How “One” unified U2

Summary

Behind The Song: How “One” Unified U2

Behind The Song, hosted by Janda Lane of The Drive | Hubbard Radio, delves into the intricate narratives behind classic rock anthems. In the episode titled "How 'One' Unified U2," released on March 15, 2023, Janda explores the creation, significance, and enduring legacy of U2's seminal track, "One." This detailed summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions drawn by the hosts, Christian Lane and his unnamed co-host.

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1. U2's Struggles and the Making of "One"

Band Dynamics and Challenges

At the outset, Christian Lane underscores the rarity of a band's longevity, highlighting the myriad challenges musicians face in sustaining cohesion over decades. He remarks, “The ability to change is key for maintaining a vital musical unit through decades of working together to transform musically, stylistically...” ([00:52]). The hosts discuss how U2, despite their success in the 1980s, confronted significant internal and personal struggles by the late 1980s.

Personal Turmoil Among Band Members

The band's internal discord was palpable. Bono grappled with new fatherhood, while The Edge faced marital issues. These personal strains mirrored the broader exhaustion U2 felt from relentless touring and the pressures of fame. Christian notes, “Without having recorded Achtung Baby, their seventh album, U2 may have very well called it quits after 1988's Rattle and Hum” ([01:43]). This period was critical, positioning the band at a crossroads that could have led to their dissolution.

2. Recording "One" in Berlin

Inspiration from David Bowie

Seeking revitalization, U2 drew inspiration from David Bowie’s transformative experience recording Heroes at Hansa Studios in Berlin. The band, along with producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, chose Berlin as their creative sanctuary, hoping to emulate Bowie's ability to harness personal and professional upheavals into musical evolution ([02:32]).

Historical Context: German Reunification

Their recording sessions coincided with a historic moment—the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 3, 1990 ([02:49]). The atmosphere in Berlin was electric, symbolizing unity and new beginnings. Christian reflects, “They were all swept up in that joyous feeling, hopeful that it meant a new dawn for them as well” ([03:17]). This backdrop of reunification paralleled U2's internal desire for unity amidst division.

3. Creative Tensions and Musical Evolution

Incorporating New Sounds

During the sessions, Bono and The Edge sought to infuse contemporary sounds like club music, Madchester dance rock, and hip-hop into their music. This shift was met with resistance from bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who felt these electronic elements strayed from U2’s established musical identity ([04:08]). The traditional collaborative approach of U2 was challenged as electronic instruments like drum machines and synthesizers took the forefront ([04:11]).

Breakthrough with "One"

Amidst these tensions, the creation of "Mysterious Ways" became a catalyst for resolving creative impasses. Producer Daniel Lanois recognized a potential in The Edge's guitar riffs, prompting the development of "One." Christian explains, “The Edge played those chords on an acoustic guitar for the rest of the band and they all joined in. The roadblock was lifted, tensions eased, and that new song became 'One'” ([05:26]).

4. The Lyrics and Meaning of "One"

Themes of Discord and Unity

"One" is not merely a love song but a complex exploration of discord beneath the surface of reconciliation and unity. Bono’s lyrics juxtapose unanswered questions with a veneer of togetherness. Christian highlights, “Lyrically, Bono is hurling unanswered questions into the air without ever giving any answers” ([05:28]).

Personal and Universal Resonance

The song captures the fragility of relationships, whether personal or within the band. Lines like “We're one, but we're not the same” encapsulate the essence of human connections—united yet distinct. The co-host adds, “It's the most real description of the human experience that you can put into just a few words” ([09:19]).

Inspirational Exchange with the Dalai Lama

Bono drew inspiration for the chorus from a written exchange with the Dalai Lama. Declining an invitation to perform at a benefit concert, Bono’s sign-off, “We are one, but we’re not the same,” became the cornerstone of the song. This interaction infused "One" with a profound sense of unity amidst diversity ([05:26]).

5. Legacy and Impact of "One"

Enduring Relevance and Adaptability

Since its release, "One" has maintained its relevance, resonating across different eras and contexts. Bono notes, “It's a song that's both wounded and healing, always asking questions that sound different each time” ([12:00]). Its adaptability is evident in various performances and interpretations that reflect ongoing societal changes.

Philanthropic Connections

The song’s release as a single benefited AIDS research, aligning with Bono’s later establishment of the One Campaign in 2004, aimed at combating poverty and disease. "One" became an anthem for numerous humanitarian causes, including benefits for 9/11, Bosnia, Tibet, Nelson Mandela at Live 8, and Hurricane Katrina ([11:23]).

Notable Covers and Accolades

"One" has been covered by various artists, each bringing a unique interpretation. Mary J. Blige's collaboration with U2 and Johnny Cash’s gravitas-filled rendition are notable examples. Rolling Stone honored the song by placing it at number 36 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list ([11:58]).

Musical Composition and Evolution

The song features the classic U2 lineup with additional keyboards by Brian Eno and a second guitar by Daniel Lanois. Despite the band's evolving sound, "One" remains quintessentially U2, reflecting their ability to adapt while staying true to their roots ([10:10]).

