Moment of Surrender

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"Moment of Surrender"
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    • "Moment of Surrender" is a song by

    Fez, Morocco, the band wrote the song with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois within a few hours. Together, they recorded the song in a single take; Eno called the song's recording "the most amazing studio experience [he's] ever had". According to him and Lanois, the track is the closest the band came to realising their original concept for the album of writing "future hymns". The seven-minute song features gospel
    -like vocals in the chorus, along with a predominantly organ- and piano-based musical accompaniment. Lyrically, the song is about a drug addict who is undergoing a crisis of faith.

    "Moment of Surrender" was praised by critics, many of whom called it one of the album's stand-out tracks. The song was compared to the group's earlier

    The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[2]

    Writing and recording

    Moroccan Riad
    similar to the one pictured.

    "Moment of Surrender" was written by U2 and No Line on the Horizon

    meter (in which they decided to have a "funny layout" that was not based on "eights or sixteens"), the six of them improvised the entirety of the piece.[7]

    As they began to play, bassist

    electronic drum kit malfunctioning during the song's recording.[12] Eno was amazed by each performer's ability to develop and play their part without any instructions or cues.[7] After the song's recording completed, everyone present, including a gathering of production personnel and visitors, was completely silent; Eno suggested it was as if they had gone on an "emotional adventure of some kind".[7] He called the song's recording "the most amazing studio experience I've ever had",[3] and he believes the "emotional crescendo" heard in the song properly captures how they felt as they improvised the piece.[7] Bono stated "it was a spell and we were in it".[13]

    The song was played only once and received minor treatments afterwards, with the addition of a cello part in the introduction and some editing, which included removing a verse to reduce the song's length.[3][7] Eno was outraged that U2 wanted to shorten the song,[8] and he was adamant that the band not alter the original track too much, saying, "These fucking guys, they're supposed to be so spiritual—they don't spot a miracle when it hits them in the face. Nothing like that ever happened to me in the studio in my whole life."[12] The band's original concept for No Line on the Horizon was to create an album of "future hymns"—songs that would be played forever. According to Eno and Lanois, "Moment of Surrender" is the closest the band came to reaching that concept.[12]

    Composition

    "Moment of Surrender" is played in

    pedal steel. The Edge begins a slide guitar solo at 4:59[6] that many critics compared to the playing style of Pink Floyd's David Gilmour.[15][16][17] After the third chorus ends at 6:11, "Oh-oh-ohhh" vocals and a guitar figure bring the song to its conclusion.[6]

    Lanois noted that the song had a very "Canadian sound" that was like a tribute to the Band, calling it the "Simcoe sound".[11] Rolling Stone said the song "merges a Joshua Tree-style gospel feel with a hypnotically loping bass line and a syncopated beat".[18] The song makes prominent use of organ and piano.[19][20]

    Reception

    "Moment of Surrender" was well received by critics after the release of No Line on the Horizon. David Fricke of Rolling Stone enjoyed the song, writing, "The rising-falling effect of the harmony voices around Bono... is a perfect picture of where he really wants to be, when he gets to the line about 'vision over visibility.'"[21] Blender considered it the high-point of the album, comparing it to the band's 1987 single "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". Reviewer Rob Sheffield complimented the melding of bass, guitar, and vocals, calling it "the kind of gimme-divinity anthem that U2 cut their teeth on, except it really does seem like they've gotten better at these songs now that they've picked up some bummed-out adult grit. Bono actually sounds scared of something in this song, and whether his nightmares are religious or sexual, the fear gives his voice some heft."[22] NME felt that it was the "most impressive" song on the album, describing it as a "gorgeously sparse prayer built around Adam Clayton's heartbeat bassline and Bono's rough growl", and noting that despite its seven-minute length, it did not feel too long.[23] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian was more critical of the song, saying it "doesn't have enough of a tune to support the full seven-minute gospel treatment",[24] a sentiment that The Times agreed with.[25]

    Hot Press editor Niall Stokes called it "a modern rock classic" that will "stand forever as one of U2's most inspirational creations".[8]

    Despite not being released as a single, "Moment of Surrender" charted in two countries. In the

    Ultratop 40 Singles Chart (Wallonia) for a week at number 35.[31]

    Live performances

    A darkened concert venue. People are in multiple levels of seating, and tiny lights are scattered throughout the audience. On the left, performers stand on a stage lit with blue lighting.
    During performances of the song, the band encouraged fans to take out their mobile phones for visual effect.

