Zooropa (song)
Encyclopedia
"Zooropa" is a song by the rock
band U2
. It is the opening track from their 1993 album Zooropa
. The song was the result of combining two pieces of music, the first of which was conceived in the studio, and the second of which was discovered by guitarist The Edge
while listening to soundcheck
s the band had done while on tour. The lyrics were written by vocalist Bono
, describing two characters in a brightly-lit city in a futuristic version of Europe
an society. Lyrics in the song were based on advertising slogan
s, and also featured the phrase "dream out loud", which has appeared in other U2 media. Several themes were touched in the song, including moral
confusion and Europe
an society.
Promotional recording
s of the song were released in the United States and Mexico, and the song appeared on two record chart
s shortly after its release in 1993. The song was briefly performed at three shows on U2's Zoo TV Tour
in 1993, where the band had difficulties performing it, and it was not played again until the U2 360° Tour
in 2011. The track received mostly positive reception from critics, who praised it as the album's opening track.
During the Zoo TV Tour
in 1992, U2 were trying to create a vision of an attractive future for Europe
, as opposed to a negative, dystopia
n image that would be found in science fiction
. With recent and ongoing events in Europe, such as the Revolutions of 1989
, the enlargement of the European Union
, and the Bosnian War
, lead vocalist Bono
created a surreal
vision of a European location called "Zooropa". This concept was first implemented into the fourth leg of the Zoo TV Tour
, which was named "Zooropa", and was later used as the name for the song and the album. Bono has referred to Zooropa as being a concept album
, with a main theme of the exploration of interpellation
within the European Union
. The place, "Zooropa", was also the setting for all the songs on the album.
Bono and guitarist The Edge
had been reading works by cyberpunk
author William Gibson
, who wrote about a futuristic urban environment known as "The Sprawl
". Gibson was an influence in the texture
of the song, and Bono described his work as "fucked up sci-fi". Bono wanted to use noise to create a visual setting for the song, similar to Gibson's futuristic world, filled with advertisements
on LED display
s and neon sign
s, as in the 1982
film Blade Runner
. With "Zooropa" as the album's opening song, Bono stated that he wanted the album's music to be like "legal drugs
" that would create a trip
where "you come out of the other end and you feel like you've been on some kind of a journey". The closing song on the album, "The Wanderer", features Johnny Cash
on vocals, and was intended on being the "antidote
" to the futuristic-sounding opener.
The song was written during the album's sessions in Dublin, which took place from March to May 1993 between legs of the band's Zoo TV Tour. "Zooropa" was first developed after The Edge listened to cassette recordings of the band's soundcheck
s from the Zoo TV Tour. Along with the album's sound engineer Joe O'Herlihy, The Edge edited the best parts of the soundchecks together using Sound Tools
to create a song arrangement, which served as a backing track
. The song's introduction
was recorded separately from the remainder of the song. The band based the intro on a jam session
in the studio, and producer Flood took parts of the jam and created an ambient
mix. The bass guitar
during the intro was written and performed by drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., who came up with the piece during the recording sessions while The Edge was working on the album's guitar riffs. The song pieces were then edited into a stereo
mix, with the intro mixed in by Flood using a crossfade. Synthesizer
sounds were added by producer Brian Eno
on a Yamaha DX7
keyboard, including a "squishy, mad-synth sound" that connected the different segments of the soundcheck. The Edge later added guitar tracks, as well as additional sounds to the song using an EMS Synthi A synthesizer. At the last minute, the band had misgivings about the first segment of the soundcheck backing track. Having established an arrangement for the song, they performed it in the studio from start to finish; they used this replaying for the first part of the soundcheck backing track, while using portions of the new performance for the second segment.
The band had originally intended on recording an EP
during the sessions, but Zooropa eventually evolved into full-length album. "Zooropa" was one of five songs that were part of what would have become the band's EP, which also included "Babyface", "Numb
", "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
", and "The Wanderer". The original working title for the track was "Babble–Zooropa", as mentioned in a May 1993 issue of Hot Press
, with the song composed of two parts—the two-minute introduction titled "Babble", and the remainder of the song titled "Zooropa". A later working title was featured in a June 1993 issue of Billboard
, which listed the song's title as "Zooropa I & II", also splitting the track into two parts. When the album was released the following month, the track was simply titled "Zooropa".
. As the song fades in, sustain
ed chord
s are played, and a noisy collage of mainly indecipherable human voices from radio
signals fades in at 0:19. The voices from the background voices include a clip of George H. W. Bush
saying "Peace talks", and are referenced in the album notes as "courtesy of the advertising world". A quiet piano
and bass guitar
are heard above the voices, which get louder with each beat. At 1:30, the volume of the voices raises suddenly and the bass part changes. The introduction then begins to fade out fifteen seconds later, while a guitar riff
played with a delay and wah-wah effect joins the mix. The riff is briefly played on its own before the bass guitar and drum
s join in at 2:03. This is followed by background voices saying, "What do you want?" in both English and French ("Qu'est-ce que tu veux?"), and "De quoi as-tu peur?" ("What are you afraid of?"). In response to the questions, the lyrics in the first three verses of the song consist of various advertising slogan
s. At 3:45, following the first three verses, a break in the song's instrumentation occurs, except for guitar, and the song returns to a state similar to the introduction's end. A rapid rhythmic synthesiser fades in and at 4:03, the drums and bass re-enter and the song assumes an increased tempo
. The theme of moral confusion and uncertainty
becomes present in the remaining lyrics.
