“Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" kicks open War, U2's 1983 album on Island, and it comes through the door like a squad on the march. Larry Mullen, Jr. beats out a military tattoo, The Edge's guitar comes down hard and jagged, and the voices weave harmonies over the top that keep it from turning into a mere shout. Steve Lillywhite produced it, with Paul Thomas engineering and Kevin Killen assisting.

The subject is the Troubles in Northern Ireland, seen by someone watching in horror, and above all the 1972 Bloody Sunday shootings in Derry, when British troops killed 14 unarmed civil rights protesters. Bono wrote the words and sings them; the music belongs to all four. Adam Clayton's bass drives it on, The Edge adds piano, Kenny Fradley brings a trumpet, and Steve Wickham's electric violin cuts through like a siren.

It was the album's third single, and together with "New Year's Day" it pulled U2 out to a far bigger audience. The early live performances stirred up controversy, and Bono spent years telling crowds that the song was a stand against sectarian violence. It has stayed one of their signature tunes and one of the songs they play most, critics count it among the great protest records, and Rolling Stone later put it at 268 on its list of the 500 greatest songs.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.