6. Conclusion: The Enduring Power of "One"

"One" exemplifies the pinnacle of U2’s ability to navigate internal conflicts, embrace musical evolution, and produce a song that transcends its origins. Its lyrical depth, coupled with a compelling musical arrangement, allows it to continuously find new meanings and resonate with diverse audiences. As Bono succinctly puts it, the true impact of "One" lies in its invitation for listeners to find their own conclusions within its questions ([12:00]).

Janda Lane signs off by acknowledging the collaborative effort behind the podcast, thanking Christian Lane for his contributions, and encouraging listeners to engage further with Behind The Song.

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Notable Quotes:

• Christian Lane [00:52]: “The ability to change is key for maintaining a vital musical unit through decades of working together to transform musically, stylistically...”

• Christian Lane [05:26]: “They needed to hear.”

• Unnamed Co-host [09:19]: “We’re one, but we’re not the same? It's just about the most real description of the human experience that you can put into just a few words.”

This episode of Behind The Song offers a comprehensive exploration of how "One" became a unifying force for U2, both musically and personally, cementing its place in rock history.

Transcript

[Janda]

97.1Fm the drive presents the behind the Song podcast, taking you deeper into classic rock's most timeless tunes. Here's your host, Janda.

[Christian Lane]

You can measure a band's success in hit songs and album sales, of course. And then there are the bands with real longevity, which is so difficult to attain it's hard to keep a band of musicians together throughout through the years.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Through the highs and lows, through the boredom of the road, the separation from families back home, the whole nine yards.

[Christian Lane]

Oftentimes, these struggles are insurmountable. Bands call it quits, get on with.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Their lives apart from one another, leaving.

[Christian Lane]

Behind only the recorded work and the.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Memories of what it took to get there.

[Christian Lane]

The ability to change is key for maintaining a vital musical unit through decades of working together to transform musically, stylistically and to ultimately signal out to the.

[Unnamed Co-host]

World that those changes are a mirror to themselves and to their fans. If there's a song that marks that transformation in the long career of the band U2, it's the song one, recorded through personal and inter band struggles that almost broke the band apart and released.

[Christian Lane]

On their 1991 album Ah Tung Baby.

[Unnamed Co-host]

If you like this episode, give it a like at the end. And don't forget to hit that subscribe button. Without having recorded Actung Baby, their seventh.

[Christian Lane]

Album, U2 may have very well called it quits after 1988's Rattle and Hum.

[Unnamed Co-host]

For a band that got together in Dublin, Ireland as teenagers and signed to.

[Christian Lane]

A major label just a few years.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Afterward and had gone on to incredible success in the 80s, they found themselves.

[Christian Lane]

In a peculiar place by the start.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Of the new decade, running out of steam and totally exhausted from touring. There were things going on at home.

[Christian Lane]

Bono was a new father, while the Edge's marriage to his high school sweetheart was falling apart. Pushing forward, looking for new inspiration, the.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Band took a page out of David.

[Christian Lane]

Bowie's playbook and headed to Berlin, to Hanse Studios, where Bowie had recorded the.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Album Heroes in the aftermath of his own personal and professional struggles in the 70s, situated in view of the Berlin Wall. When U2, along with their producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, the same Brian.

[Christian Lane]

Eno who had worked with Bowie in.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Berlin and Flood, their engineer, landed in Berlin to go to work on new material, it happened to be on the day of German unification, November 3, 1990, the entire country was celebrating the fall of the wall and Germany's return to being one country after 41 years divided.

[Christian Lane]

No more between east and west, truly.

[Unnamed Co-host]

The dawn of a new day. They were all swept up in that joyous feeling, flooding the streets of Berlin, hopeful that it meant a new dawn for them as well. And it would, but not after an unprecedented amount of questioning and inner struggle for the band members. In fact, Bono described the experience of working together through this time as building their own wall. Right down the middle of Hansa Studios, the musical landscape had gone through some change. For one, Bono and the Edge were interested in incorporating new sounds that they were hearing at the time. Club music, the Madchester dance rock of bands like the Happy Mondays and hip hop sounds. While bassist Adam Clayton thought that all.

[Christian Lane]

Of that was outside the band's proverbial lane.

[Unnamed Co-host]

And Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. Was understandably not too happy about the idea of using drum machines and synthesizers on their songs. The way the band had always recorded up to that point was to work together for long periods of time in rehearsal, and then form the songs together as a unit. But by incorporating the electronic elements, Clayton and Mullin Jr. Felt left out of the process, got resentful. It was new territory for them in every way. They soldiered on, however, and somehow came up with the song Mysterious Ways through all this. And it was from that song, while the Edge was still tinkering around with the guitar part, that Daniel Lanois heard something and suggested that the Edge save some of the guitar chords he was still playing around with for a new song. The Edge played those chords on an acoustic guitar for the rest of the band and they all joined in. The roadblock was lifted, tensions eased, and that new song became one. In their case, Bono has said that it was a song they wrote that.

[Christian Lane]

They needed to hear.