The song describes two characters in a setting with a dull and grey appeal, who emerge from blinking neon sign
s into a brightly-lit modern city. The radio sound effects in the introduction were intended to create a mood and setting for the song. DJ Carter Alan
noted that the sounds seemed to draw a connection from Achtung Baby
, but Bono stated that it was not intentional and that he didn't want it to have "anything to do with the past". Several advertising slogans were implemented word-for-word in the song's lyrics, including "Vorsprung durch Technik
" ("Advancement through technology") (Audi
), "Be all that you can be" (United States Army
), "Fly the friendly skies" (United Airlines
), and "The appliance of science" (Zanussi
). Other lyrics in the first three verses feature references to product slogans or phrases, such as Colgate
's "Ring of confidence" ("We've got that ring of confidence"), Daz
's "Bluey white" ("A bluer kind of white"), and Fairy's "Mild green Fairy liquid" ("We're mild and green and squeaky clean"), the latter of which The Edge claimed to be his favourite line of the song.
Following the first three verses of advertising slogans, the song continues with the lyrics, "I have no compass, and I have no map" and "No reason to get back", referring to the uncertainty of the new direction of U2's music at the time. The following verse begins with, "And I have no religion", which was included in the lyrics because Bono stated that he "believe[s] that religion is the enemy of God
." A review of the album in Melody Maker
compared the lyric "Uncertainty can be a guiding light" towards the end of the song to the line "If you walk away, [...] I will follow" from U2's 1980 single "I Will Follow
". The reviewer stated "The man (Bono) that once had so many answers now sounds simply confused." The theme of moral confusion was first used in U2's song "Acrobat
" from Achtung Baby. The coda
in "Zooropa" features the lyric "dream out loud", which Bono included as a reference to "Acrobat". The phrase "dream out loud" was first used by Bono during the Lovetown Tour
in 1989, and has appeared several times in U2's work since then. The phrase was also used in the song "Always" — a B-side
to the "Beautiful Day
" single released in 2000 — and was spoken by Bono in the PopMart: Live from Mexico City
video.
"Zooropa" was the opening track from the eponymous album, released on 5 July 1993 by Island Records
on CD
, cassette, LP
, and DCC
formats. The song was not released as a single
; however, promotional recording
s of the song were distributed by Island Records in the United States
and Mexico
. The U.S. release was distributed on CD in a blank jewel case and featured an edited version of the song that removed the introduction. The Mexico release was distributed on CD in a cardboard sleeve with the album version of the song, as well "Numb
" as a second track, also from the Zooropa album. The back of the sleeve featured the lyrics to "Zooropa", while the front of the sleeve featured artwork
similar to that of the Zooropa album, except with the title centered and a solid black background. The artwork was designed by Works Associates of Dublin and featured a sketch of the circle of stars
from the Flag of Europe with a "sad astronaut
" figure in the middle. The illustration, created by Shaughn McGrath, was an alteration of the "graffiti
babyface" by Charlie Whisker that was originally taken from the face of the Achtung Baby album artwork. The cover's drawing was meant to represent the Soviet cosmonaut left floating in orbit for weeks after the collapse of the Soviet Union
.
Within several weeks following the album's release, "Zooropa" appeared on two Billboard charts
based on its radio airplay
in the United States. On 24 July 1993, it appeared on the Album Rock Tracks chart at number 26, and remained on the chart for ten weeks, eventually peaking at number eight. "Zooropa" also appeared on the Modern Rock Tracks chart on 7 August 1993 at number 28, and peaked at number 13 during its eight weeks on the chart. Three other songs from the album charted as well; however, "Zooropa" was the only non-single chart.
.
U2 performed "Zooropa" live at three concerts during the Zoo TV Tour. Along with "So Cruel
", which was also performed three times during the tour, "Zooropa" was the least played song from a U2 album, among all the songs performed throughout the tour's duration. Bono had originally discussed how the song would be played live during the album's recording sessions, and said that The Edge's guitar riffs may be extended in concert. The song debuted live at a concert in Glasgow
on 8 August 1993, and was performed in the middle of the concert, following "Numb". The live version of the song was much shorter than the album version, skipping the piano intro, as well as the first three verses, starting the song with the line "I have no compass, and I have no map". Bono wore a military uniform
during the song, and acknowledged to the audience afterward that the song was difficult to play live. It was performed again in London
at the following two concerts in the same place on the set list
, but was still difficult for the band to perform instrumentally. According to the book U2 Live: A Concert Documentary, the debut performance of the song sounded "shaky" and needed more rehearsal, although its subsequent Zoo TV performances "sound[ed] better". Clayton suggested performing the song as the show opener during the rehearsals for the final leg of the tour, although it was never played, and was dropped from the tour's set lists following its second London performance.
in 2011. Clayton said that adding the song to the tour's set list was "very experimental". The song debuted on the tour in April in São Paulo
, and was rehearsed at soundchecks several days prior. The return of the song was so popular that the word "Zooropa" became a trending topic
on Twitter
during the evening of its first performance on the tour. "Zooropa" was performed at the remaining 26 concerts on the tour, in addition to a private show in Denver. , "Zooropa" has been performed live at 31 shows. Unlike its Zoo TV performances, the entire song was played live on the U2 360° Tour. The stage's circular-shaped retractable video screen would expand its full length, and U2 would perform behind the screen.
and Anthony DeCurtis
of Rolling Stone
both felt that "Zooropa" set the album's tone from the start, the latter of whom described Bono's singing and lyrics as a "Mephistophelean
seducer". Allmusic compared "Zooropa" to the anthems of U2's The Joshua Tree
album, and Entertainment Weekly
s David Browne
described the song as Where the Streets Have No Name
' transported into the land of cyberpunk
", comparing parts of the song to the techno
and metallic
music genres. The Independent
felt "Zooropa" was "a sprawling multi-sectioned piece that drifts from two minutes of gentle radio babble into a more familiar reverb-rock structure". Jon Pareles
from The New York Times
said that the track was reminiscent of old U2 songs, but added new elements such as distorted vocals and repeating guitar squealing. Daily Variety
praised the title track over the rest of the songs on the album, stating how it was the only song that "explores the sort of melodic range usually associated with U2".
of "Where the Streets Have No Name", in both musical and thematic aspects. Vagacs discusses the location of Zooropa in detail throughout the book, and refers to Zooropa as a "wasteland" and a "dystopia", due to its lack of fulfillment and certainty. He also states how the Babylonian
-like location uses its demigod
s to control its people through scientism
, technicism
, and economism
. The final track from Achtung Baby, "Love Is Blindness
", is described as "an interpretive bridge into the land of Zooropa", which Vagacs explains is the setting for the album, as well as the setting for songs on U2's following album, Pop. "Beautiful Day
", the opening song from U2's 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind
, describes "a fresh start in Zooropa".
