According to Bono, the song was heavily influenced by Scott Walker's album Climate of Hunter. It was U2's first single to be widely issued on CD. The song is U2's second most frequently covered song.
In addition to topping the Billboard Hot 100, the song reached #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and was the second U2 song to enter any other Billboard chart (specifically, the Adult Contemporary chart) after "Pride (In the Name of Love)". In addition, the song spent eleven weeks in the top 75 of the UK Singles Chart. The song also re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 43 based on download sales alone on the week ending May 31, 2009.
In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed the single at number 131 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"With or Without You" is written in the key of D major. There are large sections of the song where the harmony rests on the D chord; in the sections it does not, the band implies a D - A/C# - Bm7 - Gsus2 chord progression. This chord progression is implied by the roots notes played by bassist Adam Clayton and the guitar parts of The Edge. The Edge's sustained guitar part is achieved using a device dubbed "Infinite Guitar". The Edge explained, "It has a similar effect to the E-Bow, but the disadvantage of the E-Bow is that it's either on or off, whereas this gives you all the mid-points between no sustain and infinite sustain, and different levels of 'emergence' of the note."
"With or Without You" was first played live at the second show on the Joshua Tree Tour on 4 April 1987, and was a regular for the rest of that tour. It was played at most shows on 1989's Lovetown Tour. During these tours, two extensions to the song not present on the studio version were played: an extra verse with lyrics that typically read "we'll shine like stars in the summer night/we'll shine like stars in the winter light/one heart, one hope, one love" or modifications thereof, which appears on the Rattle and Hum movie; and a snippet of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" which can be heard on the iTunes exclusive "Live from Paris" along with the lyrics "we'll shine like stars..." and is also part of the Bonus DVD released with the remastered box set version of The Joshua Tree. Since the PopMart Tour, it has been more common for Bono to repeat the "Ohh" at the climax of the song, with the "shine like stars" verse sung rarely.
"With or Without You" was played at most Zoo TV Tour concerts and every concert on the PopMart Tour. It was dropped from the setlist during the third leg of the Elevation Tour, it was last played on the 13th of October 2001 at the Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. It was initially a rare inclusion during the Vertigo Tour - over the two months of the Vertigo Tour's first leg, it was only played four times. It became a regular concert inclusion during stadium concerts on the second leg in Europe and remained in the setlist for the third leg. It has been played on every night of the 360 tour thus far.
Unlike most songs in U2's live catalogue, this song has been played with several different guitars, with Edge seeming to pick a new model for each tour. Over the Joshua Tree Tour, Lovetown Tour and early legs of the Zoo TV Tour, he used a Fender Stratocaster equipped with an Infinite Guitar system. For later legs of the Zoo TV Tour, he switched to the Gibson Les Paul Custom, and used an E-bow to generate the song's sustained notes. He started on the PopMart Tour his now trend of using Fernandes guitars to perform the song. On the PopMart Tour, Elevation Tour and Vertigo Tour, he has used (respectively) the Decade, Native Pro and Retrorocket Elite models. Each one is equipped with a special sustainer, which is why they are used for this song. The Fernandes models have frequently been the only guitars Edge purchases new, as opposed to the rest of his guitar collection, which are all vintage models.
With Or Without You
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See the thorn twist in your side
I'll wait for you
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails, she makes me wait
And I wait without you
With or without you
Through the storm, we reach the shore
You give it all but I want more
And I'm waiting for you
With or without you
With or without you, ah, ah
I can't live
With or without you
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away
My hands are tied
My body bruised, she got me with
Nothing to win and
Nothing left to lose
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away
With or without you
With or without you, oh
I can't live
With or without you
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
With or without you
With or without you, oh
I can't live
With or without you
With or without you
The lyrics of U2's song With or Without You tell the story of a tumultuous relationship where one person is waiting on the other person to make a decision about their commitment to the relationship. The opening lines "See the stone set in your eyes, see the thorn twist in your side" describe the pain and conflict that the person is experiencing as they wait for their partner to make a choice. They are stuck, as if on a bed of nails, unable to move forward without the other person.
The chorus "With or without you" is a plea for the other person to make a decision. The person is torn between wanting to be with their partner and not being able to live with the uncertainty and pain that comes along with waiting. The lines "And you give yourself away, and you give yourself away, and you give, and you give, and you give yourself away" indicate that the person is willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the relationship, but they need some indication from their partner that they are committed.
The bridge of the song "My hands are tied, my body bruised, she got me with, nothing to win and nothing left to lose" further emphasizes the desperation of the situation. The person is trapped, with no clear way forward, and both physically and emotionally worn down by the waiting and uncertainty. Ultimately, the song expresses the difficulty of making a decision about a relationship and the anguish that comes with being in limbo.
