Yet another band who will feature heavily within this blog over time, I’m a huge U2 fan. They have an astonishing rate of consistency when it comes to releasing huge singles and albums, and it’s no surprise that they’ve sold more than 150 million albums across their 45-year career. Perhaps my first selection of theirs may come as a surprise, though it’s a song I’ve loved since I first heard it back in 1988…
The artist
Formed in Dublin in 1976 (yes – really!), U2 grew from a group of like-minded teenage schoolboys to become the biggest rock band on the planet (certainly during the late 80s and into the 90s). Having signed a record deal with Island Records, their early albums (Boy (1980), October (1981), and War (1983), were full of post-punk anger and spikiness. 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire saw them move more toward the sound that would bring them mega-stardom and produced their first UK top-10 single with Pride (In The Name Of Love). They delivered one of the most talked about sets at Live Aid a year later and released their masterpiece – The Joshua Tree – in 1987. Widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, it went on to sell over 25 million copies and contains what might just be the greatest opening 3 tracks of any album in history – Where The Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, and With Or Without You. Their final album of the 80’s, 1988’s Rattle & Hum, included the brilliant Angel of Harlem.
Why I’ve chosen to write about this song
Whisper it in hushed tones but Rattle & Hum could well be my favourite U2 album! Yes, The Joshua Tree is a masterpiece, without a duff track in sight. Yes, Achtung Baby is an experimental gamble that paid off in a huge way, ushering the band into an exciting new decade with some considerable style. And yes, War beautifully bridged that early raw post-punk period and the more radio friendly mid-80s era. Though Rattle & Hum, despite it being inconsistent and containing a number of filler tracks, contains some of my favourite songs by the band. A mixture of live and studio tracks, it opens with a fizzing cover of Helter Skelter. There are other tracks I love which drip with anger and menace, including Silver And Gold, and God Part II. There are heartfelt love songs, such as Hawkmoon 269 and one of my absolute favourite U2 songs – All I Want Is You. The band delve into the blues with the magnificent When Love Comes To Town, featuring the mighty B.B. King. Then there are the chart hits, such as Desire (their first UK number-one single) and Angel of Harlem.
The primary reason I’ve chosen the latter here is due to it being an utterly joyous song which always makes me smile and sing. It’s a tribute to classic soul and jazz music, particularly Billie Holiday, and was written during the band’s first trip to New York, which heavily influenced the lyrics. They landed at JFK airport and were picked up in a limousine. The driver had the radio tuned to WBLS – a black music station – and Billie Holiday was playing. The rest is history! I love the words here, influenced in no small part by the fact that New York is one of my favourite cities and the words here always take me back there.
The video
Many of the reasons I’ve stated for loving the song are why I also love the video. Shot mainly in black and white (in keeping with the retro feel of the song and the subject matter), New York clearly features heavily, including wonderful shots of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building. There are stills and clips of many musicians from the classic age of popular music, interspersed with shots of everyday people. The band performance element was filmed at the legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem, as well as including some footage from the world-famous Sun Studios – footage which also featured in the Rattle & Hum movie. In short, it’s a wonderful video – one of my favourites from the decade.
The stats
The song first charted in the 17th December 1988 chart at number 10. It reached a peak position of 9 the following week. Top of the charts at that time was Cliff Richard’s Mistletoe and Wine – the UK’s Christmas number 1 for 1988. The number 1 album when the single charted was Now That’s What I Call Music! 13 (coincidentally, one of my absolute faves from the entire Now Music series!). The Rattle & Hum album first charted at number 1 on the 22nd October 1988.
The cover version
There’s no cover version this time around. I wasn’t previously aware of any and I couldn’t find any versions which I felt either added something new or did the song justice.
The wrap-up
Sometimes in life, it’s good to surprise people! I’m sure many would have thought my first U2 entry here would be one of the previously mentioned mega-hits. However, Angel of Harlem is absolutely one of my favourite songs. It makes me feel happy, joyful and upbeat every time I hear it – it never fails to lift my mood. And, fundamentally, that is what great music is all about, isn’t it? It’s that ability to make you feel something. Whether that’s joy, pain, happiness, sadness, anger, serenity – whatever the emotion, the very best music must trigger something inside us. That’s certainly the case for me here.
Best wishes.
Mick
