"Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" | ||||
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Single by U2 | ||||
from the album All That You Can't Leave Behind | ||||
B-side | "Big Girls Are Best" | |||
Released | 29 January 2001 | |||
Studio | HQ (Dublin, Ireland) | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Composer(s) | U2 | |||
Lyricist(s) | Bono and the Edge | |||
Producer(s) | ||||
U2 singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
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"Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the second track on their tenth studio album, All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000), and was released as the album's second single on 29 January 2001. The band's lead vocalist Bono has said the song was inspired by a fictional conversation with his friend Michael Hutchence about suicide. The song peaked at number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in Canada, their native Ireland, and Italy, while reaching the top 10 in Australia, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom. In 2002, the song won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony.
"Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" originated from a gospel-influenced chord progression that guitarist the Edge composed on a piano in a Japanese hotel room. [1] [2] He said: "I suppose I was consciously looking for something in that [gospel] tradition. Having been through that whole experimentation period during Pop —with techno and dance ideas and dance aesthetics—it seemed like I wanted to get back to something a bit more earthy." [1] During the recording sessions for All That You Can't Leave Behind , the Edge played the piano piece in a music sequencer, after which co-producer Brian Eno removed every first and second note, leaving every third note. Eno then set it into a different keyboard with extensive treatments, resulting in what the Edge called an "otherworldly effect" on top of his "traditional gospel piano sequence". [2]
Co-producer Daniel Lanois said the recorded version of the song was essentially a live take performed by the band with him and Eno. On guitar, Lanois played "the harmony to The Edge's part". The Edge achieved a clean guitar tone by plugging his 1950s Fender Stratocaster guitar directly into a Fender Bassman amplifier. [3] The song ends with a "choral chant" written by the Edge; Lanois said they had always wanted to compose such a part before. The group tried several variations of it before settling on the version that appears on record. The vocals were sung by the Edge, Lanois, and Eno; Lanois said it was easy to imagine hiring a choir to sing the part but "if you want it to sound like a U2 record, then you use the team". [4] Mick Jagger and his daughter Elizabeth recorded backing vocals for the song, although these did not make the final mix. [5]
U2's lead singer Bono wrote the lyrics about the suicide of his close friend Michael Hutchence, lead singer of the band INXS. The song is written in the form of an argument about suicide in which Bono tries to convince Hutchence of the act's foolishness. Bono characterised the song as a fight between friends, which he felt guilty for never having with Hutchence. As Bono said in 2005, "It's a row between mates. You're kinda trying to wake them up out of an idea. In my case it's a row I didn't have while he was alive. I feel the biggest respect I could pay to him was not to write some stupid soppy song, so I wrote a really tough, nasty little number, slapping him around the head. And I'm sorry, but that's how it came out of me." [6] [7] New York magazine's Caryn Rose wrote in Vulture that it was "a gospel song at its heart... The last three stanzas are heart-wrenching." [8]
This section needs expansionwith: chart performance. You can help by adding to it. (August 2021) |
"Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" was released in the UK on 29 January 2001, [9] [10] in Japan on 7 February, [11] in Australia on 12 February, [12] in the United States on 6 August, [13] and in Canada on 30 October. [14]
The song was performed at every show on the Elevation Tour in 2001. [15] The song was not played again until the third leg on the Vertigo Tour in 2005 in an acoustic form by Bono and The Edge. The full band electric version was revived for the sixth leg of the Vertigo Tour in 2006. The song was performed on the U2 360° Tour, again in an acoustic form by Bono and The Edge. [16] The song was played five times on the Innocence + Experience Tour. [17] These performances were by the full band and featured The Edge on the piano. The song was not performed on the Experience + Innocence Tour in 2018, but was played during many promotional shows for the Songs of Experience album. It made two appearances on The Joshua Tree Tour 2019. [18] Both performances were in Sydney and were dedicated to Michael Hutchence. [19]
Three official music videos were filmed for the song. The first video (known as the US version) is directed by Joseph Kahn, features an American football game between the "Flys" [sic] and the "Lemons" filmed at the Houston Astrodome (named The Unforgettable Fire Dome in the video), and contains various inside jokes and references to the band's past—such as the team names themselves, which were the titles of two U2 singles released in the 1990s. The video features a brief cameo in the beginning from John Madden, whose lines also feature several U2 references. The main part of the video shows a placekicker named Paul Hewson—Bono's real name—forced to relive a field goal he missed that cost his team the game. [20]
The second video, directed by Kevin Godley and aimed at an international audience, shows Bono being thrown out of a van several times, as if "stuck in a moment". At the end of the video, the rest of the band helps him up.
The third and final video is the "Eze version", filmed in Eze, France, and features live footage of the band recording All That You Can't Leave Behind, intercut with footage of the band roaming the streets of Eze. [21]
All three videos were remastered in high definition and uploaded to the band's YouTube channel in 2020.