Line by Line Meaning
See the stone set in your eyes
I can see the hard, unyielding look in your eyes, which suggests that you are going through something difficult.
See the thorn twist in your side
I can see that you are in pain or discomfort, which is causing you to feel tense and irritable.
I'll wait for you
I am willing to be patient and wait for you to work through your issues, offering whatever support or comfort that I can in the meanwhile.
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
Your situation seems like it has been caused by a series of unpredictable events, which have conspired to make your life more difficult and unpredictable.
On a bed of nails, she makes me wait
Although your situation is painful and difficult, I am still here, offering whatever comfort or support I can until things improve.
And I wait without you
Even though you might not be available or present to help me, I am still willing to wait for you and show you my love and support.
With or without you
Regardless of whether you are here with me or not, I will always continue to love you and support you through your struggles.
Through the storm, we reach the shore
Even though there may be difficult or tumultuous times ahead of us, we will persevere and reach our destination, together.
You give it all but I want more
I appreciate everything that you do for me and give to our relationship, but I still desire and hope for more from our interaction or partnership.
And I'm waiting for you
I am still willing to be patient and wait for you, even though it might be difficult or frustrating at times.
I can't live
With or without you
My feelings run so deep and strong that I cannot bear to be without you, but our relationship is also so complicated and challenging that I struggle to reconcile these feelings.
And you give yourself away
I can see how invested you are in our relationship or in trying to help me, giving of yourself even when it might not be the easiest or most comfortable thing to do.
My hands are tied
My body bruised, she got me with
Nothing to win and
Nothing left to lose
I am feeling helpless and exhausted, trapped in a difficult situation that leaves me feeling like I cannot win or turn things around for the better.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul David Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
옹이뉴키
When almost all living things which have gotten through desolate winter weather are finally awakened by the delicate , warm , friendly effect that spring brings , Newkie's small cafe with a sitting capacity of about a maximum of 20 people ,
covered with colourful and fragrant spring flowers and plants of every
kind , snugly situated in the middle of the woods, is scheduled to open this coming spring after an evasive little epiphany struck him months ago when exchanging savage blows with Ongi.😪
" You know what?" Ongi said. " I'm imagining brewing a pot of coffee for you and me! We've had enough of this stupid
constant domestic discord! I need a snug and quiet place, a place where conversation, comfort , courage and love
can subtitute for the unprovoked blows, physical strife and profane languages! You may say I am a dreamer , but I believe in peace and
harmony! What do you think, Newkie, huh? "
" Ongi's always right. " interposed 太った猫 who had appeared out of nowhere. " You two, please, feel free to weigh in
with your opinions for a better relationship and stop getting hung up on each other's own way."
" I can't live with or without you, Ongi." Newkie blew off some steam. " Well, I'm imagining opening a tiny cafe
where I could listen to John Lennon's Imagine , 아이엠낫 (feat. 이승열) 's Fly , 시인과 촌장's 풍경, Radiohead's Harry
Patch (In Memory Of) , Carrie Underwood's Love Wins and many other lovely songs from all around the world, without you."😏
Newkie and Ongi had ended even their fifth round of peace talks without a breakthrough.
So, the grand opening of Newkie's somehow lifeless cafe 'll go forward as planned.😁
Rocky Hernandez
Just listened to a dozen versions of this song on YouTube. From vinyl to remastered, this is probably the best quality and mix right here.
Carmen Viera
Hermosa canción 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🌹❤️
Santiago
I always get to the party late. There has been so many legendary songs that took me years to love. I am just now (2022) Loving this beautiful song and others from this incredible band.
♥️♥️♥️
Autumn Neil
This ❤song is one of my favorites but honestly there are so many different songs out there I feel this way about but honestly this is incredible!!!! I love the band ! Never been to a u2 concert however they have me heart ! My fathers close friend is your biggest fan ! He has had the pleasure of seeing y’all live and what an amazing experience I’m sure that is was and always will be! Your amazing lyrics and performance is honestly is probably the one of the greatest things I’ve ever heard mentioned ! God bless and hope all is well I. Your world wherever ya are ! Peace and love and life ! The journey of life is a mystery but I’ve learned the hard way up appreciate every breath !!
Santiago
Beautifully said. ♥️
SHYBA
One of the GREAT SONGS of all time...!!!!
TIMELESS...!!!!! 🐕🦺😎🐕🦺
Alan Luck
Tesão de música 👍
asgaardian76
This song is magical
Britney Christina
Love this song and u2 sm
CL
It's a masterpiece