Black Fox

"One"
Song

"One" is the third single from U2's 1991 album, Achtung Baby, and was released in 1992. It is widely considered to be one of the band's greatest songs and is consistently featured in lists of the greatest songs of all time. It was named the 36th greatest song by Rolling Stone on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song reached #7 in the UK charts, and #10 in the US charts, and reached the top of the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. The writing of the song also helped relieve tensions between band members during the turbulent recording sessions for Achtung Baby.

History

During the recording of Achtung Baby, tensions in the band began to rise over the direction of the album. Bono and The Edge favored electronica and dance music explorations, while Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton preferred a traditional rock approach. U2 was on the brink of breaking up when the band rallied around a riff The Edge was trying to write for the bridge of "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)". It inspired the band to write "One," and it changed the band's outlook on the album, helping bring a renewed sense of optimism towards the material they had already recorded. Leaving Berlin on a high note, the band was able to complete the rest of the album in Dublin. For this reason it is widely considered, by the band and fans, to be the song that saved U2.

But it is just as likely that Bono was drawing on those emotions to paint a more non-autobiographical picture. In 1993, speaking to Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times, Bono offered a more ambiguous meaning to the lyrics, saying "It is a song about coming together, but it's not the old hippie idea of 'Let's all live together.' It is, in fact, the opposite. It's saying, We are one, but we're not the same. It's not saying we even want to get along, but that we have to get along together in this world if it is to survive. It's a reminder that we have no choice".

There were 3 videos made for the song which adds to the discussions. One of them suggests that "One" is about a gay son confessing to his father that he is HIV-positive—largely assumed because of the content of director Anton Corbijn's video, in which the band dressed in drag and Bono sings the song to his own father. It is filmed in Berlin and has footage of the band driving in Trabant cars. Also, a large amount of sales from the single went to AIDS charities.

Another video, directed by Mark Pellington, has footage of blooming flowers and buffaloes, interspersed with numerous black title cards featuring the word "one" in white lettering, depicted in numerous languages. The buffaloes in the video originate from a photo by David Wojnarowicz, a gay artist who died of AIDS. The photo is on the cover of the single. This video has also been used during live performances during the Zoo TV, Elevation, and Vertigo tours.

Yet another version of the video, directed by Phil Joanou, shows Bono in a bar, smoking a cheroot and drinking beer combined with snippets of the band performing in concert.

The Edge in Q magazine said, "I often come across people who've told me they played it at their wedding, And I think, 'Have you listened to the lyrics? It's not that kind of a song'".

Others interpret the song as achieving oneness in the spiritual sense, while yet another point of view suggests that it's about the reunification of East and West Germany and the subsequent, slow healing of past wounds as the Berlin Wall collapses. This particular one is popular due to the time the band spent in Germany during the album's creation. Others also believe it's about Bono's relationship with his own father, Bob Hewson.

One is also known world wide as the 'Best live acoustic ever'.

Covers and references

By the band

Since its first live appearance in 1992, the song has been played at every concert of the band's following tours up to the present day. It has also been played at the following benefit concerts.

• In 1995, an orchestral-backed version was played and recorded at the Pavarotti and Friends concert in Modena; this version was later included as a B-side to the single "Miss Sarajevo".

• U2 performed "One" live on June 7, 1997 in New York at the Tibetan Freedom Concert.

• On November, 29, 2003 Bono and The Edge performed "One" segueing into "Unchained Melody" at one of the 46664 (concerts) in Cape Town, South Africa.

• U2 performed "One" along with "Beautiful Day" and "Vertigo" at Live 8 in Hyde Park, London in 2005.

• On September 9, 2005, U2 performed "One" with Mary J. Blige for Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast and again at the 2006 Grammy Awards (alongside "Vertigo"). The collaboration was later reprised and released as a single (see below).

By others

• R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and Mike Mills, along with U2's Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr., appeared at the Inaugural Festivities in January, 1993 under the name "Automatic Baby" to perform the song.

• Singer and television presenter Mica Paris recorded a cover of "One" in 1995 which reached #29 in the UK singles chart.

