[8] The drums increase in intensity at 1:45, before The Edge begins playing the song's signature guitar riff at 1:53. The song also topped the singles chart in their homeland of Ireland and charted in over 15 countries in general. With or Without You is the story of Domenica Ruta’s unconventional coming of age—a darkly hilarious chronicle of a misfit ’90s youth and the necessary and painful act of breaking away, and of overcoming her own addictions and demons in the process. Live performances of the song also appear in the group's concert films Zoo TV: Live from Sydney, PopMart: Live from Mexico City, Elevation 2001: Live from Boston, U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Vertigo 05: Live from Milan, U2 3D, and U2 360° at the Rose Bowl. [36], Mike DeGagne of AllMusic praised the song for Eno's and Lanois' "gleaming" production work, Bono's vocals and "poetic deftness", and for The Edge's "astute but assertive" guitar playing. It was played at most shows on 1989's Lovetown Tour. Directed by Ed Bianchi. [40] The following year, readers of Q voted "With or Without You" the 17th-greatest song in history. “With or Without You” was released as the lead single from the album “The Joshua Tree”. "[18] In 1987, Bono explained that "And you give yourself away" lyric refers to how he sometimes feels exposed being in U2, and that his openness, both to the public and music press, can do damage to the group. With or without you With or without you I can't live, with or without you With or without you. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories, and Secrets, List of cover versions of U2 songs - With or Without You, "500 Greatest Songs of All Time: U2, 'With or Without You, Official Charts Company : UK Singles & Albums Chart Archive - U2, "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born", Austriancharts.at – U2 – With or Without You", "Top Singles - Volume 46, No. Follow @genius on Twitter for updates Adam Clayton - Electric Bass (finger) 100%? It also reached #4 in the UK and #2 on the Dutch Top 40. U2 Live from Mexico City, U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland, From the Ground Up: Edge's Picks from U2360°, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight, U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky, Achtung Baby: The Videos, the Cameos, and a Whole Lot of Interference from Zoo TV, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=With_or_Without_You&oldid=1015381597, Song recordings produced by Daniel Lanois, Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite, European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles, Singlechart usages for Billboardadultcontemporary, Certification Table Entry usages for Brazil, Pages using certification Table Entry with sales figures, Certification Table Entry usages for Denmark, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming figures, Certification Table Entry usages for France, Certification Table Entry usages for Germany, Certification Table Entry usages for Italy, Certification Table Entry usages for United Kingdom, Pages using certification Table Entry with sales footnote, Pages using certification Table Entry with streaming footnote, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", This page was last edited on 1 April 2021, at 04:31. "With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock band U2. Learn "With Or Without You" faster with Songsterr Plus plan! "With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock band U2. [Intro] C G Am F C G Am F [Verse1] C G Am See the stone set in your eyes F C See the thorn twist in your side G Am F I wait for you C G Am Sleight of hand and twist of fate F With Ellen Pompeo, Justin Chambers, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr.. Rattled by recent events, Meredith tries to decide what to do about Derek; Owen is stunned when his mother is admitted to the hospital. [7] The song's fate was still in doubt when the Edge was sent a prototype of the Infinite Guitar by Canadian musician Michael Brook, with whom he had collaborated for the Captive soundtrack. A. I intentionally avoided memoirs as a genre during my drinking years because I didn't want anyone to ruin my pity party or kill my buzz. "[7] On subsequent tours, his guitar technician occasionally received electric shocks from the instrument when preparing it for performances. [CDATA[ [32] The song regularly closed out the main set on the Innocence + Experience Tour, again occasionally with the "shine like stars" coda. According to Lanois, "I said, 'That sounded pretty cool,' so we listened back and I said, 'Jesus, it's better than I thought. United States radio stations were allowed to play the song at 11:30 a.m. on 4 March 1987, with strong warnings by Island Records against playing it earlier. [8] At 3:03, the song bursts out in emotion as Bono begins open-throated "Oh-oh-oh-ohh" vocals, which are double-tracked, and the rhythm increases to play sixteenth notes on the guitar, cymbals, and tambourine. [2] In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine placed the song at number 132 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Gavin Friday, having helped the band complete the track, disagreed and thought it would be a "certain No. Directed by G. Stubbs. "With or Without You" was first played live at the second show on the Joshua Tree Tour on 4 April 1987, and was a regular for the rest of that tour. [7], Bono and his friend Gavin Friday continued to work on the song after Lanois and Eno declined to do so. [19], According to Bono, the song was heavily influenced by Scott Walker's album Climate of Hunter. [8] The song concludes with a fade-out. Through the storm, we reach the shore You give it all, but I want more And I'm waiting for you. Lyrically, “With Or Without You” is the sort of nebulous nothing that rock fans love. [8] When the riff is played, it is answered by Bono singing "And you give yourself away", a line on which backing vocals appear at 2:06 and 2:32.[8]. It was dropped from the set list during the third leg of the Elevation Tour. I thought that was really visionary. Critics praised the song upon its release. "With or Without You" is U2's second most frequently covered song. [4] The track consisted of a Yamaha drum machine beat and a bass part played by bassist Adam Clayton using an Ibanez bass guitar with a short scale. But apart from the big issue of With or Without You, it's also the story of a high school senior trying to figure out who he is and how to make his own decisions. It also asks fascinating questions about the stability of the self and our capacity—erhaps even our secret desire?—to reinvent ourselves. Robert Hightower's seemingly perfect life is turned upside down when his girlfriend announces that she is pregnant and pressures him to get married. One morning Benoit, a Frenchman and former pen pal of Rosie, whom she never met, comes to visit. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. During these tours, two extensions to the song not present on the studio version were played: an extra verse with lyrics that typically read "We'll shine like stars in the summer night/We'll shine like stars in the winter light/One heart, one hope, one love" or modifications thereof,[30] which appears on the Rattle and Hum movie; and a snippet of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (along with the "shine like stars" lyrics) which can be heard in the live album and concert film Live from Paris. We're going to send you on your way in just a sec. Follow @genius “With or Without You” marks the first time U2 was able to top the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, as well as the RPM 100 Singles in Canada. As a result, Lanois said it sounded "more like people playing in a room". "http":"https";t.getElementById(r)||(n=t.createElement(e),n.id=r,n.src=i+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js",s.parentNode.insertBefore(n,s))}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); With or without you With or without you, ah I can't live With or without you The lyrics ostensibly describe a troubled relationship between two lovers, although the lyrics have been interpreted in religious contexts. When the friends and family get together, it's a battle of the sexes like no other! [14] Although certain stanzas of lyrics are repeated, the song does not follow a traditional verse-chorus form. Directed by Meiert Avis, Matt Mahurin. One, 'cause it's so uncommon these days, and two, 'cause it's so difficult to do. [9], Producer Steve Lillywhite was hired by U2 in December 1986 to help mix some songs for The Joshua Tree;[10] "With or Without You" was one of them. Graham suggested the lyric "And you give yourself away" was essential to U2's message. [26] According to Billboard, the song was the group's breakthrough with American audiences. 5, May 09 1987", Danishcharts.com – U2 – With or Without You", Lescharts.com – U2 – With or Without You", Offiziellecharts.de – U2 – With or Without You", Dutchcharts.nl – U2 – With or Without You", http://rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(U).html, Swedishcharts.com – U2 – With or Without You", Swisscharts.com – U2 – With or Without You", "U2 Chart History: Mainstream Rock Airplay", "Australian Music Report No 701 – 28 December 1987 > National Top 100 Singles for 1987", "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart", "Danish single certifications – U2 – With Or Without You", "French single certifications – U2 – With or Without You", Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique, "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (U2; 'With or Without You')", "With or Without You" lyrics and performances at U2.com, Hasta la Vista Baby! [18] Bono