HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
By Gregory McGuire
2004.09
Simply speaking, “Bad” is about drug addiction, specifically heroin addiction.
For the second time on one album, U2 confronts the issue of drug abuse and addiction. With the song Bono in particular is responding to the realization that several of his friends have become addicted to heroin, and, like on fellow "Unforgettable Fire" track “Wire,” the singer also manages to confront his own ambivalence about the issue. But rather than use the aggressive means of the "War" album (where the messages in songs like “Sunday Bloody Sunday” were all but shoved down the listener’s throat), Bono instead uses subtlety to better make a lasting impression.
The lyrics of “Bad” are cryptic but are not the writings of someone trying to confuse, rather the inarticulate ramblings of a man caught somewhere in between temptation and confusion. The duality that exists in all of us is as present in Bono as much as in everyone else, as if he is split in two, on one side there is the present-day Bono that all the adoring fans think they would like to know: a responsible, sensible and levelheaded father and husband. The other is a Bono that most would care not to acknowledge: someone irresponsible, someone tempted, someone who wants to run, to coin a phrase from one of the band’s later works. Future songs would echo this in different ways, notably “The Fly,” where Bono fights a different addiction—the temptations of living the life of an egomaniacal rockstar. “I have ordinary addictions” is what the singer would go on to tell crowds night after night before performances of “Bad” on the Elevation tour.
There is no doubt that the song was influenced by real life circumstances and events. Bono didn’t invent Dublin and he didn’t invent heroin addiction either, but it was a man named Gareth Spaulding, a close friend of Bono’s who became the principal influence for the song. Publicly the singer has explained how, for his 21st birthday, Spaulding was given the present of enough heroin to kill him. During the Joshua Tree tour, Bono commonly related how parts of Dublin had been completely destroyed by this drug and, played live, “Bad” was often intermingled with lines from “Ruby Tuesday” and “Sympathy for the Devil.” “While rich men put dirty dollars in the back of their pocket, mothers are high on hypodermic needles stuck into their veins, stuck into their eyes, stuck into their fingernails,” Bono once recounted an audience in Daly City, California.
There is nothing in “Bad” itself that directly relates to drugs or even mention the word heroin, there doesn’t have to be. There is an unresolved and restless quality to the lyrics that speaks even louder then any of those words. Niall Stokes may have put it best in his book "Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song," when he wrote, “If you want to get tough about it, you’d argue that ‘Bad’ says nothing. But it’s a trip—a tense, nervy, intoxicating, exhilarating trip. And musically it’s marvellous.” So “Bad” is about nothing, but, somehow, to each and every one of us, it is about something, not least of all to Bono. This is undoubtedly proven by the fact that he has spent perhaps more time trying to justify this song to audiences then any other.
Musically, the origins of the song belong to a jamming session during the recording era at Slane Castle. The band followed Edge into the consistent A-D chord rhythm that persists through the song and within just three takes the foundation, the core of “Bad” was there. Yes there were a few overdubs added later, but the essence of the song was created almost entirely live, which was somehow fitting as it added to the raw, bare feeling of the track. At around this time, Adam had become the soundingboard for Bono’s lyrics. The pair would spend hours in the rooms surrounding the castle ballroom, Adam sporadically commenting but, more importantly, listening. Without the constant support of the bass player, it is possible that Bono would never have articulated his feelings into writing and songs like “Bad” may never have existed.
Although never released as a single, “Bad” has received worldwide acclaim and acknowledgement from both inside and outside U2 circles. In an Uncut magazine special, “Bad” came in at a respectable No. 4 in a poll of the most beloved U2 songs. So it is possible that "Bad" was never meant to be released as a single, it may have been better just the way it was. Singles are, by definition, simple, catchy and forgettable, and “Bad” is most definitely is none of those.
There are, of course, other notable U2 songs about the broad subjects “Bad” touches on, including “Running to Stand Still,” which was eloquently acted out with a mock syringe by Bono during the Zoo TV tour. “Bad” is also tied with some unlikely more-recent works as well. “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” for example, although not apparent at first, cleverly succeeds in conveying the feeling of hopeless despair that is quite present in "Bad," although through references aside from drugs.
It is easy to deduce from all this that addiction and despair are no new themes to U2.
2004.09
Simply speaking, “Bad” is about drug addiction, specifically heroin addiction.
