"Bad"
Song by U2
from the album The Unforgettable Fire
Released	1 October 1984
Genre	Rock
Length	6:09
Label	Island Records
Writer(s)	U2 (music), Bono (lyrics)
Producer(s)	Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois
Chart positions
#19 (US Mainstream Rock Tracks)
The Unforgettable Fire track listing
"4th of July" (Track 6)	"Bad" (Track 7)	"Indian Summer Sky" (Track 8
Wide Awake in America track listing
	"Bad" (live) (Track 1)	"A Sort of Homecoming" (live) (Track 2)
The Best of 1980-1990 track listing
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" (Track 5)	"Bad" (edit) (Track 6)	"Where the Streets Have No Name" (Track 7))

"Bad" is the seventh track from U2's 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire. Often considered a fan favorite, it is U2's tenth most frequently performed song in concert [1], or eleventh behind "40" if snippets are counted in the performance total for "40" [2]. This is an album cover. ... A song is a relatively short musical composition for the human voice (commonly accompanied by other musical instruments), which features words (lyrics). ... U2 is a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. ... The Unforgettable Fire is an album by Irish rock band U2, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Rock is a form of popular music from the mid 20th century which typically features a vocal melody (often with vocal harmony) that is supported by accompaniment of electric guitars, a bass guitar, and drums, often with a strong back beat. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Island Records was founded in Jamaica in 1959 by Chris Blackwell and Graeme Goodall but moved to the UK in May 1962. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... U2 is a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. ... This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes . ... Brian Peter George St. ... Daniel Lanois (born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Québec) is a Canadian record producer and singer-songwriter. ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music but are not modern rock (that is, alternative) stations, which are counted in the Modern Rock Tracks chart. ... The Unforgettable Fire is an album by Irish rock band U2, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). ... 4th of July is the sixth track on U2s fourth album, The Unforgettable Fire. ... Wide Awake in America is a four-track EP by the Irish rock band U2, released in 1985 (see 1985 in music). ... A Sort of Homecoming is the first track of U2s 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire. ... The Best of 1980-1990 is a greatest hits compilation released by Irish rock band U2 in November 1998 (see 1998 in music). ... Sunday Bloody Sunday is the third single and opening track from U2s 1983 album, War. ... Where the Streets Have No Name is the third single and opening track from U2s 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. ... U2 is a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. ... See also: 1983 in music, other events of 1984, 1985 in music, 1980s in music and the list of years in music // [edit] Events January 21 - Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart: it spends a total of forty-two weeks in the... The Unforgettable Fire is an album by Irish rock band U2, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). ... 40, the closing track from U2s War album, was the (Germany-only) fourth single release from that album. ...

History

"Bad," like many of U2's songs, was born of an improvised guitar riff during a loose jam session at Slane Castle, Ireland. A testament to the influence of producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, The Edge's characteristic minimalist guitar sound is accompanied by atmospheric, ambient echo effects. A jam session is a musical act where musicians gather and play (or jam) without extensive preparation or predefined arrangements. ... Slane Castle is a castle located in Slane village, County Meath, in the Republic of Ireland. ... Brian Peter George St. ... Daniel Lanois (born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Québec) is a Canadian record producer and singer-songwriter. ... The Edge is the moniker of David Howell Evans (born August 8, 1961), the lead guitarist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. ...

Bono's vague lyrics have led to many fan interpretations of the song's meaning, but Bono frequently told the story behind the song in concert: the song is about heroin—specifically, about a friend of Bono's "who was given on his 21st birthday enough heroin into his bloodstream to kill him." [3] This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ...

