Peace on Earth (U2 song)
Encyclopedia
"Peace on Earth" is a song by rock
band U2
and the eighth track on their 2000 album All That You Can't Leave Behind
. Its lyrics were inspired by the Real IRA Omagh bombing
in Northern Ireland
on 15 August 1998.
The song lists the names of people killed in the bombing. Similarly, inspiration for the lyric, "She never got to say goodbye / To see the colour in his eye / Now he's in the dirt" comes from the funeral of James Barker, another victim of the bombing. The Irish Times
quoted his mother as stating, "I never realised how green his eyes were."
After the September 11, 2001 attacks
, "Peace on Earth" took on additional meaning and consequently, was used as an encore song in the Elevation Tour
, coupled with "Walk On". The two songs were similarly paired during the band's performance on the telethon America: A Tribute to Heroes
.
of August 1998. The song is a tribute to the victims of the bombing. Moreover, its lyrics include the names of the people killed (Sean, Julia, Gareth, Anne, and Breda)
, England
for the simulcast telethon "America: A Tribute to Heroes". The telethon was produced to raise money for victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
calls "Peace on Earth" the band's most "agnostic
song yet", saying that it "takes that sense of abandonment" felt in "Wake Up Dead Man" "a stage further". Bill Graham echoes this view asking if this is "'Wake Up Dead Man' part two?". Exclaiming that, "Bono does little to hide the bitterness as he spits out the words "peace on earth". Critics have also compared and contrasted the song with the band's earlier single "Sunday Bloody Sunday
". Višnja Cogan writes the "two songs deal with the same subject: the conflict and violence in Northern Ireland
, whichever side it comes from. However, 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' deals with an historical event and is approached in a particular way: the ideas of surrender, forgiveness and neutrality are very much present. "Peace on Earth" was written in the aftermath of Omagh and is much more emotional." Ryan Jones of the Bergen Record felt that "Peace on Earth" contained echoes of the band's 1987 song "Mothers of the Disappeared
" in its lyrics and the tone of the instrumental prelude.
After the September 11 attacks, "Peace on Earth" gained widespread popularity in the United States
. For instance, a Las Vegas
radio station began playing the song immediately afterwards and it soon became one of their most requested songs. It subsequently became highly requested on different radio stations in other American cities as well.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
and the eighth track on their 2000 album All That You Can't Leave Behind
All That You Can't Leave Behind
All That You Can't Leave Behind is the tenth studio album by rock band U2. It was released on 30 October 2000 by Island Records in the United Kingdom and Interscope Records in the United States...
. Its lyrics were inspired by the Real IRA Omagh bombing
Omagh bombing
The Omagh bombing was a car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army , a splinter group of former Provisional Irish Republican Army members opposed to the Good Friday Agreement, on Saturday 15 August 1998, in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Twenty-nine people died as a...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
on 15 August 1998.
The song lists the names of people killed in the bombing. Similarly, inspiration for the lyric, "She never got to say goodbye / To see the colour in his eye / Now he's in the dirt" comes from the funeral of James Barker, another victim of the bombing. The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
quoted his mother as stating, "I never realised how green his eyes were."
After the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, "Peace on Earth" took on additional meaning and consequently, was used as an encore song in the Elevation Tour
Elevation Tour
The Elevation Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2000 album All That You Can't Leave Behind, the tour visited arenas in 2001. After the band's previous two extravagant stadium tours, Zoo TV and PopMart, the Elevation Tour returned the...
, coupled with "Walk On". The two songs were similarly paired during the band's performance on the telethon America: A Tribute to Heroes
America: A Tribute to Heroes
America: A Tribute to Heroes was a benefit concert created by the heads of the four broadcast networks. Joel Gallen was selected by them to produce and run the show Joel Gallen. Actor George Clooney wrangled the celebrities to performed and to man the telephone bank . The marketing and public...
.
Writing and inspiration
U2 wrote "Peace on Earth" in response to the Omagh bombingOmagh bombing
The Omagh bombing was a car bomb attack carried out by the Real Irish Republican Army , a splinter group of former Provisional Irish Republican Army members opposed to the Good Friday Agreement, on Saturday 15 August 1998, in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Twenty-nine people died as a...
of August 1998. The song is a tribute to the victims of the bombing. Moreover, its lyrics include the names of the people killed (Sean, Julia, Gareth, Anne, and Breda)
Live performances
The band has performed the song most notably during the Elevation Tour in 2001, using it along with "Walk On" as an encore. On 21 September 2001 U2 performed a few verses of "Peace on Earth" along with "Walk On" in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for the simulcast telethon "America: A Tribute to Heroes". The telethon was produced to raise money for victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Reception
Irish journalist Niall StokesNiall Stokes
Niall Stokes is the award-winning editor of the long-running fortnightly Ireland music and political magazine Hot Press based in Dublin. He has edited the magazine since 1977. He has been a longstanding champion of Irish music, most famously U2 in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s...
calls "Peace on Earth" the band's most "agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
song yet", saying that it "takes that sense of abandonment" felt in "Wake Up Dead Man" "a stage further". Bill Graham echoes this view asking if this is "'Wake Up Dead Man' part two?". Exclaiming that, "Bono does little to hide the bitterness as he spits out the words "peace on earth". Critics have also compared and contrasted the song with the band's earlier single "Sunday Bloody Sunday
Sunday Bloody Sunday
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a song by U2.It may also refer to:*Sunday Bloody Sunday , a 1971 film*"Sunday, Bloody Sunday"...
". Višnja Cogan writes the "two songs deal with the same subject: the conflict and violence in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, whichever side it comes from. However, 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' deals with an historical event and is approached in a particular way: the ideas of surrender, forgiveness and neutrality are very much present. "Peace on Earth" was written in the aftermath of Omagh and is much more emotional." Ryan Jones of the Bergen Record felt that "Peace on Earth" contained echoes of the band's 1987 song "Mothers of the Disappeared
Mothers of the Disappeared
"Mothers of the Disappeared" is a song by rock band U2. It is the eleventh and final track on their 1987 album The Joshua Tree. The song was inspired by lead singer Bono's experiences in Nicaragua and El Salvador in July 1986, following U2's involvement on Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of...
" in its lyrics and the tone of the instrumental prelude.
After the September 11 attacks, "Peace on Earth" gained widespread popularity in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. For instance, a Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
radio station began playing the song immediately afterwards and it soon became one of their most requested songs. It subsequently became highly requested on different radio stations in other American cities as well.