Song · U2
“Stay (Faraway, So Close!)” by U2
From the album Zooropa (1993)
“Stay (Faraway, So Close!)” by U2 appears on 12 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 1993 and 2025. It was first released in 1993 on the album Zooropa. Its best result is #30 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1993. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #82 alternative song of 1993 and #3,383 alternative song of all time.
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U2's "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" is the soft landing on Zooropa, their 1993 album, and it had been kicking around since the Achtung Baby sessions. It began as a song for Frank Sinatra, carrying his name as its working title, before Wim Wenders put a version of it in his film Faraway, So Close! and shot the video in Berlin.
Flood, Brian Eno and the Edge produced it, and they let it breathe: Bono and the Edge on guitars, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. keeping a patient pulse, and Bono's voice pitched somewhere between a lullaby and a plea. Released as the album's third single, it picked up a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song, and the band still count it among their favorites; the Edge rated it the best thing on the record.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 30 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1993 | 91 |
| 1993 | 77 | Q101 Chicago, IL | Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1993 | 101 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 345 | Q101 | Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) | 500 |
| 2007 | 1572 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) | 2008 |
| 2008 | 1542 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) | 2009 |
| 2009 | 1564 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) | 2010 |
| 2010 | 1596 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) | 2011 |
| 2011 | 1666 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) | 2011 |
| 2013 | 1684 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) | 2012 |
| 2014 | 1718 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
| 2023 | 562 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s | 893 |
| 2025 | 189 | WFPK | WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s | 500 |
Also listed as: Stay (Faraway So Close); Stay (Faraway, So Close).
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