Tag Archives: The Edge

Let’s Take A Moment Day 420

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Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

May blog 2021

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

Happy birthday to the man born Paul Hewson who we call Bono. He was born May 10, 1960 in Ireland & conquered the world as a humanitarian and as the lead singer of the iconic rock band, U2. I must admit I was not a fan right away when the group’s first album came out in 1980. Their music was a hybrid of punk, new wave, rock & politics, leaving me a tad confused & wary.

But I kept listening to U2’s songs on the radio and watching their videos to see how they evolved. Finally in 1987 I was swayed to their fan base with the release of “The Joshua Tree” album. Since then I have enjoyed most of their songs & watched them take their rightful place in music history as one of the best bands of all time. But more importantly all four original members have stayed together for 45 years. And that makes them rock & roll royalty. Happy birthday, Bono.

“Home hard to know what it is
If you’ve never had one
Home I can’t say where it is
But I know I’m going home“.

u2

U2 at their Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in 2005 (L-R: Larry Mullens Jr, Adam Clayton, Bono & The Edge. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

U2: “Walk On” (2000, written by U2: Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge and Larry Mullen Jr).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

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Let’s Take A Moment Day 228

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Thoreau quote 2

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are in a serious situation, but I need a break from the gloom, doom and bullying by way of hoarding. Music has always been my refuge and watching those beautiful Italians singing to each other from their balconies reaffirmed my belief that music is the answer. So until the old normal returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day.  And if this helps anyone else, even better.

There is another birthday in music upon us and this one belongs to U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. Born October 31, 1961 in Dublin, Ireland he began playing drums at age 9 in marching bands. According to the band’s website, Mullen put an ad up at his school in 1976 seeking musicians to form a band that brought him together with his three bandmates. They put out an EP in 1979 and were signed to Island Records a year later. U2’s 1980 debut album gave them their first hit, “I Will Follow”. But it was their 1983 album, “War” that led to worldwide success. Nearly 40 years later, they are considered one of the most successful bands of all time.

I like a great deal of U2’s music and one album I particularly enjoy is 1988’s “Rattle & Hum”. They recorded a lot of it in Memphis at the legendary studios of Sun Records. That was where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and others began their recording careers. One of the song’s U2 worked on there was a collaboration with blues legend B.B. King. Despite how high he raised the bar on this track, U2 was not far behind. The raw intense lyrics from Bono & the music from the rest of U2 helped them keep up with power of The King Of The Blues, resulting in one heck of record.

“I ran into a juke joint when I heard a guitar scream
The notes were turning blue, I was dazing in a dream
As the music played I saw my life turn around
That was the day before love came to town“.

U2 BB King

U2 with B.B. King in 1988 (L-R): Larry Mullen Jr., Bono, B.B. King, Adam Clayton & The Edge. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

U2 (in honor of Larry Mullen Jr.’s birthday) featuring B.B. King: “When Love Comes To Town” (1988, written by U2: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen Jr.).

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 94

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

Kerouac

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are in a serious situation, but I need a break from the gloom, doom and bullying by way of hoarding. Music has always been my refuge and watching those beautiful Italians singing to each other from their balconies reaffirmed my belief that music is the answer. So until the old normal returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day.  And if this helps anyone else, even better.

When U2 burst on to the music scene in 1980, it was clear from their song lyrics this was not an ordinary band.  The stories they told were wrought with detail, emotion and meaning.  But I don’t think anyone could have predicted what a humanitarian Bono would go on to become.  He has been trying to end hunger and poverty around the world ever since he recorded the charity single, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” in 1984.  He has met with  everyone from world leaders to the heads of charitable organizations to the Pope himself.  And throughout all this work, he never took the eye off the ball with the band and continued to make great music.  It also did not affect his impossibly good looks, either.  Today’s song is my favorite from U2’s extraordinary catalog.

U2
U2 circa 2000: Adam Clayton (bass), Bono (lead vocals & guitar) the Edge (lead guitar & backing vocals) & Larry Mullen Jr. (drums).  (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

U2:  “One” (1991, written by U2:  Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen Jr,)

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

Let’s Take A Moment Day 19

Posted in Music by

Hi everyone.  Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing.  But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

music heart

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

I know we are in a serious situation, but I need a break from the gloom, doom and bullying by way of hoarding. Music has always been my refuge and watching those beautiful Italians singing to each other from their balconies reaffirmed my belief that music is the answer. So until the old normal returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

“I say to you today, my friends, 

so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, 

I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted 

in the American dream.” 

Those are the opening lines from the “I Have A Dream” speech delivered on August 28, 1963.  Very fitting for where we are right now.  Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. who died 52 years ago today.   

“Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride”

U2

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

U2:  “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” (1984, written by U2:  Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen Jr.)

I do not own the rights to anything.  I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.