For the second time on one album, U2 confronts the issue of drug abuse and addiction. With the song Bono in particular is responding to the realization that several of his friends have become addicted to heroin, and, like on fellow "Unforgettable Fire" track “Wire,” the singer also manages to confront his own ambivalence about the issue. But rather than use the aggressive means of the "War" album (where the messages in songs like “Sunday Bloody Sunday” were all but shoved down the listener’s throat), Bono instead uses subtlety to better make a lasting impression.
The lyrics of “Bad” are cryptic but are not the writings of someone trying to confuse, rather the inarticulate ramblings of a man caught somewhere in between temptation and confusion. The duality that exists in all of us is as present in Bono as much as in everyone else, as if he is split in two, on one side there is the present-day Bono that all the adoring fans think they would like to know: a responsible, sensible and levelheaded father and husband. The other is a Bono that most would care not to acknowledge: someone irresponsible, someone tempted, someone who wants to run, to coin a phrase from one of the band’s later works. Future songs would echo this in different ways, notably “The Fly,” where Bono fights a different addiction—the temptations of living the life of an egomaniacal rockstar. “I have ordinary addictions” is what the singer would go on to tell crowds night after night before performances of “Bad” on the Elevation tour.
There is no doubt that the song was influenced by real life circumstances and events. Bono didn’t invent Dublin and he didn’t invent heroin addiction either, but it was a man named Gareth Spaulding, a close friend of Bono’s who became the principal influence for the song. Publicly the singer has explained how, for his 21st birthday, Spaulding was given the present of enough heroin to kill him. During the Joshua Tree tour, Bono commonly related how parts of Dublin had been completely destroyed by this drug and, played live, “Bad” was often intermingled with lines from “Ruby Tuesday” and “Sympathy for the Devil.” “While rich men put dirty dollars in the back of their pocket, mothers are high on hypodermic needles stuck into their veins, stuck into their eyes, stuck into their fingernails,” Bono once recounted an audience in Daly City, California.
There is nothing in “Bad” itself that directly relates to drugs or even mention the word heroin, there doesn’t have to be. There is an unresolved and restless quality to the lyrics that speaks even louder then any of those words. Niall Stokes may have put it best in his book "Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song," when he wrote, “If you want to get tough about it, you’d argue that ‘Bad’ says nothing. But it’s a trip—a tense, nervy, intoxicating, exhilarating trip. And musically it’s marvellous.” So “Bad” is about nothing, but, somehow, to each and every one of us, it is about something, not least of all to Bono. This is undoubtedly proven by the fact that he has spent perhaps more time trying to justify this song to audiences then any other.
Musically, the origins of the song belong to a jamming session during the recording era at Slane Castle. The band followed Edge into the consistent A-D chord rhythm that persists through the song and within just three takes the foundation, the core of “Bad” was there. Yes there were a few overdubs added later, but the essence of the song was created almost entirely live, which was somehow fitting as it added to the raw, bare feeling of the track. At around this time, Adam had become the soundingboard for Bono’s lyrics. The pair would spend hours in the rooms surrounding the castle ballroom, Adam sporadically commenting but, more importantly, listening. Without the constant support of the bass player, it is possible that Bono would never have articulated his feelings into writing and songs like “Bad” may never have existed.
Although never released as a single, “Bad” has received worldwide acclaim and acknowledgement from both inside and outside U2 circles. In an Uncut magazine special, “Bad” came in at a respectable No. 4 in a poll of the most beloved U2 songs. So it is possible that "Bad" was never meant to be released as a single, it may have been better just the way it was. Singles are, by definition, simple, catchy and forgettable, and “Bad” is most definitely is none of those.
There are, of course, other notable U2 songs about the broad subjects “Bad” touches on, including “Running to Stand Still,” which was eloquently acted out with a mock syringe by Bono during the Zoo TV tour. “Bad” is also tied with some unlikely more-recent works as well. “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of,” for example, although not apparent at first, cleverly succeeds in conveying the feeling of hopeless despair that is quite present in "Bad," although through references aside from drugs.
It is easy to deduce from all this that addiction and despair are no new themes to U2.
Great article. Bad's one of my favorite songs; always has been, even before I knew the deeper meaning. I wish it got more airplay on the radio - I hear it occasionally, but not as often as BD, MY, SBS, etc. (I'm getting a little sick of Beautiful Day at this point... 
)