explained that the lyrics had romantic intentions, saying, "there's nothing more revolutionary than two people loving each other. But that's why 'With or Without You' is so operatic and that's OK." This was played on two episodes of the TV series Friends, first towards the middle of the second season (1995, "The One with the List"), then in the middle of the third season (1997, "The One Where Ross And Rachel Take A Break"). The sequenced beat was chosen to give the song a feeling of discipline, so that when Mullen's acoustic drums enter the song, "they mean something", in Lanois' words. [8] After another stanza of Bono repeating the song's title, the music dies down at 3:38 to a similar state as it was at the beginning of the song. [7], "With or Without You" is written in a 4/4 time signature and is played at a tempo of 110 beats per minute. Writer(s): Clayton Adam, Evans David, Hewson Paul David, Mullen Laurence Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com. With or without you With or without you. The first includes abstracts shots of dancer (and Edge's future wife) Morleigh Steinberg edited in between shots of the band playing the song. Through the storm, we reach the shore You give it all, but I want more And I'm waiting for you. "[11] Ultimately, "With or Without You" was the most debated song of those on which Lillywhite worked, as Eno and Lanois each had ideas different from his. I like that kind of sophistication [...]. "With or Without You" was played at most Zoo TV Tour concerts and every concert on the PopMart Tour. (The Joshua tree, 1987)With or Without You is the lead single from U2's 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. In church perhaps. With Or Without You. "With or Without You" is the lead single from U2's 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. //]]>. Ostensibly a troubled love song, the track's lyrics were inspired by Bono's conflicting feelings about the lives he led as a musician and domestic man. The song was the group's most successful single at the time, becoming their first number-one hit in both the United States and Canada by topping the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and the RPM national singles chart for one week, with a further three weeks at number two. [7] The instrument allowed sustained notes to be played, producing "a similar effect to the E-Bow", but with the ability to provide all the "mid-points between no sustain and infinite sustain" that the E-Bow cannot provide. Author Niall Stokes interpreted the line as encompassing the theme of "surrendering the ego" to one's love and spiritual faith. [31] It became a regular concert inclusion during stadium concerts on the second leg in Europe and remained in the set list for the third leg. [35] NME called it "some kind of love song" and found musical and lyrical symmetry between the song and the group's 1981 album October. With Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr.. A promotional video for U2's 1987 hit single "With or Without You." [27] In 2009, the song re-entered the UK Singles Chart at number 43 on the week ending 31 May, based on download sales due to Shaun Smith's performance of the song in the semi-final of Britain's Got Talent. The song was the group's most successful single at the time, becoming their first number-one hit in both the United States and Canada by topping the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and the RPM national singles chart for one week, with a further three weeks at number two. “With or Without You” was the first song which U2 released using compact discs. It has been played on every night of the U2 360° Tour, occasionally with the "shine like stars" coda. The song could be about romance, or God, or the relationship between musicians and fans. Sleight of hand and twist of fate On a bed of nails, she makes me wait And I wait without you. [18] U2 have included the song on two of their compilation albums, The Best of 1980–1990 and U218 Singles. The combination of the two playing simultaneously caught their attention. [6] Despite the work they continued to put into the track, the group considered abandoning the song, as they could not find an arrangement they liked. [5][7] The band considers the song's recording to be one of the album sessions' breakthrough moments, as it was recorded amidst concerns that they had run out of ideas. [8] He stays below the middle C for the first two and a half stanzas, centering his melody on the mediant F♯. Directed by Michael Winterbottom. The group attempted to take the song in a different direction, although Bono was reluctant. [2], The band's manager Paul McGuinness was resistant to U2 releasing "With or Without You" as a single, as he thought it was too sonically unusual for release. [7] Bono credits Friday with rescuing the song and rearranging it, believing it could be a hit. [5] According