''Wide Awake in America'' is a four-track

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

by Irish

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band U2. It was released on 20 May 1985 through Island Records. It combines two live performances of songs from the group's 1984 album ''

The Unforgettable Fire ''The Unforgettable Fire'' is the fourth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and released on 1 October 1984 by Island Records. The band wanted to pursue a new musical direction following the har ...

'' with two

B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

from the era, which had previously been available only in the United Kingdom. ''Wide Awake in America'' was originally released only in North America and Japan but it charted in the UK as an import. It was re-released internationally in 1990. The EP's centerpiece, " Bad", a song about

heroin addiction Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. Op ...

, would become a staple of their live set, particularly after an extended performance at Live Aid in which lead vocalist Bono danced with a woman in the audience. Radio programmers often chose this ''Wide Awake in America'' version over the original studio recording for airplay. The EP's title is inspired by the chorus of "Bad", with its refrain, "Wide awake / I'm wide awake / I'm not sleeping."

Song notes

"Bad" was produced by the band and recorded live from the

National Exhibition Centre The National Exhibition Centre (NEC) is an exhibition centre located in Marston Green, Solihull, West Midlands, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham Airport and Birmingham International railway sta ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on 12 November 1984, as part of the Unforgettable Fire Tour. Guitarist

the Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...

misplayed the final note of this song, but U2 decided to use this version anyway, and the error was fixed during mixing. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine had been critical of the album version of "Bad" and other songs on ''The Unforgettable Fire'' album, which it described as "unfocused". In its review of ''Wide Awake In America'', it said that the album's songs benefited from the transition to live performance and that "Bad" was a "show stopper." " A Sort of Homecoming" is live from

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-s ...

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on 15 November 1984. The song was produced by

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

and recorded during a soundcheck at the concert, with the crowd noise mixed in later during post-production at Good Earth Studios. "The Three Sunrises" (also listed as "Three Sunrises") was produced by the band with Brian Eno and

Daniel Lanois Daniel Roland Lanois ( , ; born September 19, 1951) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has produced albums by artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, Willie ...

. It can also be found on the B-sides disc of the limited edition version of '' The Best of 1980–1990'' compilation from 1998. "Love Comes Tumbling" was produced by the band and also appears, as a slightly edited version with four bars immediately preceding the vocal deleted, on the B-sides disc of ''The Best of 1980–1990''. All tracks except "Bad" originally appeared on "

" single, released in April 1985 outside the U.S. The mix on "A Sort of Homecoming" from that single is different on this release and includes some studio-dubbed backing vocals by the Edge. The EP was released in the United Kingdom on 19 October 1987.McGee (2008), p. 112

Track listing

Charts and certifications

Album Songs

Personnel

* Bono –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

The Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

, keyboards, vocals *

Adam Clayton Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is an English-born Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. He has resided in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. C ...

– bass *

Larry Mullen Jr. Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. (; born 31 October 1961) is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2. Mullen was born in Dublin, where he attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School. In 1976, he co-founded U2 ...

– drums

References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography *

External links