Album Review: War (U2)

Now that I've finished reading U2 and Philosophy, I have decided to dig up all my old U2 CDs and give them another listen. Not that I ever quit listening to U2. Quite the contrary. However, like many people today, I listen to music on my computer as I work or play, which means that I am able to hear my favourite songs rather than an entire album. I beg you, gentle reader, to indulge a nostalgic old man as he takes a stroll down memory lane.

I had first heard of U2 shortly after I graduated. The radio stations in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia played a lot of total garbage. In any event, I didn't exactly come from a rock 'n' roll family, at least not unless rock 'n' roll died in 1961 when my mom's most recent 45 was pressed. By means I can no longer remember, I came to follow an eclectic group of musical acts: Leonard Cohen, Bruce Cockburn, Red Ryder, Johnny Clegg, the Clash, and, of course, U2.

I was not amongst the first cohort of U2 fans, although I had heard about them from friends who were. I knew a few of the songs off of the Boy and October albums, but the first U2 album I ever purchased, at the House of James religious bookstore no less, was War, and I've been a fan ever since.

In my opinion, War is one of the best rock 'n' roll albums of all times. It combines powerful lyrics with wailing guitars and passionate, throbbing drums. It is also so earnest in its appeal to the better angels in us that the boys can be forgiven for their optimism even by the more experienced version of myself that is writing this post. I loved it then and, I'm happy to say, I still love it now.

The album opens with Sunday Bloody Sunday, a song that begins by condemning sectarian violence and ends with the rousing call to faith: "The real battle just begun/To claim the victory Jesus won". When you are young and unsure of your faith, nothing is as reassuring as a powerfully sung anthem, but then again, I still find the song reassuring.

The next highlight for me is New Year's Day. The song began as a love song to lead singer Bono's wife, but along the way it transformed into a statement of support for the Polish Solidarity movement. I love the entire song, but I am particularly inspired by the thought that "we can break through,/And we can be one".

The band then brings us Like a Song, an energetic piece that ends with the rousing plea: "Angry words won't stop a fight/Two wrongs don't make a right/A new heart is what I need/Oh God, make it bleed". Anyone who has ever contemplated the injustice in the world can empathize with the narrator of the song, even if they don't believe there is anyone in heaven listening to the plea.

Drowning Man, which follows New Year's Day, is a total change of pace, an elegy of love and friendship -- and hope. Back in the good old days of vinyl, albums had two sides, and this song closed side 1 if I remember right. I don't exactly know whether the song is intended as a plea from a man to God or whether it is a promise from God to man. Perhaps the most thrilling part of a truly inspirational song is the passage where Bono sings, "Rise up, rise up/With wings like eagles, You'll run, you'll run,/You'll run and not grow weary." What words of comfort. They still put a lump in my throat, even with -- or perhaps, because of -- my doubts.

Side 2 kicks off with the spirited The Refugee. I know U2 sometimes seems critical of US policy, but the anchor line in chorus is "Her mama says one day she's gonna live in America". I think this is proof that U2, like so many of us, truly loves the values and the heritage that is America at its best. America is not just about injustice and illegal wars and prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay. It is also a generous, idealistic nation that has provided a safe haven for refugees from places as far apart as Vienna and Vietnam.

The penultimate song on the album is Surrender. It is hard to pick a favourite song on an album of such rich possibilities, but if I could listen to only one song it would have to be Surrender. While the subject may not be as "big item" as the subjects of other songs, I find there is an intimacy that is comforting and frightening at the same time. "Sadie said she couldn't work out/What it was all about/So she let go/Now Sadie's on the street/And the people she meets you know." Never mind the fact that Sadie winds up on the 48th floor, we've all met Sadie when I walk the streets of downtown Toronto or Vancouver.

The final song on War has become one of the band's favourite ways to end their concerts. 40 is based on Psalm 40, but I doubt that the author of Psalm 40 ever heard it performed by tens of thousands of people the way U2 has. The song ends with the lament "How long to sing this song?/How long? How long? How long?" When you ask God for answers but get no replies, you know exactly what the singer is asking.