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"Sunday Bloody Sunday"

(U2, 1983)

Song of the week - Sunday, September 30, 2001
 

Now that the United States has become torn apart by terrorism, its population is starting to realise that it's an important issue. The rest of the world has had to live with it for years -- we in Britain and Northern Ireland have been suffering the 'troubles' for decades.

U2, the socially conscious Dublin band who formed in 1978 and show no signs of quitting, considered themselves scarred by the Ulster violence even though they did not grow up in the region, and sung about it along with such subjects as drug addiction, civil rights and the human condition.

At the time of this writing they're getting more awards than they ever did, but don't have as much street cred -- I think that's because people are just too accustomed to them. They haven't sold out and their music still packs a punch; their last album, "All That You Can't Leave Behind", contained some wonderful hits, especially "Stuck in a Moment", which lead singer Bono wrote about a friend's descent into alcoholism.

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" was a big hit taken from the 1983 "War" album, recalling the horror of that day in 1972 when British soldiers opened fire on peaceful demonstrators in Derry. Dunno how much my American readers know or care about the event, but Bloody Sunday continues to hurt on this side of the Atlantic, and still appears on the news from time to time, when inquiries are re-opened in the search for justice that has so far eluded us (no one was ever prosecuted in connection with the massacre).

Bono wails most effectively on the song, the music rages, the drumbeat is an insistent and powerful clamour. U2 never appeared as nihilistic, as bands like the Sex Pistols did, but instead drew on the energy of punk to frame their progressive politics and Charismatic Christianity. Terrific stuff.

COPYRIGHT© 2001 Ian Waldron-Mantgani
 

Broken bottles under children's feet; Bodies strewn across a dead end street; But I won't heed the battle call; It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday. Sunday, Bloody Sunday.

And the battle's just begun; There's many lost, but tell me who has won? The trenches dug within our hearts; And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday. Sunday, Bloody Sunday.

How long, how long must we sing this song? How long, Tonight we can be as one. Tonight, tonight.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday. Sunday, Bloody Sunday.

Wipe the tears from your eyes; Wipe your tears away; Wipe your blood shot eyes.

Sunday, Bloody Sunday. Sunday, Bloody Sunday.

And it's true we are immune; When fact is fiction and T.V. is reality; And today the millions cry; We eat and drink while tomorrow they die. The real battle just begun; To claim the victory Jesus won; On a Sunday Bloody Sunday, Sunday Bloody Sunday.

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