The use of consumer slogans as song lyrics was also commented on by various sources. Critic Perry Gettelman interpreted them as meaning to "signify the emptiness of modern, godless life". Kieran Keohane of York University
stated that the slogans in "Zooropa" were to express an alienating form of interpellation, while J. D. Considine of The Baltimore Sun
referred to the slogans as a parody of the economic hype used to pass the Maastricht Treaty
, through the promising of impossibilities, such as "Be a winner" and "Eat to get slimmer". English
professor Kurt Koenigsberger of Case Western Reserve University
stated that the consumer advertisements constitute Zooropa as a "sardonically dystopic" location. In the book Reading Rock and Roll, Robyn Brothers said that the song conveys a "sense of confusion in the wake of a technology speeding beyond our control", while referencing the lyrics "I hear voices, ridiculous voices / I'm in the slipstream". Brothers also compared the song to "Acrobat", stating both songs reference a response to uncertainty and an unavoidable feeling of alienation
.
". Mullen felt that the song was "absolutely mesmerizing". Following the release of "Zooropa", references to the song have appeared in professional writings and in other media. On the day of the U2 concert in Sarajevo
during the PopMart Tour
in 1997, tour set designer Willie Williams woke up with "Zooropa" playing in his head
and later stated that Sarajevo
"is the city of Zooropa, if there ever was one." Thomas Diez
of the Copenhagen Peace Research Institute
made references to "Zooropas lyrics in his review of Philip Thody's book, An Historical Introduction to the European Union. Prior to the European leg of the Vertigo Tour
in 2005, José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission
, quoted the song's lyric "Don't worry baby, it's gonna be all right / Uncertainty can be a guiding light", after enlisting Bono
in an effort to get governments in the European Union
to give more money to developing countries
. Barroso also stated that the lyric inspired an article he wrote about the future of Europe. Lyrics from the song also appeared in the reference book German English Words, under the book's listing for "Vorsprung durch Technik
".
Kurt Koenigsberger's book The Novel and the Menagerie mentioned "Zooropa" in a section discussing Salman Rushdie and his appearance on the Zoo TV Tour. In 2008, the word "Zooropa" was used in an international finance textbook
as the name of a fictional
, generic city. The book Religious Nuts, Political Fanatics lists "Zooropa" as one of 22 U2 songs for "recommended listening". A 2009 review of U2's album No Line on the Horizon, MusicRadar
described the song "Magnificent
" as New Year's Day
' meets 'Zooropa. In a 2010 poll by fan site @U2, approximately 12% out of 4,800 fans voted "Zooropa" as their favorite song from the album, which ranked in third following "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
" and "Lemon".
Additional
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...
. It is the opening track from their 1993 album Zooropa
Zooropa
Zooropa Based on the pronunciations of "zoo" and "Europa". is the eighth studio album by rock band U2. Produced by Flood, Brian Eno, and The Edge, it was released on 5 July 1993 on Island Records. Inspired by the band's experiences on the Zoo TV Tour, Zooropa expanded on many of the tour's themes...
. The song was the result of combining two pieces of music, the first of which was conceived in the studio, and the second of which was discovered by guitarist The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
while listening to soundcheck
Soundcheck
A soundcheck is the preparation that takes place before a concert, speech, or similar performance, when the performer and the sound crew run through a small portion of the upcoming show on the venue's sound system to make sure that the sound in the venue's "Front Of House" and stage monitor sound...
s the band had done while on tour. The lyrics were written by vocalist Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
, describing two characters in a brightly-lit city in a futuristic version of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an society. Lyrics in the song were based on advertising slogan
Advertising slogan
Advertising slogans are short, often memorable phrases used in advertising campaigns. They are claimed to be the most effective means of drawing attention to one or more aspects of a product. A strapline is a British term used as a secondary sentence attached to a brand name...
s, and also featured the phrase "dream out loud", which has appeared in other U2 media. Several themes were touched in the song, including moral
Moral
A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim...
confusion and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an society.
Promotional recording
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
s of the song were released in the United States and Mexico, and the song appeared on two record chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
s shortly after its release in 1993. The song was briefly performed at three shows on U2's Zoo TV Tour
Zoo TV Tour
The Zoo TV Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of their 1991 album Achtung Baby, the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1992 through 1993...
in 1993, where the band had difficulties performing it, and it was not played again until the U2 360° Tour
U2 360° Tour
The U2 360° Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour visited stadiums from 2009 through 2011. It was named for a stage configuration that allowed the audience to almost completely surround the stage...
in 2011. The track received mostly positive reception from critics, who praised it as the album's opening track.
Background and recording
Zoo TV Tour
The Zoo TV Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of their 1991 album Achtung Baby, the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1992 through 1993...
in 1992, U2 were trying to create a vision of an attractive future for Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, as opposed to a negative, dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n image that would be found in science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
. With recent and ongoing events in Europe, such as the Revolutions of 1989
Revolutions of 1989
The Revolutions of 1989 were the revolutions which overthrew the communist regimes in various Central and Eastern European countries.The events began in Poland in 1989, and continued in Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and...
