City of Blinding Lights
| "City of Blinding Lights" | ||||||||||||||
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| Single by U2 | ||||||||||||||
| from the album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb | ||||||||||||||
| Released | 6 June 2005 | |||||||||||||
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| Recorded | Hanover Quay Studios in Dublin, Ireland | |||||||||||||
| Genre | Rock | |||||||||||||
| Length |
5:47 (album) 4:11 (single) |
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| Label | Island/Interscope | |||||||||||||
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| Producer(s) | Flood, with additional production by Chris Thomas and Jacknife Lee | |||||||||||||
| U2 singles chronology | ||||||||||||||
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"City of Blinding Lights" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fifth track on their 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and was released as the album's fourth single on 6 June 2005. The song was a top ten hit in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. The music video was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The earliest incarnation of the song was developed during sessions for the band's 1997 album Pop. The lyrics were partially inspired by lead singer Bono's recollection of his first trip to London, and by the band's experience of playing New York City in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Other lyrics refer to Bono's relationship with his wife. The song's underlying theme reflects lost innocence and was inspired by an image Bono saw of himself from the early 1980s. The sound has been compared to the tone of U2's 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire and their 1987 single "Where the Streets Have No Name."
"City of Blinding Lights" was well received by critics and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song at the 2006 ceremony. The song made its live debut on the group's 2005 Vertigo Tour, when it was commonly played as the opening song, and it has been performed at nearly every show from a U2 concert tour since. The track has been used in episodes of The Simpsons and Entourage, and in the film The Devil Wears Prada.
U.S. President Barack Obama used it at campaign events during the 2008 and 2012 U.S. presidential elections, and listed it as one of his favourite songs; U2 performed it at his inaugural celebration.
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