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The Unforgettable Fire
Studio album by U2
Released	1 October 1984
Recorded	Slane Castle, Slane, Ireland and Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin, Ireland, March - August 1984
Genre	Rock
Length	42:19
Label	Island Records
Producer(s)	Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Robert Christgau (B+) link Rolling Stone link
U2 chronology
Under a Blood Red Sky (1983)	The Unforgettable Fire (1984)	Wide Awake in America (1985)

The Unforgettable Fire is the fourth studio album by Irish rock band U2, released in 1984. It is the group's first collaboration with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois.

Contents 1 History 2 Track listing 3 Personnel 3.1 Additional personnel 4 Video 4.1 Track listing 5 See also 6 Charts 7 Certifications 8 External links

The title refers to a series of paintings made by survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The band saw the paintings at The Peace Museum in Chicago. The museum also had an exhibit on Martin Luther King, Jr.

It was recorded at Slane Castle and finished at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin. Contrary to expectation, the castle depicted on the cover is not Slane but Moydrum Castle. [1]

The album has an atmospheric sound that emphasizes mood and ambiance over hooks and melody and explores the intricacies of The Edge's uniquely minimalist guitar sound. Its recording was rushed to meet the band's Unforgettable Fire Tour schedule, giving it an unfinished feel that complements its somewhat recondite songcraft. Lead vocalist Bono later said that "The Unforgettable Fire was a beautifully out-of-focus record, blurred like an impressionist painting, very unlike a billboard or an advertising slogan." [2]

Thematically, the album began the band's fascination with the United States of America and centered around the "two kings", Martin Luther King, Jr. and Elvis Presley. The former was elegized with the rousing, anthemic "Pride (In the Name of Love)" — the first single from the album, which cracked the UK Top 5 and the U.S. Top 50 and which would ultimately become the group's second-most frequently played song in concerts [3] — and the sparse, dreamlike "MLK". The latter is acknowledged by the murky, bumbling "Elvis Presley and America", an improvisation (based on a slowed-down backing track from "A Sort of Homecoming") that takes the album's emphasis on feeling over clarity to its furthest extreme.

Although never released as a single, "Bad" provided one of the album's defining moments: a cathartic exploration on the theme of heroin dependency - a problem particularly prevalent in Dublin during the mid-1980s. It became a live favourite amongst fans during the Unforgettable Fire Tour and later tours. Another song, "Indian Summer Sky", was a social commentary on the prison-like atmosphere of city living in a world of natural forces.

The album's release coincided with the painting exhibit; Bono would later contribute a poem entitled "Dreams in a Box" to the museum's archives.

The album was a success, initially on the strength of "Pride" as a single and later due to the band's attention-grabbing Live Aid performance. In 1985, Rolling Stone magazine called U2 the "Band of the 80s", saying that "for a growing number of rock-and-roll fans, U2 has become the band that matters most, maybe even the only band that matters". As a more unlikely endorsement, Miles Davis is reputed to have asked the album to be played while on his deathbed.^{[citation needed]}

1. "A Sort of Homecoming" – 5:28
2. "Pride (In the Name of Love)" (sample) – 3:48
3. "Wire" – 4:19
4. "The Unforgettable Fire" – 4:55
5. "Promenade" – 2:35
6. "4th of July" – 2:12
7. "Bad" – 6:09
8. "Indian Summer Sky" – 4:17
9. "Elvis Presley and America" – 6:23
10. "MLK" – 2:31

Music by U2, words by Bono.

Produced and engineered by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois.

"Pride (In the Name of Love)" and the title track were released as singles to support the album.

In 1995, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab remastered the album and released it as a special gold CD. This edition has slightly different running times, most notably an extended 2:39 version of the instrumental "4th of July".

In 1985, the band also released the supplementary Wide Awake in America EP, which offers a live performance of "Bad" along with a few collected B-sides (previously unavailable in North America).