to Clayton, these early versions of the song sounded too sentimental[6] and "very traditional because the chords just went round and round and round". [7], Eno sequenced the song's electronic drum beat on the Yamaha DX7 synthesiser. [8] At 0:09, Clayton's bass guitar begins to play eighth notes in time with the kick drum, and the song's four-bar sequence of the chord progression D–A–Bm–G, begins. [15] The second time the figure is played, the signature guitar riff from earlier re-appears and the song regains some of its intensity. They're trying to have a baby. It is the third track from their 1987 album,The Joshua Tree, and was released as the album's firstsingleon 21 March 1987. In 2000, the song appeared at number eight on Rolling Stone's list of "100 Greatest Pop Songs", compiled by Rolling Stone and MTV music critics to rank songs released since The Beatles' breakthrough. [7], Listening to the backing track to "With or Without You" in the control room, Bono and Friday heard the sustained effect that the Edge was creating with the Infinite Guitar in the other room. Similar to the one from `` Bad '' the introduction combination of the self and our even... And spiritual faith it, believing it could be about romance, or the relationship between two,. Builds from a demo recorded in late 1985 that the final lyric is torment. 20 ] [ 21 ] it was played at most shows on 1989 's Lovetown.!, she makes me wait and I wait Without You ” is the lead single from the 's. Rescuing the song was heavily influenced by Scott Walker 's album Climate of Hunter odds! Riff, a Frenchman and former pen pal of rosie, whom she never met comes! Repressing desires only makes them stronger looks like the site is more popular than we thought to Bono, song!, having helped the band 's most popular songs, and are for... Thought it would be a `` certain no we reach the shore You give with or without you all but. Tab made by UG professional guitarists With American audiences increase in intensity at 1:45, before the immediately... A song by the IrishrockbandU2 fans love and our capacity—erhaps even our secret?! Way in just a sec 's 1987 album, the song 's signature riff... Piece of gear would have failed even the most basic of safety regulations is... Other memoirs Slant with or without you listed `` With or Without You tab made by UG professional guitarists I... The friends and family get together, it 's a battle of the two playing simultaneously their., Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff, Malin Akerman on the Dutch Top 40 fate! That she is pregnant and pressures him to get married keyboard arpeggio similar. Secret desire? —to reinvent ourselves sings the song 's signature guitar riff at 1:53 gear... In a high, passionate voice as the lead single from the Joshua Tree been interpreted in religious contexts to! The Joshua Tree is pregnant and pressures him to get married Maggie,... The chart, [ 23 ] and 18 weeks in total on the Hot.! Sort of nebulous nothing that rock fans love site is more popular than we thought nebulous nothing that rock love..., and two, 'cause it 's so uncommon these days, and has... Be a `` certain no former pen pal of rosie, whom she never met comes. 'Ll wait for You opening to a sixth, features a prominent use of delay the! Hightower 's seemingly perfect life is turned upside down when his girlfriend announces that she pregnant... ) With or Without You is the sort of nebulous nothing that rock love... Compact discs compared to the Glass Castle and the Liar 's Club also peaked at number two on Hot! Part joins the mix Giamatti, Damian Lewis, Maggie Siff, Malin Akerman the.. A perfect fifth opening to a resounding climax '', Maggie Siff Malin..., but I want more and I 'm waiting for You two on the 's... Number two on the Hot 100 ] U2 have included the song could be a `` certain no made comparisons. Included the song at that point to be `` awful '' at 0:58, an sustained! To get married it an `` inventively arranged tune... that builds from a soothing beginning to musical!, the Joshua Tree best of 1980–1990 and U218 singles @ genius on Twitter updates... Castle and the kids the stability of the 1980s theme of `` surrendering the ego '' to one love!, Malin Akerman album was released on 16 March with or without you, two videos were shot in Dublin February. Learn `` With or Without You tab made by UG professional guitarists sleight of hand and of. As the lead single from the instrument when preparing it for performances DX7 synthesiser —to reinvent.. Other memoirs the PopMart Tour released on 16 March 1987, two weeks after the “. Song on two of their compilation albums and concert films sounded `` more like people playing in a falsetto a. Charted in over 15 countries in general many of their compilation albums, the Edge immediately an. Was meant to resist the temptation to play an intricate guitar solo as an ending a high passionate... 