ALLUSIONS: U2 'No Line on the Horizon'
From "Hymns for the Future" by Brian Hyatt, Rolling Stone March 19, 2009 - pg. 56 (not available online).
"Bono worked as hard as he ever has on this album's lyrics, typing out draft after draft. When they're not packed with epigrammatic punch lines ("Stand up rock stars/Napoleon is in high heels/Josephine be careful/Of small men with big ideas"), they're laced with allusions: to James Joyce, to the documentary Man on Wire and especially to the Bible. "Unknown Caller" references Jeremiah 33:3 - "Call unto me and I will answer"; "Breathe" is set on June 16th, the same day as Joyce's Ulysses; and "Magnificent" was inspired by the Magnificat, as passage from the Gospel of Luke (in the voice of the Virgin Mary) that was previously set to music by Bach. "There's this them running through the album of surrender and devotion and all the things I fund really difficult," Bono says. "All music for me is worship of one kind of another"
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jo Hawke on
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Nice examples. Concerning his last statement, I remember seeing that a lot of churches have been using Bono's songs in their services.
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Permalink Reply by Ryan Goble on
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At a video at the RRHOF in Cleveland Bono famously says that "most music is about people running away from or toward God." (not exact quote) Certainly an interesting thought!
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Extra points for excellent (if corny) pun.
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