, the enlargement of the European Union
Enlargement of the European Union
The Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union through the accession of new member states. This process began with the Inner Six, who founded the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952...
, and the Bosnian War
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
, lead vocalist Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
created a surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
vision of a European location called "Zooropa". This concept was first implemented into the fourth leg of the Zoo TV Tour
Zoo TV Tour
The Zoo TV Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of their 1991 album Achtung Baby, the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1992 through 1993...
, which was named "Zooropa", and was later used as the name for the song and the album. Bono has referred to Zooropa as being a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
, with a main theme of the exploration of interpellation
Interpellation (politics)
Interpellation is the formal right of a parliament to submit formal questions to the government. In many parliaments, each individual member of parliament has the right to formally submit questions to a member of government. The respective minister or secretary is then required to respond and to...
within the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. The place, "Zooropa", was also the setting for all the songs on the album.
Bono and guitarist The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
had been reading works by cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
author William Gibson
William Gibson
William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
, who wrote about a futuristic urban environment known as "The Sprawl
The Sprawl
In William Gibson's fiction, the Sprawl is a colloquial name for the Boston-Atlanta Metropolitan Axis , an urban sprawl environment on a massive scale, and a fictional extension of the real Northeast Megalopolis....
". Gibson was an influence in the texture
Texture (music)
In music, texture is the way the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic materials are combined in a composition , thus determining the overall quality of sound of a piece...
of the song, and Bono described his work as "fucked up sci-fi". Bono wanted to use noise to create a visual setting for the song, similar to Gibson's futuristic world, filled with advertisements
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
on LED display
LED display
An LED display is a flat panel display, which uses light-emitting diodes as a video display. An LED panel is a small display, or a component of a larger display. They are typically used outdoors in store signs and billboards, and in recent years have also become commonly used in destination signs...
s and neon sign
Neon sign
Neon signs are made using electrified, luminous tube lights that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December, 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs...
s, as in the 1982
1982 in film
-Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T...
film Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
. With "Zooropa" as the album's opening song, Bono stated that he wanted the album's music to be like "legal drugs
Legal intoxicants
Legal intoxicants are intoxicating drugs which are not prohibited by drug laws. The most commonly used intoxicant is alcohol but many others are used including native intoxicating plants historically used by indigenous cultures and modern chemical intoxicating substances that have not been defined...
" that would create a trip
Psychedelic experience
The term "psychedelic experience" is vague – characterized by polyvalence or ambiguity due to its nature – however in modern psychopharmacological science as well as philosophical, psychological, neurological, spiritual-religious and most other ideological discourses it is understood as an altered...
where "you come out of the other end and you feel like you've been on some kind of a journey". The closing song on the album, "The Wanderer", features Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
on vocals, and was intended on being the "antidote
Antidote
An antidote is a substance which can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek αντιδιδοναι antididonai, "given against"....
" to the futuristic-sounding opener.
The song was written during the album's sessions in Dublin, which took place from March to May 1993 between legs of the band's Zoo TV Tour. "Zooropa" was first developed after The Edge listened to cassette recordings of the band's soundcheck
Soundcheck
A soundcheck is the preparation that takes place before a concert, speech, or similar performance, when the performer and the sound crew run through a small portion of the upcoming show on the venue's sound system to make sure that the sound in the venue's "Front Of House" and stage monitor sound...
s from the Zoo TV Tour. Along with the album's sound engineer Joe O'Herlihy, The Edge edited the best parts of the soundchecks together using Sound Tools
Sound Tools
Sound Tools was a digital audio workstation released by Digidesign in the late 1980s. Its successor, Pro Tools, is the current industry standard in music production and TV/film audio post production....
to create a song arrangement, which served as a backing track
Backing track
A backing track is an audio or MIDI recording that musicians play or sing along to in order to add parts to their music which would be impractical to perform live.-Uses:...
. The song's introduction
Introduction (music)
In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...
was recorded separately from the remainder of the song. The band based the intro on a jam session
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
in the studio, and producer Flood took parts of the jam and created an ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
mix. The bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
during the intro was written and performed by drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., who came up with the piece during the recording sessions while The Edge was working on the album's guitar riffs. The song pieces were then edited into a stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
mix, with the intro mixed in by Flood using a crossfade. Synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
sounds were added by producer Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
on a Yamaha DX7
Yamaha DX7
The Yamaha DX7 is an FM Digital Synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially Pop music from the 1980s...
keyboard, including a "squishy, mad-synth sound" that connected the different segments of the soundcheck. The Edge later added guitar tracks, as well as additional sounds to the song using an EMS Synthi A synthesizer. At the last minute, the band had misgivings about the first segment of the soundcheck backing track. Having established an arrangement for the song, they performed it in the studio from start to finish; they used this replaying for the first part of the soundcheck backing track, while using portions of the new performance for the second segment.
The band had originally intended on recording an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
during the sessions, but Zooropa eventually evolved into full-length album. "Zooropa" was one of five songs that were part of what would have become the band's EP, which also included "Babyface", "Numb
Numb (U2 song)
"Numb" is a song by rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1993 album Zooropa and was released in June 1993 as the album's first single. The song features a monotonous mantra of "don't" commands spoken by guitarist The Edge amidst a backdrop of various sound effects and samples...
", "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
"Stay " is a song by the rock band U2. It is the fifth track on their 1993 album, Zooropa and was released as the album's third single on 22 November 1993. The song was a top ten hit in the Ireland, Australia, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. The music video was shot in Berlin,...
", and "The Wanderer". The original working title for the track was "Babble–Zooropa", as mentioned in a May 1993 issue of Hot Press
Hot Press
Hot Press is a fortnightly music and political magazine based in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it had a circulation of 19,215 during 2007...
