Under a Blood Red Sky is a mini-LP live album by Irish rock band U2, produc… Read Full Bio ↴Under a Blood Red Sky is a mini-LP live album by Irish rock band U2, produced by Jimmy Iovine and released in 1983. Along with its companion concert film, U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky, the release helped establish U2's reputation as a live band, making the band a popular live college rock act.
The album consists of live recordings from three shows on the band's War Tour from Colorado, Boston in the US and Germany. Album highlights include a fiery rendition of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (famously introduced by Bono with the words, "this song is not a rebel song") and a jaunty run-through of the B-side "Party Girl".
An accompanying concert video entitled U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky was released the following year. Unlike the album, the film was recorded entirely at the dramatic outdoor Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 5 June 1983. The band's performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" from the film has been cited as one of Rolling Stone 's "50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll."
The title is taken from the lyrics of the song "New Year's Day", originally released on U2's War album.
The album was re-released as a remastered CD with a DVD of the complete concert on 29 September 2008
Track listing:
All songs written and composed by U2, with lyrics by Bono.
Side one
No. Title Recording location/date Length
1. "Gloria" Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 5 June 1983 4:32
2. "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" Boston, Massachusetts on 6 May 1983 4:34
3. "I Will Follow" Sankt Goarshausen, Germany on 20 August 1983 3:36
4. "Party Girl" Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 5 June 1983 2:52
Side two
No. Title Recording location/date Length
1. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" Sankt Goarshausen, Germany on 20 August 1983 4:55
2. "The Electric Co." Sankt Goarshausen, Germany on 20 August 1983 5:18
3. "New Year's Day" Sankt Goarshausen, Germany on 20 August 1983 4:29
4. ""40"" Sankt Goarshausen, Germany on 20 August 1983 3:36
During the performance of "The Electric Co.", Bono included a 27 second snippet of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns". When Under a Blood Red Sky was released, U2 failed to get permission and pay the appropriate licensing and royalty fees to include that piece of Sondheim's tune on the album. When Sondheim objected, U2 agreed to pay a $50,000 (US) penalty for the unauthorized use and to press all future releases with a new version that did not include the snippet.
Essentially, there are now two versions of the vinyl album: the original with the full "The Electric Co." running 5:18 and the edited version which runs 4:51. However, the various CDs pressed around the world all vary in the versions of the song that are included.
The trifold digipack CD pressed in the U.S. correctly lists "The Electric Co." at 4:51 and contains the edited version of the song.
Later U.S. CD pressings in the standard jewel box format incorrectly list "The Electric Co." at 5:18, but have the edited version of the song.
Some, and perhaps all, European pressings of the CD correctly list "The Electric Co." at 5:18 and have the unedited version of the song (the same is likely true of other worldwide CD pressings).
An Australian pressing of the CD lists the track at 4:57, but the song actually runs the full 5:18.
The remastered editions all contain the edited version of the song.
The album consists of live recordings from three shows on the band's War Tour from Colorado, Boston in the US and Germany. Album highlights include a fiery rendition of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (famously introduced by Bono with the words, "this song is not a rebel song") and a jaunty run-through of the B-side "Party Girl".
An accompanying concert video entitled U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky was released the following year. Unlike the album, the film was recorded entirely at the dramatic outdoor Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 5 June 1983. The band's performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" from the film has been cited as one of Rolling Stone 's "50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll."
The title is taken from the lyrics of the song "New Year's Day", originally released on U2's War album.
The album was re-released as a remastered CD with a DVD of the complete concert on 29 September 2008
Track listing:
All songs written and composed by U2, with lyrics by Bono.
Side one
No. Title Recording location/date Length
1. "Gloria" Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 5 June 1983 4:32
2. "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" Boston, Massachusetts on 6 May 1983 4:34
3. "I Will Follow" Sankt Goarshausen, Germany on 20 August 1983 3:36
4. "Party Girl" Red Rocks Amphitheatre on 5 June 1983 2:52
Side two
No. Title Recording location/date Length
1. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" Sankt Goarshausen, Germany on 20 August 1983 4:55
2. "The Electric Co." Sankt Goarshausen, Germany on 20 August 1983 5:18
3. "New Year's Day" Sankt Goarshausen, Germany on 20 August 1983 4:29
4. ""40"" Sankt Goarshausen, Germany on 20 August 1983 3:36
During the performance of "The Electric Co.", Bono included a 27 second snippet of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns". When Under a Blood Red Sky was released, U2 failed to get permission and pay the appropriate licensing and royalty fees to include that piece of Sondheim's tune on the album. When Sondheim objected, U2 agreed to pay a $50,000 (US) penalty for the unauthorized use and to press all future releases with a new version that did not include the snippet.
Essentially, there are now two versions of the vinyl album: the original with the full "The Electric Co." running 5:18 and the edited version which runs 4:51. However, the various CDs pressed around the world all vary in the versions of the song that are included.
The trifold digipack CD pressed in the U.S. correctly lists "The Electric Co." at 4:51 and contains the edited version of the song.
Later U.S. CD pressings in the standard jewel box format incorrectly list "The Electric Co." at 5:18, but have the edited version of the song.
Some, and perhaps all, European pressings of the CD correctly list "The Electric Co." at 5:18 and have the unedited version of the song (the same is likely true of other worldwide CD pressings).
An Australian pressing of the CD lists the track at 4:57, but the song actually runs the full 5:18.
The remastered editions all contain the edited version of the song.
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Under A Blood Red Sky
U2 Lyrics
To view the lyrics for a particular track, select it from the track list above, or search for it.
A me
on eleven o' clock tick tock
And girls can make children but not like this one...so will just have to walk around with a painted face then...
LMewdowlark
on One
Baby, baby, baby, I know I'm not alone
Ha, ha, ha
Oh, it's not a hill it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
Let's shout into the darkness, squeeze out sparks of light
You know we're gonna go crazy, you know we'll go crazy
You know we'll go crazy, if we don't go crazy tonight
Oh, slowly
Oh
Hold me slow
Again, these are the wrong lyrics. They are not the lyrics for 'One' but a different song. I pasted the correct lyrics in my other comment.
LMewdowlark
on One
And there's a part of you that wants me to riot
Everybody needs to cry or needs to spit
Every sweet-tooth needs just a little hit
Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
How can you stand next to the truth and not see it?
Oh, change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
Do you believe me or are you doubting?
We're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won't listen to you boys and girls
Is the sweetest melody the one we haven't heard?
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear?
The right to be ridiculous is something I hold dear
Oh, but change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
But we're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you now
You 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
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
Well, 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, carry each other
One
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, now it's all I got
We're one but we're not the same
Well, we hurt each other then we do it again
You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law
You ask me to enter but then you make me crawl
And I can't be holdin' on to what you got
When all you got is hurt
One love, one blood
One life, you 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, carry each other
One
One