Live Aid

For a band still relatively unknown when compared with their fellow performers at Live Aid in 1985, U2 is often cited for their fiery performance at the concert in London. Along with "Sunday Bloody Sunday", U2 played an epic twelve-minute (over twice the length of the studio recording) version of "Bad." The song was extended further by snippets of Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love" and "Walk on the Wild Side," and The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" and "Sympathy for the Devil." Bono also utilized a two-minute instrumental interlude to dance with a fan offstage. The performance was so long that the band was only able to play two of the three songs in their set, leaving out "Pride (In the Name of Love)" which was supposed to end the band's performance. Ethiopia, as its borders were in 1985. ... Sunday Bloody Sunday is the third single and opening track from U2s 1983 album, War. ... Lewis Allen Lou Reed (born March 2, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. ... Satellite of Love is one of the best known songs by Lou Reed. ... Walk on the Wild Side is a Lou Reed song from his 1972 sophomore solo album Transformer. ... Rolling Stones redirects here. ... Ruby Tuesday is a song recorded by The Rolling Stones in 1966, written by Brian Jones with some bits by Keith Richards concerning lyrics and texture, but credited to Jagger and Richards instead. ... Sympathy for the Devil is a song by The Rolling Stones. ... Pride (In the Name of Love) was the lead single from U2s 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire. ...

Today

A staple of U2's concert tours of the 1980s, "Bad" was also frequently performed during the first four legs of the 1992–1993 Zoo TV Tour. Although a rarity on the Popmart Tour of 1997 and 1998, it returned to the normal setlist for 2001's Elevation Tour and has seen occasional performances during the Vertigo Tour of 2005 and 2006, sometimes even appearing as the closing song for shows. The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ... The Zoo TV Tour was an elaborately-staged, multimedia concert tour by Irish rock band U2 supporting their album Achtung Baby, in arenas and stadiums over 1992 and 1993. ... The Popmart Tour (often referred to as just Popmart) was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place from 1997 to 1998, in support of the groups 1997 album, Pop. ... The rock band U2s Elevation Tour took place in 2001 in support of their album All That You Cant Leave Behind. ... The Vertigo Tour is a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which began in 2005 in support of the groups 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. ...

Bono is known for singing a wide variety of snippets during performances of "Bad". Lyrics from over 50 different songs have been included in "Bad", ranging from brief quotes of a single line through to multiple verses. These snippets are typically sung after the "I'm not sleeping" line and Bono has included up to six different snippets in a single performance of "Bad". Performances without at least one snippet are very rare.

Discography

Although "Bad" was never released a single, it has become a fan favorite. It is the first track on the 1985 EP Wide Awake In America, this being a live version recorded at London's Wembley Arena. Three other versions of "Bad" have been officially released by the band. An edit of the version from The Unforgettable Fire appears on The Best of 1980-1990—notably, "Bad" is the only non-single to appear on the track listing for the compilation album (although a hidden version of "October" is included as well). 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Extended play (EP) is the name typically given to vinyl records or CDs which contain more than one single, but are too short to qualify as albums. ... Wide Awake in America is a four-track EP by the Irish rock band U2, released in 1985 (see 1985 in music). ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of the United Kingdom and the largest city of England (strangely, England has no constitutional existence within the United Kingdom, and therefore cannot be said to have a capital). ... Wembley Arena at Night (Taken at a live WWE Show). ... The Best of 1980-1990 is a greatest hits compilation released by Irish rock band U2 in November 1998 (see 1998 in music). ... now. ... October is the seventh track from U2s 1981 album, October. ...

In addition to the live performance included on Wide Awake in America, a live version of "Bad" from 1987's Joshua Tree Tour appears on the rockumentary Rattle and Hum. Also, the release of The Complete U2 in 2004 produced another live version of "Bad" appearing on the digital album U2 Love: Live from the Point Depot. The rock band U2s Joshua Tree Tour took place during 1987, in support of their album The Joshua Tree. ... The term rockumentary is a neologism denoting a program on television or movie documentary about rock and roll or its musicians. ... Rattle and Hum refers to both a motion picture about the band U2 and its companion album, documenting the bands 1987 Joshua Tree Tour of the United States and its exploration into American music. ... The Complete U2 is a digital box set by U2, released exclusively online in the iTunes Music Store on November 23, 2004 (see 2004 in music). ... The Complete U2 is a digital box set by U2, released exclusively online in the iTunes Music Store on November 23, 2004 (see 2004 in music). ...

External links

• Bad's performance history at U2-Vertigo-Tour.com—Lists all concerts at which "Bad" has been performed.
• "Bad" Lyrics directly from U2.com