, with the song composed of two parts—the two-minute introduction titled "Babble", and the remainder of the song titled "Zooropa". A later working title was featured in a June 1993 issue of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, which listed the song's title as "Zooropa I & II", also splitting the track into two parts. When the album was released the following month, the track was simply titled "Zooropa".
Composition and themes
"Zooropa" begins with a two-minute-long introductionIntroduction (music)
In music, the introduction is a passage or section which opens a movement or a separate piece. In popular music this is often abbreviated as intro...
. As the song fades in, sustain
Sustain
In music, sustain is a parameter of musical sound over time. As its name implies, it denotes the period of time during which the sound remains before it becomes inaudible, or silent.Additionally, sustain is the third of the four segments in an ADSR envelope...
ed chord
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
s are played, and a noisy collage of mainly indecipherable human voices from radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
signals fades in at 0:19. The voices from the background voices include a clip of George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
saying "Peace talks", and are referenced in the album notes as "courtesy of the advertising world". A quiet piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
are heard above the voices, which get louder with each beat. At 1:30, the volume of the voices raises suddenly and the bass part changes. The introduction then begins to fade out fifteen seconds later, while a guitar riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
played with a delay and wah-wah effect joins the mix. The riff is briefly played on its own before the bass guitar and drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s join in at 2:03. This is followed by background voices saying, "What do you want?" in both English and French ("Qu'est-ce que tu veux?"), and "De quoi as-tu peur?" ("What are you afraid of?"). In response to the questions, the lyrics in the first three verses of the song consist of various advertising slogan
Advertising slogan
Advertising slogans are short, often memorable phrases used in advertising campaigns. They are claimed to be the most effective means of drawing attention to one or more aspects of a product. A strapline is a British term used as a secondary sentence attached to a brand name...
s. At 3:45, following the first three verses, a break in the song's instrumentation occurs, except for guitar, and the song returns to a state similar to the introduction's end. A rapid rhythmic synthesiser fades in and at 4:03, the drums and bass re-enter and the song assumes an increased tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
. The theme of moral confusion and uncertainty
Uncertainty
Uncertainty is a term used in subtly different ways in a number of fields, including physics, philosophy, statistics, economics, finance, insurance, psychology, sociology, engineering, and information science...
becomes present in the remaining lyrics.
The song describes two characters in a setting with a dull and grey appeal, who emerge from blinking neon sign
Neon sign
Neon signs are made using electrified, luminous tube lights that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December, 1910 by Georges Claude at the Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs...
s into a brightly-lit modern city. The radio sound effects in the introduction were intended to create a mood and setting for the song. DJ Carter Alan
Carter Alan
Carter Alan is a disc jockey and radio announcer who has been working professionally in Boston since 1979. His work began at the student radio station at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by 19 years at Boston radio station WBCN. Alan is perhaps most famous for playing U2 before...
noted that the sounds seemed to draw a connection from Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 19 November 1991 on Island Records. Stung by the criticism of their 1988 release Rattle and Hum, U2 shifted their musical direction to incorporate alternative...
, but Bono stated that it was not intentional and that he didn't want it to have "anything to do with the past". Several advertising slogans were implemented word-for-word in the song's lyrics, including "Vorsprung durch Technik
Vorsprung durch Technik
Vorsprung durch Technik is the main strapline, or slogan, and company ethos for the German car maker Audi. It has been used since the 1970s in Audi advertising campaigns all over the world....
" ("Advancement through technology") (Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
), "Be all that you can be" (United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
), "Fly the friendly skies" (United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
), and "The appliance of science" (Zanussi
Zanussi
Zanussi is an Italian producer of home appliances that in 1984 was bought by Electrolux. Zanussi is a leading brand for domestic kitchen appliances in Europe. Products have been exported from Italy since 1946.-History:...
). Other lyrics in the first three verses feature references to product slogans or phrases, such as Colgate
Colgate (toothpaste)
Colgate is an oral hygiene product line of toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes and dental floss.-Duraphat:Duraphat is a professional strength paste intended for the treatment and prevention of dental caries....
's "Ring of confidence" ("We've got that ring of confidence"), Daz
Daz (detergent)
Daz is the name of a popular laundry detergent on the market in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble and is lower priced than P&G's main brand, Ariel...
's "Bluey white" ("A bluer kind of white"), and Fairy's "Mild green Fairy liquid" ("We're mild and green and squeaky clean"), the latter of which The Edge claimed to be his favourite line of the song.
Following the first three verses of advertising slogans, the song continues with the lyrics, "I have no compass, and I have no map" and "No reason to get back", referring to the uncertainty of the new direction of U2's music at the time. The following verse begins with, "And I have no religion", which was included in the lyrics because Bono stated that he "believe[s] that religion is the enemy of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
." A review of the album in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
compared the lyric "Uncertainty can be a guiding light" towards the end of the song to the line "If you walk away, [...] I will follow" from U2's 1980 single "I Will Follow
I Will Follow
"I Will Follow" is a song by rock band U2. It is the opening track from their debut album, Boy, and it was released as the album's second single, in October 1980. Bono wrote the lyrics to "I Will Follow" in tribute to his mother who died when he was 14 years old."I Will Follow" is the only song...
". The reviewer stated "The man (Bono) that once had so many answers now sounds simply confused." The theme of moral confusion was first used in U2's song "Acrobat
Acrobat (song)
"Acrobat" is a song by rock band U2. It is the eleventh track on their 1991 album Achtung Baby. The critical failure of Rattle and Hum led the band to seek a harder sound in their music. The song developed from a riff created by guitarist The Edge, and is played in a time signature. Thematically...
