"Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" began as a rough demo that the band recorded at STS Studios in 1990.[1] The band attempted to improve it during the formal Achtung Baby sessions, including several failed attempts at Hansa Studios in Berlin.[2] This produced several incarnations of the song and about a dozen mixes, each of which had its pros and cons weighed.[3] Still, they continually found themselves revisiting the original demo.[1] Producer Jimmy Iovine, in particular, expressed his preference for the demo version when lead vocalist Bono played it for him.[1] During the group's time recording in Dublin in 1991, producer Steve Lillywhite was brought on to provide a "fresh pair of ears" and mix the song.[3] The album version most closely resembles the original demo.
Still, the band was dissatisfied with the album version. Lillywhite recalls that, "They hated that song. I spent a month on it and I still don't think it was as realised as it could've been. The Americans had heard it and said, 'That's your radio song there', because they were having trouble with some of the more industrial elements [of the album]. It's almost like a covers band doing a U2 moment. Maybe we tried too hard."[2] Bono said, "It's a song I feel we didn't quite nail on the record because there was another whole set of lyrics that were dumped and I wrote those quickly and off we went."[3] The band later released an alternately arranged "Temple Bar Remix" as the single, the version of the song they most prefer.[3] The band also has claimed they find the song difficult to perform in concert. Bassist Adam Clayton said, "It's a great torch song, with melody and emotion, but I don't think we ever captured it again and we have never really been able to play the song live."[1]
Bono wrote the song's lyrics for The Edge, who was going through a rough divorce from his wife during the recording sessions.
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're dangerous, you don't know what you want
Well you left my heart empty as a vacant lot
For any spirit to haunt
Hey hey sha la la
Hey hey
You're a piece of glass left in a beach
Well, you tell me things I know you're not supposed to
Then you leave me just out of reach
Hey hey sha la la
Hey hey sha la la
Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna drown in your blue sea?
Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna fall at the foot of thee?
Well you stole it 'cause I needed the cash
And you killed it 'cause I wanted revenge
Well you lied to me 'cause I asked you to
Baby, can we still be friends?
Hey hey sha la la
Hey hey sha la la
Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna drown in your blue sea?
Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna fall at the foot of thee?
Oh, the deeper I spin
Oh, the hunter will sin for your ivory skin
Took a drive in the dirty rain
To a place where the wind calls your name
Under the trees the river laughing at you and me
Hallelujah, heavens white rose
The doors you open
I just can't close
Don't turn around, don't turn around again
Don't turn around, your gypsy heart
Don't turn around, don't turn around again
Don't turn around, and don't look back
Come on now love, don't you look back!
Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna drown in your blue sea?
Who's gonna taste your salt water kisses?
Who's gonna take the place of me?
Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who's gonna tame the heart of thee?
In the song Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, U2 sings about a dangerous and unpredictable person. The first verse describes the person as dangerous because they are honest and don't know what they want. This person left the singer with a broken heart, making it vulnerable to any spirit to haunt. The chorus asks who is going to be with this person now that they have left. Who is going to ride their wild horses and drown in their blue sea? The second verse describes the person as an accident waiting to happen and a piece of glass left on a beach. They tell the singer things they are not supposed to know which leaves the singer just out of reach.
The bridge of the song has a haunting feel to it. It talks about the hunter who will sin for the ivory skin of the dangerous person. The singer drove in the dirty rain to a place where the wind calls out the person's name under the trees while the river laughed at them. They then mention heaven's white rose, which symbolizes a love that is pure and untainted. The singer implies that the doors of their love have been opened and cannot be closed. The song ends with a plea to the dangerous person to not turn around and look back. They ask what is going to happen now that the singer is gone. Who is going to ride their wild horses and take the singers' place?
Interesting Facts:
- Madonna originally wrote the song and offered it to U2, but they rewrote the lyrics to make it their own.
- It was released as the fifth single from their album Achtung Baby in 1992.
- The song was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno.
- The music video for the song was directed by David Mallet and had a Western theme.
- The song was played during their Joshua Tree Tour in 2017.
- The melody of the song was inspired by a traditional Irish tune called She Moved Through the Fair.
- The song's lyrics were inspired by Bono's fascination with American author Charles Bukowski.
- In 2005, the band rerecorded the song for their compilation album U218 Singles.
- The song was voted #25 in the "Top 40 Best Song Lyrics" list by Rolling Stone readers in 2010.
- The song was included in the soundtrack for the movie Faraway, So Close!
