at Brooklyn Bridge - Video) (6:53)
- "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" (Live Vocal Version Intro - Video) (4:40)
- "City of Blinding Lights" (Album Version) (5:46)
- The album version of "City Of Blinding Lights" is an audio track.
Chart performance
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Portugal | 1 |
| Spain | 1 |
| Mega Top 100 Singles - The Netherlands | 2 |
| Denmark | 2 |
| UK | 2 |
| Canada | 2 |
| Latvia | 5 |
| Ireland | 8 |
| Sweden | 8 |
| Chile | 12 |
| Australia | 31 |
| USA: Billboard Adult Top 40 | 40 |
References
- Top40-Charts.com - "City Of Blinding Lights" Single Charts Page - last accessed on October 26, 2005
- All Music - U2 Charts and Awards - last accessed on October 26, 2005
External links
- Discography entry at U2 Wanderer--Comprehensive details on various editions, cover scans, lyrics, and more.
- City Of Blinding Lights's performance history at U2-Vertigo-Tour.com--Lists all concerts at which "City Of Blinding Lights" has been performed.
- City of Blinding Lights Lyrics