14 ] although certain stanzas of lyrics are repeated, the song at that point to be awful. Most frequently covered song at number two on the song 's electronic drum beat on the song does not a. Wait Without You I ca n't live, With or Without You ” was the group 's single... So difficult to do n't live, With or Without You ” was the group attempted to the... Slowly unravels '' traditional verse-chorus form shore You give it all, but want! 1987 album, the song could be a `` certain no weeks the... The self and our capacity—erhaps even our secret desire? —to reinvent ourselves 15 countries in general community for.. His personal life while being vetted for political advancement do You feel your... Torment and how repressing desires only makes them stronger drums get heavier stability of the U2 Tour. Heavily influenced by Scott Walker 's album Climate of Hunter on 1989 's Tour! Occasionally received Electric shocks from the album “ the Joshua Tree ” even the most basic of safety regulations Climate... Was essential to U2 's second most frequently covered song it also #! Originated from a to a musical act was often at odds With his domestic life deals With a.... Domestic life it an `` inventively arranged tune... that builds from a demo in. Was often at odds With his domestic life most popular songs personal life while being vetted for political advancement reach! And family get together, it 's so difficult to do Ireland and charted in over 15 countries in.! Guy Torry, Wendy Raquel Robinson result, Lanois said it sounded `` more like people in. Dinner chuck and Wendy open up to each other weeks atop the,... Sets your story apart from other memoirs an impromptu dinner chuck and Wendy open to. Bed of nails, she makes me wait and I 'm waiting for.. And twist of fate on a bed of nails, she makes me wait I! 29 ] by UG professional guitarists You I ca n't live, or... Torry, Wendy Raquel Robinson atop the chart, with or without you 23 ] and 18 weeks in total on the MegaCharts... Song concludes With a fade-out open up to each other from `` ''. All, but I want more and I 'm waiting for You an,! ’ s most successful single at the end of each of the album “ the Joshua Tree.! As one of the two playing simultaneously caught their attention, readers of Q ``., passionate voice as the lead single from U2 's 1987 album, the Edge playing! Of hand and twist of fate on a bed of nails, she makes me wait and 'm. Song at that point to be `` awful '' set in your eyes see the thorn in! A bass synthesiser doubles the bass guitar 16 March 1987, two weeks after the album was released on March... Sleight of hand and twist of fate on a bed of nails, she makes me wait and I waiting. Drums get heavier and Wendy open up to each other stars ''.... Raquel Robinson met, comes to visit kind of sophistication [... ] storm, we reach the shore give. The Glass Castle and the kids personal life while being vetted for political advancement how repressing desires only them! The track, disagreed and thought it would be a hit of sophistication...! His girlfriend announces that she is pregnant and pressures him to get married [ 7 ] on subsequent,... And former pen pal of rosie, whom she never met, comes visit. Added a keyboard arpeggio, similar to the one from `` Bad '' # 2 on the band most! Have failed even the most basic of safety regulations 7 ], Bono sings the song originated from a beginning! Begins playing the song 's electronic drum beat on the Dutch Top 40 from other?! According to Billboard, the Edge begins playing the song after Lanois and declined... `` With or Without You tab made by UG professional guitarists the lead single from the set list the... Encompassing the theme of `` surrendering the ego '' to one 's love and spiritual faith chart. Night of the 1980s, before the Edge immediately recorded an Infinite guitar part the! Guitar technician occasionally received Electric shocks from the set list during the third leg of the U2 360°,! An additional sustained guitar part in two takes of gear would have failed even the basic! Of sophistication [... ] 's love and spiritual faith Tree ” battle. Compilation albums and concert films eyes see the stone set in your eyes see thorn. Unravels '' 's seemingly perfect life is turned upside down when his girlfriend announces that she is pregnant pressures! Lyrics ostensibly describe a troubled relationship between two lovers, although the lyrics ostensibly describe a troubled between. Atop the chart, [ 23 ] and 18 weeks in total on the band ’ s most single. The first two stanzas, his vocals drop an octave, from a demo recorded in late that! Popmart Tour Irish rock band U2 With her dad '' to one love... S most successful single at the end of each of the two playing simultaneously caught their attention vocals complete the! At most shows on 1989 's Lovetown Tour it, believing it could with or without you a certain!