Red hill mining town

[dettersree]

So they don't play it live yet there is a music video I mean yeah bono can lip sing but even In the video for electrical storm and other how it's made video it shows bono actually singing. I found this on wiki.
"It was the only song from The Joshua Tree never to be played live,[8] although it was soundchecked in November"
'Was' being the key word when was it played live. I thought edge had to meditate in a tree for a week or something? I also found this from wiki. It looks legitimate enough for me.
"These strands came together in "Red Hill Mining Town", a rough version of which was worked up during the early Joshua Tree album writing sessions in late 1985.[3] Bono's lyrics focussed on the stress the dispute had on families and their relationships, many of which broke down.[4] In particular, inspiration was drawn from the Tony Parker book Red Hill: A Mining Community. Bono was criticised in some quarters for not being politically specific enough. However, Bono said he felt he was more interested in the relationships and that others were more qualified to comment on the strike itself.[1]"
So I get that it was about a dispute between family's. Also the lyrics are if you didn't know.
From father to son
The blood runs thin
Oooh....see faces frozen still
Against the wind
The seam is split
The coal face cracked
The lines are long
There's no going back
Through hands of steel
And heart of stone
Our labour day
Has come and gone

Yeah, you leave me holding on
In Red Hill Town
See lights go down

I'm hangin' on
You're all that's left to hold on to
I'm still waiting
I'm hangin' on
You're all that's left to hold on to

The glass is cut
The bottle run dry
Our love runs cold
In the caverns of the night
We're wounded by fear
Injured in doubt
I can lose myself
You I can't live without

Yeah, you keep me holding on
In Red Hill Town
See the lights go down on
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
I'm still waiting
Hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
On to...

We'll scorch the earth
Set fire to the sky
We stoop so low
To reach so high
A link is lost
The chain undone
We wait all day
For night to come
And it comes
Like a hunter child

I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
I'm still waiting
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to

Love
Slowly stripped away
Love
Has seen its better day

Hanging on
Lights go out on Red Hill
Lights go down on Red Hill
Lights go down on Red Hill Town

I'm just a bit confused………

 

[BVS]

So they don't play it live yet there is a music video I mean yeah bono can lip sing but even In the video for electrical storm and other how it's made video it shows bono actually singing.

I am not sure what this is suppose to mean?

As for not playing it, the band has admitted that they feared that Bono wouldn't be able to sing it night after night due to the higher register.

 

[gvox]

As for not playing it, the band has admitted that they feared that Bono wouldn't be able to sing it night after night due to the higher register.

Can you remind me where they said this? I think I've read it also, but just cant recall..U2 by U2?

Anyways, I think he could hit it. Bad and Pride are harder.

Until then, there's this:


Red Hill mining town U2 Live By Lemon Chile - YouTube

 

[Nick66]

This was my favourite song (followed closely by Streets and OTH) on JT when it first came out...I love it, and to this day I'm not sure if I've ever heard Bono have such soaring emotion on another (studio) song as when he screams "Love, slowly stripped away...". One of his best moments. I can see why there's no way he could belt that thing out every night.

The song is quite serious, but the video, however, is pretty funny in an oddly inappropriate and unintentional kind of way. It's actually a little embarrassing. U2 just really going over the top with earnestness, even for the JT era. And that's saying something. No wonder it never really saw the light of day back in the day. It's kind of cringe inducing (though Bono admittedly looks great).

Looking at the shots of the band (especially the Edge) as the camera is panning when the video begins tells you all you need to know. And WTF is Larry doing? Beating a couple sticks against old mining equipment?

Red Hill Mining Town - YouTube

 

[BVS]

Can you remind me where they said this? I think I've read it also, but just cant recall..U2 by U2?

Anyways, I think he could hit it. Bad and Pride are harder.

Crap, I can't remember, I'll have to look.

 

[jeevey]

The song is quite serious, but the video, however, is pretty funny in an oddly inappropriate and unintentional kind of way. It's actually a little embarrassing. U2 just really going over the top with earnestness, even for the JT era. And that's saying something. No wonder it never really saw the light of day back in the day. It's kind of cringe inducing (though Bono admittedly looks great).