    "Moment of Surrender" made its live debut on the opening night of the

    U2 360° at the Rose Bowl. In a review of the film, Andrew Mueller of Uncut called "Moment of Surrender" an "[i]ll-chosen closer", as well as "overlong and under-realised".[40] In 2009, the song was performed by the band on the 35th-season premiere of Saturday Night Live, and at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.[41] On 18 June 2011, Bono closed the song with lyrics from "Jungleland" to honor the recently deceased E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons. The song was also one of only three non-single tracks to be played by the band in their headline set at the Glastonbury Festival 2011.[42]

    Legacy

    "Moment of Surrender" appeared on several music publications' "best of" lists for 2009 and the 2000s decade.

    The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2010 and placed "Moment of Surrender" at number 160—just one year after the song's release—marking the fourth-best position of any U2 song on the list as well as the third-best placement for any song made after 2000.[2]

    "Moment of Surrender" is the tenth track in the Anton Corbijn film Linear, based on a story by Corbijn and Bono where a Parisian traffic cop travels across France and the Mediterranean Sea to visit his girlfriend in Tripoli.[46] During the sequence, the cop (played by Saïd Taghmaoui), leaves the bar and begins to wander the streets of Cádiz at night, eventually making his way down to the beach where he falls asleep on the sand. In the morning he wakes up and the next track, "Cedars of Lebanon", begins.[47]

    A live performance of "Moment of Surrender" taken from an 18 September 2010 concert in Paris appeared on the group's 2010 live EP Wide Awake in Europe.[48]

    Credits and personnel

    • Additional keyboards – Terry Lawless
    • Cello – Caroline Dale
    • Production – Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois
    • Engineering
       – Richard Rainey
    • Engineering assistance – Chris Heaney
    • Additional engineering – Declan Gaffney, and Carl Glanville
    • Mixing – Daniel Lanois and Declan Gaffney
    • Mixing assistance – Tom Hough, Dave Clauss, and Dave Emery

    Charts

    Chart (2009) Peak
    Belgium Singles Chart (Wallonia)[31]
    		 35
    Italy (
    Musica e Dischi)[49]
    		 19
    U.S. Mediabase Triple A[30] 45

