U2 | The Unforgettable Fire

On October 1st, 1984 U2 released their fourth studio album The Unforgettable Fire. The record was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and recorded at Windmill Lane Studios.

The Unforgettable Fire was a shift in more aggressive “rock” direction from the band’s post-punk origins with their first trilogy of albums, Boy, October, and War. 

The Unforgettable Fire featured two singles, one being the title track, described as an “emotional travelogue” with a “heartfelt sense of yearning”, about a traveling Japanese art exhibit of the same name as the song and album title. The exhibition, which the band attended in Chicago, commemorated the victims of the bombing of Hiroshima.

“Pride (In the Name of Love)” was released as the album’s lead single in September of 1984. The song was written about Martin Luther King Jr, and his work in the Civil Rights movement during the 1960s, and has since become one of the band’s most popular songs. The song contains the erroneous reference to King’s shooting as “Early morning, April 4,” when it actually occurred after 6 p.m. Frontman Bono often acknowledges this mistake, and in live performances,  changes the lyric to “Early evening…”

Side one

1. “A Sort of Homecoming”
2. “Pride (In the Name of Love)”
3. “Wire”
4. “The Unforgettable Fire”
5. “Promenade”

Side two

1. “4th of July”
2. “Bad” 6:09
3. “Indian Summer Sky”
4. “Elvis Presley and America”
5. “MLK”