• Bono - lead vocals
• The Edge - guitar, keyboards, vocals
• Adam Clayton - bass
• Larry Mullen Jr. - drums

• Brian Eno - additional vocals, instruments, and treatments
• Daniel Lanois - additional vocals, instruments, and treatments

The Unforgettable Fire Collection
Music video compilation with documentary by U2
Released	1985
Recorded	1984–1985
Genre	Rock
Length	51 mins
Label	Island / PolyGram / Columbia
Director(s)	Meiert Avis, Barry Deviln, Donald Cammell
Producer(s)	James Morris
U2 video chronology
Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky (1989)	The Unforgettable Fire Collection (1985)	Rattle and Hum (1989)

After the album's release in 1983, U2 released The Unforgettable Fire Collection, a VHS compilation of the album's music videos with a 30-minute making-of documentary of the album.

1. "The Unforgettable Fire" – directed by Meiert Avis
2. "Bad" – directed by Barry Devilin
3. "Pride (In the Name of Love)" – directed By Donald Cammell
4. "A Sort Of Homecoming" – directed by Barry Devlin
5. The Making of the Unforgettable Fire documentary – directed by Barry Devlin

• U2 discography

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1984	The Billboard 200	12/16

Single

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1984	"Pride (in the Name of Love)"	Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	2
1984	"Pride (in the Name of Love)"	The Billboard Hot 100	33
1984	"Wire"	Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	31
1985	"Bad"	Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	19

Organization	Level	Date
RIAA – USA	Gold	December 3, 1984
RIAA – USA	Platinum	February 7, 1985
BPI – UK	Gold	June 1, 1986
BPI – UK	Platinum	April 1, 1987
BPI – UK	2x Platinum	April 6, 1987
RIAA – USA	2x Platinum	May 23, 1994
RIAA – USA	3x Platinum	September 11, 1995

• Discography entry at U2 Wanderer - Comprehensive details on various editions, cover scans, lyrics, and more.
• Videography entry at U2 Wanderer - Similarly comprehensive entry about The Unforgettable Fire Collection.
• Album lyrics - Searchable album lyrics.
• U2 tours overview at U2-Vertigo-Tour.com - Includes setlists for every date on the Unforgettable Fire Tour.
• Quotes and information - Detailed background on each song.
• U2MoL - Contains fan interpretations and interview excerpts for each song.
• "The Unforgettable Fire" painting exhibit - has images from a couple of prints
• Another Description of "The Unforgettable Fire" exhibit

v • d • e U2

Bono • The Edge • Adam Clayton • Larry Mullen Jr. Paul McGuinness • Dik Evans • Brian Eno • Daniel Lanois • Steve Lillywhite • Jimmy Iovine • Flood • Howie B Discography Studio albums: Boy • October • War • The Unforgettable Fire • The Joshua Tree • Rattle and Hum • Achtung Baby • Zooropa • Pop • All That You Can't Leave Behind • How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb Non-single EPs: Three • Wide Awake in America • 7 • Live from Under the Brooklyn Bridge Compilations: The Best of 1980-1990 • The Best of 1990-2000 • The Complete U2 • U218 Singles Live albums and other projects: Under a Blood Red Sky • Rattle and Hum • Melon: Remixes for Propaganda • Original Soundtracks 1 • Hasta la Vista Baby! • The Million Dollar Hotel Soundtrack • Live from the Point Depot • U2.COMmunication • Zoo TV Live Theatrical releases: Rattle and Hum • U2 3D Video releases: Under a Blood Red Sky • The Unforgettable Fire Collection • Achtung Baby • Zoo TV: Live from Sydney • Popmart: Live from Mexico City • The Best of 1980-1990 • Elevation: Live from Boston • The Best of 1990-2000 • U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle • Vertigo: Live from Chicago • Vertigo: Live from Milan • U218 Videos Tours War Tour • Unforgettable Fire Tour • A Conspiracy of Hope Tour • Joshua Tree Tour • Lovetown Tour • Zoo TV Tour • Popmart Tour • Elevation Tour • Vertigo Tour