    References

    Footnotes

    1. ^ a b "The Decade's Best Songs & Albums". Rolling Stone. No. 1094/1095. 24 December 2009 – 7 January 2010. p. 85.
    2. ^ a b "500 Greatest Songs of All Time: U2, 'Moment of Surrender'". Rolling Stone. No. Special collectors edition. 2010.
    3. ^ a b c d e O'Hagan, Sean (15 February 2009). "The Wanderers". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
    4. ^ McGee (2008), pp. 327–328
    5. ^ Tyaransen, Olaf (11 March 2009). "Reading between the lines". Hot Press. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
    6. ^ a b c d e f g No Line on the Horizon (CD). U2. Island Records. 2009.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
    7. ^
      Live Nation
      . 27 November 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
    8. ^ a b c d e f Stokes (2009), p. 167
    9. ^ Owens, Catherine (2009). Moment of Surrender – No Line on the Horizon (Box format hardback book). U2. Interscope Records. B0012638-00.
    10. ^ Eccleston, Danny (24 November 2008). "U2 album still not finished". Mojo.
    11. ^ a b Frenette, Brad (10 March 2009). "U2's No Line On The Horizon: A track-by-track exclusive with producer/co-writer Daniel Lanois". National Post. Archived from the original on 20 October 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
    12. ^ a b c Hiatt, Brian (5 April 2009). "Taking care of business". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 14 July 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
    13. ^ McMahon, James (23 February 2009). "The Superleague of Ordinary Gentlemen". NME.
    14. ^ a b "U2 – Moment of Surrender Guitar Tab". Musicnotes. Retrieved 9 August 2011. Note: Software required to view the page.
    15. ^ Mueller, Andrew (25 February 2009). "Rock juggernaut's 12th studio album is a grower". Uncut.
    16. ^ a b Cameron, Keith (25 February 2009). "Blue Sky Thinking". Mojo. p. 96.
    17. ^ a b Rees, Paul (25 February 2009). "No Line on the Horizon is just possibly their best". Q. p. 94.
    18. ^ Hiatt, Brian (22 January 2009). "Inside U2's Bold New Horizon". Rolling Stone. No. 1071. Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
    19. ^
      Washington Post
      .
    20. ^ Jensen, Jeff (6 March 2009). "Music Review: No Line on the Horizon". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1037. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
    21. ^ Fricke, David (20 February 2009). "No Line on the Horizon". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 26 May 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
    22. ^ Sheffield, Rob (28 February 2009). "U2: No Line on the Horizon". Blender. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
    23. ^ Patashnik, Ben (26 February 2009). "No Line on the Horizon". NME. Archived from the original on 29 May 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
    24. ^ Petridis, Alexis (26 February 2009). "U2: No Line on the Horizon". The Guardian.
    25. ^ Pahides, Pete (16 February 2009). "U2: No Line on the Horizon". The Times.
    26. ^ Aaron, Charles (April 2009). "'Line' of the Times". Spin. Vol. 25, no. 4. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
    27. ^ Clark, Stuart (14 February 2009). "No Line on the Horizon". Hot Press. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
    28. ^ Tyrangiel, Josh (9 March 2009). "U2's Unsatisfied – and Unsatisfying – New Album". Time. Vol. 173, no. 9. p. 53. Archived from the original on 5 May 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
    29. ^ Horan, Niamh (28 December 2009). "Is Bono nervous about the new U2 album? You bet". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
    30. ^ a b "Mediabase AAA Chart: 11.17.09". America's Music Charts. Archived from the original on 7 February 2010.
    31. ^ a b "U2 – Moment of Surrender". ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
    32. ^ "U2 360° Tour". U2Gigs. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
    33. ^ "U2 Brisbane, 2010-12-09, Suncorp Stadium, 360° Tour". U2Gigs. 9 December 2010. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
    34. ^ "U2 Winnipeg, 2011-05-29, Canad Inns Stadium, 360° Tour". U2Gigs. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
    35. ^ a b Doherty, Mike (19 September 2009). "U2's Massive Intimacy". National Post.
    36. ^ a b Greene, Andy. "U2 Reinvent the Stadium Show as 360 Tour Launches in Chicago". Rolling Stone.
    37. ^ a b "Review: U2 Play to Biggest-Ever Wembley Stadium Crowd". The Daily Telegraph. 15 August 2009.
    38. Sunday Times
      .
    39. ^ Nicolson, Barry (1 September 2009). "Live Review: U2". NME.
    40. ^ Mueller, Andrew. "DVD Review: U2 - 360° at the Rose Bowl". Uncut. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
    41. ^ Kreps, Daniel (28 September 2009). "U2 Bring 360 Show to "Saturday Night Live" Premiere". Rolling Stone.
    42. ^ This can be verified by cross-checking the show set list against the band's list of singles.
    43. ^ Langer, Andy (16 November 2009). "Great Songs of 2009". Esquire. Retrieved 18 November 2009.
    44. ^ "100 Best Songs of the 2000s: U2, 'Moment of Surrender'". Rolling Stone. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
    45. ^ "METALLICA's ULRICH, HAMMETT Name Their Favorite Albums, Songs Of Past Decade". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 11 December 2009. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
    46. ^ "Linear". nolineonthehorizon.com. Archived from the original on 18 February 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
    47. ^ Corbijn, Anton (Director) (2009). Linear (Film). France: U2.
    48. Consequence of Sound
      . Retrieved 19 November 2010.
    49. Musica e Dischi
      (in Italian). Retrieved 28 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "U2".

    Bibliography

    External links

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moment_of_Surrender&oldid=1220623905"