Soundtrack of My Life

Song: Sunday Bloody Sunday
Artist: U2
Album: War (1983)

When the message of a song can still be applicable 25 years after it's initial release and morphed into a message for the entire world, not just the groups it was originally speaking to, then you know that song is something special.

This is one of those songs.

The current incarnation of U2 isn't nearly as high up on my charts as the U2 of old. Bono has too much on his plate now and the music that used to define them has become a secondary or maybe even tertiary focus.

But this is old school U2 at their best.

The unforgettable guitar riff. The military cadence of Larry Mullen's drumming. The poignancy of the lyrics, which still today echo a sentiment that extends beyond two Bloody Sundays in Irish history.

In the linked clip, Bono famously introduces the song saying, "This is not a rebel song."

No, this is an activist song. This is a song of someone tired of seeing the violence and destruction that our world has to offer. This is a song that could very well have been written about Darfur or Iraq in recent times.

And the battles just begun
Theres many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart

I'm actually surprised this song hasn't had a comeback of sorts over the last few years, because truthfully, the lyrics are wholly relevant today. They are relevant every day that people die senselessly out of hate and bitterness and prejudice.

Stop.
Listen.
Think.
Grow.

Enjoy.