Red Hill Mining Town - YouTube

Yeah, I remember running into this video a little while ago and being unable to watch it. The funny thing is that it's not the earnestness, the water-sprayed Bono or the gratuitous chains everywhere that push it over into uncontrollable silliness, but the Teen-Bop magazine tint of the photography. If it was black and white they just possibly could have pulled it off.

 

[YBORCITY]

Great great song.... I so wished they could have somehow played this song live. one of my all time favs.

 

[YBORCITY]

Can you remind me where they said this? I think I've read it also, but just cant recall..U2 by U2?

Anyways, I think he could hit it. Bad and Pride are harder.

Until then, there's this:


Red Hill mining town U2 Live By Lemon Chile - YouTube

I think I've read this in U2 by U2 and also I remember reading it in a pre Rattle and Hum era magazine(Rolling Stone? I think)

 

[Nick66]

Yeah, I remember running into this video a little while ago and being unable to watch it. The funny thing is that it's not the earnestness, the water-sprayed Bono or the gratuitous chains everywhere that push it over into uncontrollable silliness, but the Teen-Bop magazine tint of the photography. If it was black and white they just possibly could have pulled it off.

Well, yeah, the photography doesn't help. But it's just all so faux-dramatic. I mean, look at Adam throwing those birds (canaries, I presume) into the air @ 4:15. I get the symbolism, but it's just all a little too in your face over the top for me. And the archival footage at the beginning doesn't help

Anyway, I'm not even sure why they did a video for it, since as far as I know, the song wasn't a single. But if they had to do one, I think a grainy, B&W straight up performance video would have been just fine.

 

[dettersree]

I've heard of bands making music videos for the popular songs and every now and again the lesser popular ones…………

 

[BVS]

Anyway, I'm not even sure why they did a video for it, since as far as I know, the song wasn't a single. But if they had to do one, I think a grainy, B&W straight up performance video would have been just fine.

It was going to be a single until they decided not to play it on the tour, they then realized it wouldn't make sense to have the newest single not even being played on the tour supporting that album.

And just to clarify, because if I'm reading some of your posts correctly it sounds like some of you may not be aware of this, this video never saw the light of day until the JT box set was released. There was always discussions about it, there may have been one or two stills released from the video, but the video itself was kept under lock and key. There were a few quotes about it over the years from the band and you got the sense they too were embarrassed by the end product.

 

[jeevey]

It was going to be a single until they decided not to play it on the tour, they then realized it wouldn't make sense to have the newest single not even being played on the tour supporting that album.

And just to clarify, because if I'm reading some of your posts correctly it sounds like some of you may not be aware of this, this video never saw the light of day until the JT box set was released. There was always discussions about it, there may have been one or two stills released from the video, but the video itself was kept under lock and key. There were a few quotes about it over the years from the band and you got the sense they too were embarrassed by the end product.

Smart boys. One good result of of the black and white Rattle and Hum project was that it forever freed them from that pink-saturated pinup boy aesthetic. The overearnestness, of course, would be a longer project.

 

[bonocomet]

Yes. For years we had only these mysterious stills.

It was quite exciting around here the day we finally got the video for the anniversary. And by exciting I mean

 

[No spoken words]

I loved this song the first time I heard it in 1987 and that love has not waned ever since. Simply one of my favorites. And because I love it so much, I have never rewatched that video....once was more than enough. Good lord. You know it's bad when 1987 U2 think it's too faux earnest/dramatic.

 

[Mr. Sarajevo 20]

I loved this song the first time I heard it in 1987 and that love has not waned ever since. Simply one of my favorites. And because I love it so much, I have never rewatched that video....once was more than enough. Good lord. You know it's bad when 1987 U2 think it's too faux earnest/dramatic.

Same here. I watched it once, and swore I would never watch it again.
That video has the potential to ruin the song for me.
How can such a great song, have such a terrible video?

 

[chork]

It's worth multiple viewings for the sheer comedic value.

 

[TheGeekyU2Fan]

It's a great song, but the video's kinda weird. Sorta weirder than the others, but it's not that bad.

 

[spaderholic]

I love the song. The video, well I guess it looks pretty cheaply made and there's a whole lot of pouting and posing from Bono in it! Being completely shallow here - well, he does look pretty damn hot in the video, lol. Overall though, definitely not U2's finest hour, video-wise! One of my fave songs on TJT though.