" from Achtung Baby. The coda
Coda (music)
Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
in "Zooropa" features the lyric "dream out loud", which Bono included as a reference to "Acrobat". The phrase "dream out loud" was first used by Bono during the Lovetown Tour
Lovetown Tour
The Lovetown Tour was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place in late 1989 and early 1990.-Itinerary:It was limited in scope, but did try to reach places that their 1987 Joshua Tree Tour had missed, all the while avoiding the United States entirely.The tour's opening night was on...
in 1989, and has appeared several times in U2's work since then. The phrase was also used in the song "Always" — a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to the "Beautiful Day
Beautiful Day
"Beautiful Day" is a song by the rock band U2. It is the first track from their 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, and it was released as the album's lead single. It was a commercial success, helping launch the album to multi-platinum status, and is one of U2's biggest hits to date...
" single released in 2000 — and was spoken by Bono in the PopMart: Live from Mexico City
PopMart: Live from Mexico City
Selections from the Mexico City concert were released on the live album Hasta la Vista Baby! U2 Live from Mexico City. The album was and released exclusively to members of U2's fan club magazine, Propaganda, in 2000. It features 14 songs from the band's 25-song performance.-Track listing:...
video.
Release and chart performance
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, cassette, LP
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, and DCC
Digital Compact Cassette
Digital Compact Cassette was a magnetic tape sound recording format introduced by Philips and Matsushita in late 1992 and pitched as a successor to the standard analog cassette. It was also a direct competitor to Sony's MiniDisc but neither format toppled the then ubiquitous analog cassette...
formats. The song was not released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
; however, promotional recording
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
s of the song were distributed by Island Records in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The U.S. release was distributed on CD in a blank jewel case and featured an edited version of the song that removed the introduction. The Mexico release was distributed on CD in a cardboard sleeve with the album version of the song, as well "Numb
Numb (U2 song)
"Numb" is a song by rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1993 album Zooropa and was released in June 1993 as the album's first single. The song features a monotonous mantra of "don't" commands spoken by guitarist The Edge amidst a backdrop of various sound effects and samples...
" as a second track, also from the Zooropa album. The back of the sleeve featured the lyrics to "Zooropa", while the front of the sleeve featured artwork
Cover art
Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...
similar to that of the Zooropa album, except with the title centered and a solid black background. The artwork was designed by Works Associates of Dublin and featured a sketch of the circle of stars
Circle of stars
A Circle of stars often represents unity, solidarity and harmony in flags, seals and signs, and is also seen in iconographic motifs related to the Woman of the Apocalypse as well as in Baroque allegoric art that sometimes depicts the Crown of Immortality....
from the Flag of Europe with a "sad astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
" figure in the middle. The illustration, created by Shaughn McGrath, was an alteration of the "graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
babyface" by Charlie Whisker that was originally taken from the face of the Achtung Baby album artwork. The cover's drawing was meant to represent the Soviet cosmonaut left floating in orbit for weeks after the collapse of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Within several weeks following the album's release, "Zooropa" appeared on two Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
based on its radio airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
in the United States. On 24 July 1993, it appeared on the Album Rock Tracks chart at number 26, and remained on the chart for ten weeks, eventually peaking at number eight. "Zooropa" also appeared on the Modern Rock Tracks chart on 7 August 1993 at number 28, and peaked at number 13 during its eight weeks on the chart. Three other songs from the album charted as well; however, "Zooropa" was the only non-single chart.
Zoo TV Tour
During the Zoo TV Tour, clips of "Zooropa" were played during the beginning of the show. The clips included the lyric "What do you want?" repeated twice, which was displayed on video screens in various languages, and interspersed with a voice saying "It's very simple". This part of the opening segment was intended to create confusion among the audience regarding the show's message, and eventually lead to information overloadInformation overload
"Information overload" is a term popularized by Alvin Toffler in his bestselling 1970 book Future Shock. It refers to the difficulty a person can have understanding an issue and making decisions that can be caused by the presence of too much information...
.
U2 performed "Zooropa" live at three concerts during the Zoo TV Tour. Along with "So Cruel
So Cruel
"So Cruel" is a song by rock band U2. It is the sixth track on their 1991 album Achtung Baby, concluding side one of the album. The song was written at Elsinore in Dalkey. While audio engineer Flood changed reels to listen to a demo of another song, lead singer Bono began to improvise a song on...
", which was also performed three times during the tour, "Zooropa" was the least played song from a U2 album, among all the songs performed throughout the tour's duration. Bono had originally discussed how the song would be played live during the album's recording sessions, and said that The Edge's guitar riffs may be extended in concert. The song debuted live at a concert in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
on 8 August 1993, and was performed in the middle of the concert, following "Numb". The live version of the song was much shorter than the album version, skipping the piano intro, as well as the first three verses, starting the song with the line "I have no compass, and I have no map". Bono wore a military uniform
Military uniform
Military uniforms comprises standardised dress worn by members of the armed forces and paramilitaries of various nations. Military dress and military styles have gone through great changes over the centuries from colourful and elaborate to extremely utilitarian...
during the song, and acknowledged to the audience afterward that the song was difficult to play live. It was performed again in London
London
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...
at the following two concerts in the same place on the set list
Set list
A set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play, or has played, during a specific concert performance...
, but was still difficult for the band to perform instrumentally. According to the book U2 Live: A Concert Documentary, the debut performance of the song sounded "shaky" and needed more rehearsal, although its subsequent Zoo TV performances "sound[ed] better". Clayton suggested performing the song as the show opener during the rehearsals for the final leg of the tour, although it was never played, and was dropped from the tour's set lists following its second London performance.