The "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" singles were backed with the following B-sides:
There are three versions of this song:
All music is composed by U2
No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (Album version) | Bono and The Edge | 4:33 |
2. | "Big Girls Are Best" | Bono and The Edge | 3:37 |
3. | "Beautiful Day" (Quincey and Sonance remix) | Bono | 7:55 |
4. | "Beautiful Day" (Perfecto mix) | Bono | 7:48 |
Total length: | 24:01 |
Note
No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (Album version) | Bono and The Edge | 4:33 |
2. | "Beautiful Day" (Live on Farmclub.com ) | Bono | 4:48 |
3. | "New York" (Live on Farmclub.com) | Bono | 6:01 |
4. | "Beautiful Day" (David Holmes remix) | Bono | 5:34 |
Total length: | 20:58 |
Note
No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (Album version) | Bono and The Edge | 4:33 |
2. | "Big Girls Are Best" | Bono and The Edge | 3:37 |
3. | "All I Want Is You" (Live at Manray, Paris) | Bono | 5:26 |
4. | "Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Live at Manray, Paris) | Bono | 3:55 |
Total length: | 17:33 |
Note
No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (Album Version) | Bono and The Edge | 4:33 |
2. | "Beautiful Day" (Live on Farmclub.com) | Bono | 4:48 |
3. | "New York" (Live on Farmclub.com) | Bono | 6:01 |
4. | "Big Girls Are Best" | Bono and The Edge | 3:37 |
5. | "Beautiful Day" (Quincey and Sonance remix) | Bono | 7:55 |
Total length: | 18:19 |
Note
No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (Radio edit) | Bono and The Edge | 3:42 |
2. | "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (Acoustic version) | Bono and The Edge | |
3. | "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" (Live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) | Bono | 5:39 |
4. | "Elevation" (Vandit club remix) | Bono | 8:54 |
Note
Weekly charts | Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [61] | Gold | 35,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [62] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 29 January 2001 |
| Island | [9] [10] |
Japan | 7 February 2001 | CD | [11] | |
Australia | 12 February 2001 | [12] | ||
United States | 6 August 2001 | Interscope | [13] | |
7 August 2001 | [13] | |||
Canada | 30 October 2001 | CD | [14] |
Somalian-Canadian rapper K'naan performed the song live in July 2010 for iHeartRadio. [63]
Actress Scarlett Johansson covered the song for the soundtrack to the 2021 animated film, Sing 2 , in which U2 frontman Bono appears in a voice role.
U2 are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1976. The group consists of Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.. Initially rooted in post-punk, U2's musical style has evolved throughout their career, yet has maintained an anthemic quality built on Bono's expressive vocals and the Edge's chiming, effects-based guitar sounds. Bono's lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal and sociopolitical themes. Popular for their live performances, the group have staged several elaborate tours over their career.
The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release, The Unforgettable Fire, the band aimed for a harder-hitting sound within the limitation of conventional song structures on The Joshua Tree. The album is influenced by American and Irish roots music, and through sociopolitically conscious lyrics embellished with spiritual imagery, it contrasts the group's antipathy for the "real America" with their fascination with the "mythical America".
All That You Can't Leave Behind is the tenth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and was released on 30 October 2000 through Island Records and Interscope Records. Following the band's experimentation with alternative rock and dance music in the 1990s and the mixed reception to their 1997 album, Pop, U2 returned to a sound more akin to their earlier records for All That You Can't Leave Behind. The group reunited with Eno and Lanois, who had produced three prior U2 albums together. The record was originally named "U2000", which had been a working title for their PopMart Tour.
The Unforgettable Fire is the fourth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and released on 1 October 1984 by Island Records. The band wanted to pursue a new musical direction following the harder-hitting rock of their previous album, War (1983). As a result, they employed Eno and Lanois to produce and assist in their experimentation with a more ambient sound. The resulting change in direction was at the time the band's most dramatic. The album's title is a reference to "The Unforgettable Fire", an art exhibit about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
7 is an EP by the Irish rock band U2, released exclusively at Target retailers in the United States in 2002. It collects various B-sides from All That You Can't Leave Behind-era singles, which were previously unavailable in the US. The title refers to the number of tracks. Likewise, at the time of its release, 7 was priced at nearly seven US dollars. The title is also a homage to Three, the group's first release.
"One" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their seventh album, Achtung Baby (1991), and it was released as the record's third single on 24 February 1992. During the album's recording sessions at Hansa Studios in Berlin, conflict arose between the band members over the direction of U2's sound and the quality of their material. Tensions almost prompted the band to break up until they achieved a breakthrough with the improvisation of "One"; the song was written after the band members were inspired by a chord progression that guitarist the Edge was playing in the studio. The lyrics, written by lead singer Bono, were inspired by the band members' fractured relationships and the German reunification. Although the lyrics ostensibly describe "disunity", they have been interpreted in other ways.
"With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track on their fifth studio album, The Joshua Tree (1987), and was released as the album's lead single on 16 March 1987. 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.
"Beautiful Day" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the first track on their tenth studio album, All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000), and was released as the album's lead single on 9 October 2000. The song was a commercial success, helping launch the album to multi-platinum status, and is one of U2's biggest hits to date.
"Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track on their eleventh studio album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), and was released as the album's second single worldwide except in North America on 7 February 2005. Originally titled "Tough", the song is lyrically about the relationship between the band's lead vocalist Bono and his father Bob Hewson, who died of cancer in 2001.
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the second track from their 1987 album The Joshua Tree and was released as the album's second single in May 1987. The song was a hit, becoming the band's second consecutive number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 while peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart.
"Elevation" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track on their tenth studio album, All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000), and was released as the album's third single on 25 June 2001. The song became the band's 16th number-one single in their native Ireland and their second number one in the Netherlands. It also topped the charts in Canada and reached the top 10 in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. A different mix of the song, entitled the "Tomb Raider mix", was included on the soundtrack of the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. In 2002, "Elevation" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony. The song lent its namesake to the band's 2001 Elevation Tour.
"Walk On" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fourth track on their tenth studio album, All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000). The song was first released in Canada on 20 February 2001, then was given a UK release in November of the same year; it was the album's second single in Canada and the fourth internationally. The song was written about Burmese academic Aung San Suu Kyi, who was the chairperson of the National League for Democracy and was placed under house arrest from 1989 until 2010 for her pro-democracy activities, which led to the song being banned in Burma. In 2002, the song won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, marking the first time an artist had won the award for songs from the same album in consecutive years.
"Mysterious Ways" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the eighth track from their 1991 album, Achtung Baby, and was released as the album's second single on 2 December 1991, two weeks after the album. The song began as an improvisation called "Sick Puppy", with the band liking only the bass part that bassist Adam Clayton composed. The band struggled to build a song from it, with vocalist Bono and producer Daniel Lanois arguing intensely during one songwriting session. The song's breakthrough came after guitarist the Edge began experimenting with the Korg A3 effects unit. "Mysterious Ways" features a danceable beat, funky guitar hook, and conga-laden percussion, as well as mystical lyrics by Bono about romance and women.
"Until the End of the World" is a song by rock band U2 and the fourth track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby. The song began as a guitar riff composed by lead vocalist Bono from a demo, which the band revisited with success after talking with German filmmaker Wim Wenders about providing music for his film Until the End of the World. The song's lyrics describe a fictional conversation between Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot. The first verse discusses the Last Supper; the second is about Judas identifying Jesus with a kiss on the cheek in the Garden of Gethsemane; and the final is about Judas' suicide after being overwhelmed with guilt and sadness.
"The Ground Beneath Her Feet" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It appears in the 2000 film The Million Dollar Hotel, which was produced by U2 lead vocalist Bono, and the song was included on the film's soundtrack. Author Salman Rushdie is credited as the lyricist, as the words are taken from his 1999 book The Ground Beneath Her Feet. Written during the recording sessions for U2's album All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000), the song features Daniel Lanois, who played pedal steel guitar. A different mix from the soundtrack version appears in the film. "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" was released as a promotional single in February 2000, reaching number two on the US Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart, number 22 in Canada, and number one in Iceland.
No Line on the Horizon is the twelfth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Steve Lillywhite, and was released on 27 February 2009. It was the band's first record since How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), marking the longest gap between studio albums of their career to that point. The band originally intended to release the songs as two EPs, but later combined the material into a single record. Photographer Anton Corbijn shot a companion film, Linear, which was released alongside the album and included with several special editions.
"Magnificent" is a song by U2. It is the second track on the band's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon and was released as the album's second single. The song was originally titled "French Disco", but was renamed later in the recording sessions. It is played before the start of every New York Rangers home game at Madison Square Garden.
"Moment of Surrender" is a song by rock band U2 and the third track on their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. During the initial recording sessions for the album in 2007 in Fez, Morocco, the band wrote the song with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois within a few hours. Together, they recorded the song in a single take; Eno called the song's recording "the most amazing studio experience [he's] ever had". According to him and Lanois, the track is the closest the band came to realising their original concept for the album of writing "future hymns". The seven-minute song features gospel-like vocals in the chorus, along with a predominantly organ- and piano-based musical accompaniment. Lyrically, the song is about a drug addict who is undergoing a crisis of faith.
"Unknown Caller" is a song by Irish rock band U2 and the fourth track on their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. It was written from the perspective of a drug addict, who begins to receive bizarre text messages on his cellphone. The song was developed very early during the No Line on the Horizon sessions, and was recorded in a single take.
"Stay " is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fifth track on their eighth album, Zooropa (1993), and it was released as the album's third single on 22 November 1993 by Island Records. The song reached number one in Ireland and reached the top 10 in Australia, Iceland, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. The accompanying music video, directed by Wim Wenders, was shot in Berlin, Germany. The earliest incarnation of the song developed during sessions for the group's 1991 album Achtung Baby. It was written for and inspired by Frank Sinatra and bore his surname as the original working title. An alternative recording was used in the 1993 film Faraway, So Close!, also by Wim Wenders.
Footnotes
Bibliography
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