Chords:
Intro: D G D G D G D G
Verse: D G D G D G D G
Chorus: A D G D G A D G D G
Bridge: A D G A D G D G A D G A D G
Outro: D G D G D G D G D G A D G D G
Line by Line Meaning
You're dangerous 'cause you're honest
Your honesty is a double-edged sword
You're dangerous, you don't know what you want
Your lack of clarity causes chaos
Well you left my heart empty as a vacant lot
I feel emotionally abandoned
For any spirit to haunt
My vulnerability invites sorrow and torment
Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who will be the next to fall prey to your reckless behavior?
Who's gonna drown in your blue sea?
Who will be the next victim of your emotional instability?
Who's gonna fall at the foot of thee?
Who will be the next one to suffer the consequences of your actions?
Well you stole it 'cause I needed the cash
You took advantage of my vulnerability
And you killed it 'cause I wanted revenge
Your actions are retribution for my past mistakes
Well you lied to me 'cause I asked you to
You deceived me based on my request
Baby, can we still be friends?
Despite all this, can we remain on good terms?
Oh, the deeper I spin
The more I get tangled in your web of chaos
Oh, the hunter will sin for your ivory skin
I am drawn to you despite the danger
Took a drive in the dirty rain
I am willing to take risks for you
To a place where the wind calls your name
I am following you to the ends of the earth
Under the trees the river laughing at you and me
Nature is mocking our struggles
Hallelujah, heavens white rose
You are a beautiful but dangerous creature
The doors you open
Your actions have consequences beyond your control
I just can't close
I am trapped in the chaos you create
Don't turn around, don't turn around again
Don't look back on our mistakes
Don't turn around, your gypsy heart
Your restless nature will always take you away
Come on now love, don't you look back!
We must move on from our past
Who's gonna taste your salt water kisses?
Who will be the next to be swept away by your seductive charm?
Who's gonna take the place of me?
Who will fill the void I leave behind?
Who's gonna ride your wild horses?
Who will be the next to join you on your dangerous journey?
Who's gonna tame the heart of thee?
Who will be the one to calm your restless spirit?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@edwardpratt5172
"Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses"
You're dangerous 'cause you're honest
You're dangerous, you don't know what you want
Well you left my heart empty as a vacant lot
For any spirit to haunt
Hey hey sha la la
Hey hey
You're an accident waiting to happen
You're a piece of glass left there on the beach
Well you tell me things I know you're not supposed to
Then you leave me just out of reach
Hey hey sha la la
Hey hey sha la la
Who's gonna ride your wild horses
Who's gonna drown in your blue sea
Who's gonna ride your wild horses
Who's gonna fall at the foot of thee
Well you stole it 'cause I needed the cash
And you killed it 'cause I wanted revenge
Well you lied to me 'cause I asked you to
Baby, can we still be friends
Hey hey sha la la
Hey hey sha la la
Who's gonna ride your wild horses
Who's gonna drown in your blue sea
Who's gonna ride your wild horses
Who's gonna fall at the foot of thee
Oh, the deeper I spin
Oh, the hunter will sin for your ivory skin
Took a drive in the dirty rain
To a place where the wind calls your name
Under the trees the river laughing at you and me
Hallelujah, heavens white rose
The doors you open
I just can't close
Don't turn around, don't turn around again
Don't turn around, your gypsy heart
Don't turn around, don't turn around again
Don't turn around, and don't look back
Come on now love, don't you look back
Who's gonna ride your wild horses
Who's gonna drown in your blue sea
Who's gonna taste your salt water kisses
Who's gonna take the place of me
Who's gonna ride your wild horses
Who's gonna tame the heart of thee
@allypallygally
How can this be almost 30 years old and still so fresh and unique. The genius that is Achtung Baby only increases through the passage of time. It’s a perfect album and this song is the jewel in the crown
@bindlepig8064
the fact that since 2000 music has sucked makes these older songs timeless and deservedly so.
@sylsalas
I totally agree with you ! I still remember the very first time I listen to this song , I was only 12 … and it still makes my heart jump … amazing tune
@SteelM4chine
1991-2021
@hazelrah321
Thankyou Brian Eno!!
@fallinginthed33p
This is a completely different mix than the album track, more electronica
@provatos
Can we all agree that this is a masterpiece?
@enlumineresse
Absolutely
@srenlaursen5488
Yep
@ohhiitsjustme3445
Yes, we can! 👍