U2 360° Tour
After the Zoo TV Tour, "Zooropa" was not performed live until 17 years later where it was played towards the end of the U2 360° TourU2 360° Tour
The U2 360° Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour visited stadiums from 2009 through 2011. It was named for a stage configuration that allowed the audience to almost completely surround the stage...
in 2011. Clayton said that adding the song to the tour's set list was "very experimental". The song debuted on the tour in April in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, and was rehearsed at soundchecks several days prior. The return of the song was so popular that the word "Zooropa" became a trending topic
Trending topic
A trending topic is a word, phrase or topic that is posted multiple times on the social networking and microblogging service Twitter. Trending topics become popular either through a concerted effort by users or because of an event that prompts people to talk about one specific topic...
on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
during the evening of its first performance on the tour. "Zooropa" was performed at the remaining 26 concerts on the tour, in addition to a private show in Denver. , "Zooropa" has been performed live at 31 shows. Unlike its Zoo TV performances, the entire song was played live on the U2 360° Tour. The stage's circular-shaped retractable video screen would expand its full length, and U2 would perform behind the screen.
Critical response
David Sinclair of The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and Anthony DeCurtis
Anthony DeCurtis
Anthony DeCurtis is an American author and music critic, who has written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Relix and other publications.-Career:...
of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
both felt that "Zooropa" set the album's tone from the start, the latter of whom described Bono's singing and lyrics as a "Mephistophelean
Mephistopheles
Mephistopheles is a demon featured in German folklore...
seducer". Allmusic compared "Zooropa" to the anthems of U2's The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release The Unforgettable Fire, U2 aimed for a harder-hitting sound on The Joshua...
album, and Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s David Browne
David Browne
David Browne is an American journalist and author. He was the resident music critic at Entertainment Weekly between 1990 and 2006. He was an editor at Music & Sound Output magazine and a music critic at the New York Daily News before EW...
described the song as Where the Streets Have No Name
Where the Streets Have No Name
"Where the Streets Have No Name" is a song by rock band U2. It is the opening track from their 1987 album The Joshua Tree and was released as the album's third single in August 1987. The song's hook is a repeating guitar arpeggio using a delay effect, played during the song's introduction and...
' transported into the land of cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
", comparing parts of the song to the techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and metallic
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
music genres. The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
felt "Zooropa" was "a sprawling multi-sectioned piece that drifts from two minutes of gentle radio babble into a more familiar reverb-rock structure". Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said that the track was reminiscent of old U2 songs, but added new elements such as distorted vocals and repeating guitar squealing. Daily Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
praised the title track over the rest of the songs on the album, stating how it was the only song that "explores the sort of melodic range usually associated with U2".
Interpretations
Robert Vagacs, author of the book Religious Nuts, Political Fanatics: U2 in the Theological Perspective, describes the song as the antimatterAntimatter
In particle physics, antimatter is the extension of the concept of the antiparticle to matter, where antimatter is composed of antiparticles in the same way that normal matter is composed of particles...
of "Where the Streets Have No Name", in both musical and thematic aspects. Vagacs discusses the location of Zooropa in detail throughout the book, and refers to Zooropa as a "wasteland" and a "dystopia", due to its lack of fulfillment and certainty. He also states how the Babylonian
Babylon (New Testament)
Babylon occurs in the Christian New Testament both with a literal and a figurative meaning. The famous ancient city, located near Baghdad, was a complete unpopulated ruin by 275 BC, well before the time of the New Testament...
-like location uses its demigod
Demigod
The term "demigod" , meaning "half-god", is commonly used to describe mythological figures whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human; as such, demigods are human-god hybrids...
s to control its people through scientism
Scientism
Scientism refers to a belief in the universal applicability of the systematic methods and approach of science, especially the view that empirical science constitutes the most authoritative worldview or most valuable part of human learning to the exclusion of other viewpoints...
, technicism
Technicism
Technicism is an over reliance or overconfidence in technology as a benefactor of society.Taken to the extreme, some argue that technicism is the belief that humanity will ultimately be able to control the entirety of existence using technology. In other words, human beings will eventually be able...
, and economism
Economism
Economism is a term used to describe economic reductionism, that is the reduction of all social facts to economical dimensions. It is also used to criticize economics as an ideology, in which supply and demand are the only important factors in decisions, and outstrip or permit ignoring literally...
. The final track from Achtung Baby, "Love Is Blindness
Love Is Blindness
"Love Is Blindness" is a song by rock band U2. It is the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album Achtung Baby. The song was written on a piano by lead singer Bono during the recording sessions for U2's 1988 album Rattle and Hum. Intended for singer Nina Simone, the band elected to keep it for...
", is described as "an interpretive bridge into the land of Zooropa", which Vagacs explains is the setting for the album, as well as the setting for songs on U2's following album, Pop. "Beautiful Day
Beautiful Day
"Beautiful Day" is a song by the rock band U2. It is the first track from their 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, and it was released as the album's lead single. It was a commercial success, helping launch the album to multi-platinum status, and is one of U2's biggest hits to date...
", the opening song from U2's 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...
, describes "a fresh start in Zooropa".
The use of consumer slogans as song lyrics was also commented on by various sources. Critic Perry Gettelman interpreted them as meaning to "signify the emptiness of modern, godless life". Kieran Keohane of York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
stated that the slogans in "Zooropa" were to express an alienating form of interpellation, while J. D. Considine of The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
referred to the slogans as a parody of the economic hype used to pass the Maastricht Treaty
Maastricht Treaty
The Maastricht Treaty was signed on 7 February 1992 by the members of the European Community in Maastricht, Netherlands. On 9–10 December 1991, the same city hosted the European Council which drafted the treaty...
, through the promising of impossibilities, such as "Be a winner" and "Eat to get slimmer". English
English major
The English Major is a term in the United States and a few other countries for an undergraduate university degree focused around the consumption, analysis, and production of texts in the English language...
professor Kurt Koenigsberger of Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
stated that the consumer advertisements constitute Zooropa as a "sardonically dystopic" location. In the book Reading Rock and Roll, Robyn Brothers said that the song conveys a "sense of confusion in the wake of a technology speeding beyond our control", while referencing the lyrics "I hear voices, ridiculous voices / I'm in the slipstream". Brothers also compared the song to "Acrobat", stating both songs reference a response to uncertainty and an unavoidable feeling of alienation
Social alienation
The term social alienation has many discipline-specific uses; Roberts notes how even within the social sciences, it “is used to refer both to a personal psychological state and to a type of social relationship”...
