"Miracle Drug" is a song 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 Wale ...

band U2, and is the second track on their 2004 album ''

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' is the eleventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was released on 22 November 2004 in the United Kingdom by Island Records and a day later in the United States by Interscope Records. It was produced by ...

''. The song's lyrics were written by lead vocalist

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...

about a former schoolmate

Christopher Nolan Sir Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British and American filmmaker. Known for his Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters with complex storytelling, he is considered a leading filmma ...

, who was paralysed from birth but through a medical breakthrough learned to communicate via a pointer attached to his forehead and eventually wrote several books.

Composition

"Miracle Drug" was written about the late Irish writer

, with whom the band attended

Mount Temple Comprehensive School Mount Temple Comprehensive School is a secondary school in Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under the patronage of the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, and has, as a primary objective, the provision of state-funded second ...

. Bono said of Nolan:

Live performances

"Miracle Drug" was played live at every show of the first and second legs of the

Vertigo Tour The Vertigo Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock band U2. Staged in support of the group's 2004 album '' How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'', the tour visited arenas and stadiums between March 2005 and December 2006. The Vertigo To ...

, with Bono using the song (and the story of Nolan) as a means of expressing his appreciation for doctors, nurses, and others in the medical field. Its last performance on the Vertigo Tour was 28 November 2005 in Montreal. The song made a brief return to the live stage in a new, reworked format on the first leg of U2's

Innocence + Experience Tour The Innocence + Experience Tour (styled as iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour) was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock music, rock band U2. Staged in support of the band's 2014 album ''Songs of Innocence (U2 album), Songs of Innocence'', the tou ...

. It opened the first encore in what was meant to be a rotational spot with "City of Blinding Lights".

References

{{Authority control U2 songs 2004 songs Song recordings produced by Jacknife Lee Songs written by Bono Songs written by the Edge Songs written by Adam Clayton Songs written by Larry Mullen Jr. Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite