Pride (In the Name of Love) by U2 (1984)

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Pride (In the Name of Love) Cover

Pride (In the Name of Love) is a song released on 3 September, 1984 by an Irish rock band, U2. The song became their second track from the album The Unforgettable Fire, produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois.

The song was written about Martin Luther King Jr., Pride and became one of their most popular songs, Pride (In the Name of Love) also appeared on the band’s compilation albums The Best of 1980–1990 and U218 Singles. On the Rolling Stone list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", the song ranked at number 388, as well as on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list. [1]

U2 Band

Key Lyrics

One man come in the name of love

One man come and go

One man come he to justify

One man to overthrow

In the name of love

What more in the name of love?

In the name of love

What more in the name of love?

One man caught on a barbed wire fence

One man he resist

One man washed up on an empty beach

One man betrayed with a kiss [2]

Black Empowerment

Originally, the band’s lead vocal, Bono wanted to write a song about one of the U.S. Presidents, Ronald Reagan and his arrogant pride with his military power. After reading the biography of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, he decided to focus on writing the song about the pride which is deeply rooted in the causes of the African-American Civil Rights movement. [3]

The basic theme of peace, love, and martyrs along with referencing King, portrays pride as a universal concept of awareness, understanding, and respect for humanity as opposed to using the word in a boastful way. [4]

“I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.”

The quote by Martin Luther King Jr. was included on the band’s 12-inch vinyl release of “Pride (In the Name of Love). Bono, in the book U2 By U2, recalled about the song "Pride", “I looked at how glorious that song was and thought: ‘What the hell is that all about?’ It’s just a load of vowel sounds ganging up on a great man. It is emotionally very articulate – if you didn’t speak the English language.” [5]

References