[Unnamed Co-host]

One is actually a song about discord and division against a veneer of reconciliation and unity. Lyrically, Bono is hurling unanswered questions into the air without ever giving any answers. It's not a love song, but at the same time it is. It isn't about any one particular person or event, but it can be do that magic trick that the best songs do of making us as listeners think of a specific person or of a time in our lives. It's not a breakup song, although it very nearly was for the band who wrote it. At its heart, one is a painful but necessary conversation, and the enigmatic beauty of it lies in those same unanswered questions. When it came time to write the chorus, Bono recalled a written exchange between himself and the Dalai Lama, who had invited the band to perform at a benefit concert. But they declined, and Bono wrote back, signing off by saying that they were one, but not the Same. And there's the key line in the entire song. The tone of the lyrics is like the end of a long argument when you're worn out and almost resigned to the fact that you may never get.

[Christian Lane]

On the same page with the person you're fighting with. One starts with its questions and the lyrics go like this. Is it getting better or do you feel the same? Will it make it easier on you? Now you've got someone to blame? You say one love, one life when it's one need in the night One love we get to share it leaves you, baby, if you don't care for it.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Marriages were falling apart, friendships were in question.

[Christian Lane]

The world was changing. Lots to argue about then and now, as ever. And that, too, has a lot to do with the longevity of this particular song. And it goes on. Did I disappoint you or leave a bad taste in your mouth? You act like you never had love and you want me to go without. It's too late tonight to drag the past out into the light. We're one but we're not the same. We get to carry each other one.

[Unnamed Co-host]

How many times have you had this.

[Christian Lane]

Same thought that you're just past fighting with someone? But when Bono sings We get to carry each other, he's saying it not like it's a chore, as in we've got to carry each other, but a privilege, like we get to carry each.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Other through this rough patch here. That's the other magic trick that this.

[Christian Lane]

Song does, an evolution that occurs in the lines when the proverbial ice seems to melt, and it goes on with more questions. Have you come here for forgiveness? Have you come to raise the dead? Have you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head? Did I ask too much? More than a lot. You gave me nothing and now it's all I've got. We're one, but we're not the same.

[Unnamed Co-host]

We hurt each other and then we do it again.

[Christian Lane]

And isn't that the very human part.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Of being in a relationship of any kind with anyone?

[Christian Lane]

There will invariably be some hurt feelings along the way.

[Unnamed Co-host]

There's such a power in realizing that.

[Christian Lane]

We'Re one, but we're not the same? It's just about the most real description of the human experience that you can.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Put into just a few words.

[Christian Lane]

And the song ends with a series.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Of statements about love and life that are questions all their own. You say love is a temple, love a higher law. You ask me to enter, but then.

[Christian Lane]

You make me crawl and I can't be holding on to what you've got when all you got is hurt One love, one blood one life you've got to do what you should One life With each other sisters, brothers, one life but we're not the same we get to carry each other one Fair to.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Note that on this song, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. S fears of being left out were unfounded. The personnel is the same as it was when U2 started out, Bono on vocals, the Edge on guitar, Clayton on bass and Mullen Jr. On drums and percussion, with additional keyboards provided by Brian Eno and a second guitar provided by Daniel Lanois. No matter that the Actung Baby album ushered in a new era for the band, with Bono embracing the rock star ethos that he had denied up to that point and the sound of U2 evolving to include the electronic sounds that had entered the pop landscape. One did the odd job of being pure classic U2, reflecting the band like a mirror perfectly. U2 have performed this song in most of their concerts since its release in 1991, and along the way the song has grown in different ways. Bono has been known to throw in an extra verse or two, and the meaning of the song changes as time goes on.

[Christian Lane]

When it was released as a single.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Proceeds benefited AIDS research, and Bono eventually named the One Campaign, a nonprofit he co founded in 2004 to fight poverty and disease, after the song. It's been performed by the band at benefits for 9 11, for Bosnia, for Tibet, for Nelson Mandela at Live 8, and for Hurricane Katrina. When the band brought Mary J. Blige on stage for the second verse, she brought the house down with her interpretation of the lyrics, which she said represented.

[Christian Lane]

A broken promise to poor people who've.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Gone through so much. She later covered it with U2 on her own seventh album and among others who've interpreted this song, the late Johnny Cash covered one and delivered the lines with all of his inherent gravitas. Rolling Stone put it at number 36 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. One is so powerful because of its ability to find new places, to resonate in as the world keeps changing. It's a song that's both wounded and healing, always asking questions that sound different each time. They're presented with a surging musical beauty that swells underneath the lyrics like a wave out in the ocean. Most of all, one does the ultimate service that really great songs do about all those questions asked and then left unanswered within the lines, Bono says simply, on this one, the listener finishes it. I'M Janda and this has been behind the song. Special thanks as always to Christian Lane.

[Christian Lane]

For the music you hear on these podcast episodes.

[Unnamed Co-host]

If you like it, don't forget to hit. Subscribe at the end and check us out on TikTok too.

[Christian Lane]

You can find me on the air.

[Unnamed Co-host]

Weekdays from 9 to 2 Central in Chicago at 97.1 FM the Drive, Chicago's classic rock. [e-mail] and on the way, much more classic rock and roll.