12. What does "Hawkmoon 269" mean?
There have been many theories about the origin of the song title "Hawkmoon 269". The three main theories that have floated around the U2 fan community since the late 80's are:
THEORY A) The "269" in the title is a reference to the number of times the band had to mix the song to get it right.
THEORY B) "Hawkmoon 269" is a reference to a sign Bono saw showing the town of Hawkmoon was 269 miles ahead while traveling through America on the Joshua Tree tour.
THEORY C) "Hawkmoon 269" is a reference to one of Bono's favorite authors, Sam Shepard.
Of the three theories, the ONLY theory to have substantial, credible evidence to back it up is THEORY C... that "Hawkmoon 269" is a reference to Sam Shepard. I would suggest that THEORY A is a joke that Bono made during a radio interview to avoid sounding too "serious" as he often can, THEORY B is simply a U2 fan "urban myth" with little if any evidence (in fact, there is no town named "Hawkmoon" or "Hawk Moon" in the entire US according to mapquest.com), and THEORY C is in fact the truth behind the song's title.
Evidence that backs up THEORY C includes two books written by Sam Shepard. First and foremost, is Shepard's book of prose, poetry, and monologues called Hawk Moon. Second, is his book Motel Chronicles which was written after Hawk Moon and is probably responsible for the "269" (motel room number) part of the song's title. Both books, interestingly, discuss and are infused with images of the desert southwest of America and are somewhat autobiographical for Sam Shepard. The desert southwest of these Shepard books is the very same theme which infuses The Joshua Tree and to a lesser extent Rattle And Hum.
Just before Bono began the song cycle that would become Joshua Tree / Rattle And Hum (in 1985), a UK publisher (Faber and Faber) released a two volume set which contained both Hawk Moon and Motel Chronicles. This set was widely available throughout the UK and Ireland, and may have been how Bono acquired these important Shepard works.
The most powerful, yet confusing piece of evidence toward the Shepard link are Bono's own words! The problem with quoting Bono is that he often chooses to contradict himself, in this case moment to moment, during interviews. During a 1988 US Rattle And Hum radio broadcast, Bono says:
"The other side of U2 is Hawkmoon. I'd like to say that, uh... I mean I called it Hawkmoon 269 because... It seems to me... Well, it's a reference to a few people, like one of my favorite writers Sam Shepard, but also to... It's a motel room in my imagination somewhere..."
This quote should have closed the book on this issue once and for all... if Bono had stopped talking at that point! Unfortunately Bono didn't stop talking. It is the second part of his answer, which has obscured the truth behind the title Hawkmoon 269 since 1988:
"But the 269 isn't actually a motel room, it's the fact that we mixed it two hundred and sixty-nine times before we got it right [Larry, Adam, and Edge start laughing], and, uh [Bono begins to laugh] we're that professional MAN."
I think this second part of the quote is nothing more than a joke on Bono's part to liven the mood of his previously serious and direct answer to the question. Indeed, if you listen carefully to the show, the band can be heard laughing and Bono's voice noticeably changes when he utters the second part of his answer. In fact, even Bono is heard laughing near the end. What should have been interpreted as dry Irish wit has instead been wrongly taken by fans as THE reason for the "269" part of the song's title. [DE]
taken from U2faqs.com
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