{"id":30492,"date":"2024-10-01T12:02:37","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T12:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lascrucestoday.com\/101gold\/u2s-fifth-studio-album-the-unforgettable-fire-turns-40\/"},"modified":"2024-10-01T12:02:37","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T12:02:37","slug":"u2s-fifth-studio-album-the-unforgettable-fire-turns-40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lascrucestoday.com\/101gold\/u2s-fifth-studio-album-the-unforgettable-fire-turns-40\/","title":{"rendered":"U2\u2019s fifth studio album, ‘The Unforgettable Fire’, turns 40"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Island Records<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of U2<\/strong>\u2019s fifth studio album, <\/span>The Unforgettable Fire.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Following their fourth studio album,\u00a0<\/span>War<\/span><\/em>, which\u00a0featured future classics \u201cSunday Bloody Sunday\u201d and \u201cNew Year\u2019s Day,\u201d\u00a0U2 decided on a change in direction, replacing longtime producer Steve Lillywhite<\/strong>\u00a0with Brian Eno<\/strong> and Daniel Lanois<\/strong>\u00a0in hopes of moving them away\u00a0from the more conventional hard rock sound of their previous release.<\/span><\/p>\n

The album, recorded at Dublin\u2019s Slane Castle\u00a0and Windmill Lane Studios, produced the band’s first hit single,\u00a0\u201c<\/span>Pride (In The Name of Love)<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u201d which featured a tribute to the late Martin Luther King Jr<\/strong>.\u00a0The track was a top 40 hit for the Irish rockers, peaking at #33 on the <\/span>Billboard<\/span><\/em> Hot 100.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And while\u00a0“Pride” was the only hit single off the record, several other tunes \u2014 including the title track, \u201cA Sort of Homecoming\u201d and \u201cBad\u201d \u2014 went on to become fan favorites. In fact,\u00a0“Bad” is\u00a0frequently performed\u00a0at\u00a0U2\u2019s live shows, with the most notable performance <\/span>happening at<\/strong><\/span>\u00a01985’s Live Aid<\/strong><\/a>, in which\u00a0Bono <\/strong>pulled\u00a0a fan\u00a0from the audience and danced with her. The performance served as a breakthrough for the band, exposing them to an audience of millions thanks to the TV broadcast of the concert.<\/p>\n

The Unforgettable Fire<\/span><\/em>\u00a0was a #1 hit in the U.K. and peaked at #12 on the <\/span>Billboard<\/span><\/em> Album chart, matching the chart performance of <\/span>War<\/span><\/em>. It has since gone on to be certified triple Platinum by the RIAA.<\/span><\/p>\n