.
Legacy
Zooropa producer Flood claimed that "Zooropa" was one of his favourite songs on the album, along with "Daddy's Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car", "The First Time", and "NumbNumb (U2 song)
"Numb" is a song by rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1993 album Zooropa and was released in June 1993 as the album's first single. The song features a monotonous mantra of "don't" commands spoken by guitarist The Edge amidst a backdrop of various sound effects and samples...
". Mullen felt that the song was "absolutely mesmerizing". Following the release of "Zooropa", references to the song have appeared in professional writings and in other media. On the day of the U2 concert in Sarajevo
U2 concert in Sarajevo
U2's concert in Sarajevo was held at Koševo Stadium in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 23 September 1997. Visiting the city on their PopMart Tour, U2 became the first major artist to hold a concert in Sarajevo since the end of the Bosnian War....
during the PopMart Tour
Popmart Tour
The PopMart Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 1997 album, Pop, the tour's concerts were performed in stadiums and parks from 1997 through 1998...
in 1997, tour set designer Willie Williams woke up with "Zooropa" playing in his head
Earworm
Earworm, a loan translation of the German Ohrwurm, is a portion of a song or other music that repeats compulsively within one's mind, put colloquially as "music being stuck in one's head."...
and later stated that Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
"is the city of Zooropa, if there ever was one." Thomas Diez
Thomas Diez
Thomas Diez is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the Institute for Political Science, University of Tübingen. He was formerly Professor of International Relations Theory in the Department of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Birmingham,...
of the Copenhagen Peace Research Institute
Copenhagen Peace Research Institute
The Copenhagen Peace Research Institute was a Danish research institute established in 1985 by the Danish Parliament. Its aim was to support and strengthen multidisciplinary research on peace and security. Established as an independent institute, in 1996 became a government research institute...
made references to "Zooropas lyrics in his review of Philip Thody's book, An Historical Introduction to the European Union. Prior to the European leg of the Vertigo Tour
Vertigo Tour
The Vertigo Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the band visited arenas and stadiums from 2005 through 2006. The Vertigo Tour consisted of five legs that alternated between indoor arena shows in...
in 2005, José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission
President of the European Commission
The President of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission ― the executive branch of the :European Union ― the most powerful officeholder in the EU. The President is responsible for allocating portfolios to members of the Commission and can reshuffle or dismiss them if needed...
, quoted the song's lyric "Don't worry baby, it's gonna be all right / Uncertainty can be a guiding light", after enlisting Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
in an effort to get governments in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
to give more money to developing countries
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
. Barroso also stated that the lyric inspired an article he wrote about the future of Europe. Lyrics from the song also appeared in the reference book German English Words, under the book's listing for "Vorsprung durch Technik
Vorsprung durch Technik
Vorsprung durch Technik is the main strapline, or slogan, and company ethos for the German car maker Audi. It has been used since the 1970s in Audi advertising campaigns all over the world....
".
Kurt Koenigsberger's book The Novel and the Menagerie mentioned "Zooropa" in a section discussing Salman Rushdie and his appearance on the Zoo TV Tour. In 2008, the word "Zooropa" was used in an international finance textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
as the name of a fictional
Fictional location
Fictional locations are places that exist only in fiction and not in reality. Writers may create and describe such places to serve as backdrop for their fictional works. Fictional locations are also created for use as settings in Role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons...
, generic city. The book Religious Nuts, Political Fanatics lists "Zooropa" as one of 22 U2 songs for "recommended listening". A 2009 review of U2's album No Line on the Horizon, MusicRadar
MusicRadar
MusicRadar is a website for musicians. It covers information pertaining to artists and music, special features, product news and reviews, music lessons and a social network service in the style of Facebook and Myspace...
described the song "Magnificent
Magnificent (U2 song)
"Magnificent" is a song by U2. It is the second track on the band's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon and was released as the album's second single. The song was originally titled "French Disco", but was renamed later in the recording sessions...
" as New Year's Day
New Year's Day (song)
"New Year's Day" is a song by rock band U2. It is on their 1983 album War and it was released as the album's lead single in January 1983. Written about the Polish Solidarity movement, "New Year's Day" is driven by Adam Clayton's distinctive bassline and The Edge's keyboard playing...
' meets 'Zooropa. In a 2010 poll by fan site @U2, approximately 12% out of 4,800 fans voted "Zooropa" as their favorite song from the album, which ranked in third following "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
"Stay " is a song by the rock band U2. It is the fifth track on their 1993 album, Zooropa and was released as the album's third single on 22 November 1993. The song was a top ten hit in the Ireland, Australia, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. The music video was shot in Berlin,...
" and "Lemon".
Track listing
Charts
| Chart (1993) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
8 |
| US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) | 13 |
Personnel
U2- BonoBonoPaul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - The EdgeThe EdgeDavid Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, backing vocals - Adam ClaytonAdam ClaytonAdam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Larry Mullen, Jr. – drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, bass guitar
Additional
- Flood – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Willie Mannion – mixing assistance
- Flood and Robbie Adams – engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Willie Mannion and Rob Kirwan – engineering assistance
- Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
– synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s - Joe O'Herlihy – second half of backing trackBacking trackA backing track is an audio or MIDI recording that musicians play or sing along to in order to add parts to their music which would be impractical to perform live.-Uses:...
recording at soundcheckSoundcheckA soundcheck is the preparation that takes place before a concert, speech, or similar performance, when the performer and the sound crew run through a small portion of the upcoming show on the venue's sound system to make sure that the sound in the venue's "Front Of House" and stage monitor sound...
External links
- "Zooropa" lyrics – U2.com