A Day Without Me
"A Day Without Me" | ||||
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Single by U2 | ||||
from the album Boy | ||||
B-side | "Things to Make and Do" | |||
Released | 18 August 1980[1] | |||
Recorded | 1980 | |||
Studio | Windmill Lane Studios (Dublin) | |||
Genre | Post-punk | |||
Length | 3:12 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | U2 | |||
Producer(s) | Steve Lillywhite | |||
U2 singles chronology | ||||
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"A Day Without Me" is a song by Irish rock band U2, and the eighth track on their debut album Boy. It was released as the album's lead single in August 1980, and was their first release to be produced by Steve Lillywhite.
Theme
The song's lyrics refer to the removal of someone from their habitual social circle, and reflecting on what the world would be like without their presence.[2]
At the time of the single's release, an Island Records press officer was notifying enquirers who were corresponding with the record label about the band that the song's lyrics were written about the death of Ian Curtis, the frontman/vocalist of the band Joy Division.[3] However, this information was erroneous as the band performed the song in Dublin in February 1980, musically and lyrically unaltered from its release format, a few months before Curtis's death.[4]
Production
The single release was produced by Steve Lillywhite, and was the first time that he recorded with U2.
The
Cover art
The image on the single's cover, photographed by Susan Byrne, is of a
Live performances
"A Day Without Me" was played live during the first half of the 1980s. On the
"Things to Make and Do" was the only instrumental played live by U2 until the U2 360° Tour ("Return of the Stingray Guitar"), and it regularly followed "The Electric Co." on the Boy Tour. It has only been played once since the end of that tour, at an early date of the October Tour on 31 August 1981.
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "A Day Without Me" | 3:12 |
2. | "Things to Make and Do" (instrumental) | 2:14 |
References
- ^ Sams, Aaron; Kantas, Harry. "U2 – "A Day Without Me" Single". U2songs.com. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
- ^ U2 - Dublin, Ireland 26-February-1980 (Full Concert With Enhanced Audio), retrieved 2024-03-11
- ^ Letter from Island Records Press Officer Neil Storey, dated 16 October 1980, for sale on eBay 2 March 2018: "... A Day Without Me was based, loosely, on the death of Ian Curtis. The band were deeply affected by his death as they felt that it was a senseless waste of human life." https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323088854785?_trksid=p11021.c100851.m5053&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20170803121420ul_noapp=true
- ^ "U2 Dublin, 1980-02-26, National Stadium, Early Days - U2 on tour". U2gigs.com. 1980-02-26. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
- ^ 'It was the Summer of '79, when the Heat was felt by McGuiness', by Declan Lynch. 'Irish Independent' 29 October 2006.
- ^ "BBC - Kevin Cummins: Britain's bands in pictures - Joy Division". BBC. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
- ^ Mühlbradt, Matthias; Axver, André. "A Day Without Me". U2Gigs.com. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
External links
- "A Day Without Me" Lyrics from U2.com