• An orchestral version of "One" was covered by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on their 1999 album Pride: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays U2.

• Information Society covered "One" on the 1999 U2 tribute album, We Will Follow: A Tribute to U2.

• The song "(I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be) Free / One" by the Lighthouse Family sampled some of "One"'s lyrics.

• Johnny Cash covered "One" on his 2000 album American III: Solitary Man, produced by Rick Rubin.

• Wendy Matthews covered "One" on her 2004 album Café Naturale.

• Joe Cocker covered "One" on his 2005 album, Heart & Soul. Both a studio version and a live version were on the album.

• Warren Haynes' June 15, 2003 performance of the song appears on his album, Live at Bonnaroo.

• Cowboy Junkies recorded a version of "One" for their 2005 album, Early 21st Century Blues.

• In late 2006, a Bank of America employee sang "One" with lyrics about the Bank of America and MBNA merger. The video became an internet phenomenon. Universal Music Group, the copyright owner of the song, posted a cease and desist letter directed at Bank of America in the comments section of Stereogum, one of the blogs that posted the video.

Accolades

• The List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time places it at #36 (the highest position for a U2 song and the second highest position for a song of the 1990s).
• "One" was voted #1 on Q Magazine's 1001 Best Songs Ever list.
• "One" was recently voted the 5th most popular song of all time, in a poll conducted by Sony.
• A listener's poll conducted by the popular Israeli radio station Galgalatz ranked "One" as the best song of the 1990s.
• In April 2006 it was voted as having Britain's number one lyric- "One life, with each other, sisters, brothers" - by a VH1 poll.[5]
• In a recent poll, the listeners of the Portuguese radio RFM voted "One" as the best song ever.
• VH1 listed the song at #2 on the Top 100 Songs of the 1990s.

U2 track listing

7": Island IS515 (UK)

1. "One" (Album Version) – 4:34
2. "Lady with the Spinning Head" (Uv1) – 3:54

CD: Island CID515 (UK)

1. "One" (Album Version) – 4:34
2. "Lady with the Spinning Head" (Uv1) – 3:54
3. "Satellite of Love" (4:00)
4. "Night and Day" (Steel String Remix) – 6:57

12": Island 12IS515 (UK)

1. "One" (Album Version) – 4:34
2. "Lady with the Spinning Head" (Uv1) – 3:54
3. "Satellite of Love" – 4:00

Mary J. Blige and U2 version

"One"
Song

History

After being invited to join the group on stage at a New York concert in 2005, Mary J. Blige performed the track with U2 and received a standing ovation. The song was then recorded featuring Blige on lead vocals, with Bono supplying additional vocals and the band performing the music.

"One" is featured on Mary J. Blige's multi-platinum album The Breakthrough, released in late 2005. It was released as the second international single in April 2006, having already been featured heavily on BBC Radio 1's playlist, and it has been a staple record on Capital FM's playlist since late January 2006. In May 2006, Mary performed the song at the finale of American Idol with finalist Elliott Yamin, ahead of its full release to American radio. It was also used by FOX for its end-of-season montage after game five of the 2006 World Series.

On December 31, 2006, "One" was announced by BBC Radio 1 to be the thirty-fifth highest-selling single of 2006 in the UK.

It was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in December 2006.

Mary J. Blige track listings

Mary J. Blige's "One" single had two releases, both featuring the radio edit of the song. The first single release featured a live B-side, and the second single featured both a live and studio B-side, as well as a link to watch the "One" video online. The B-sides were songs by Blige only and did not feature U2.

CD 1

1. "One" (Radio Edit) – 4:03
2. "Can't Hide from Love" (Live) – 3:51 ras clat

CD 2

1. "One" (Radio Edit) – 4:03
2. "I'm Going Down" (Live) – 3:25
3. "My Life '05" – 6:24

Chart positions

U2 version

Chart (1992)	Peak Position
Australian Singles Chart	4
UK Singles Chart	7
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	10
U.S. Modern Rock Tracks	1
U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks	1
U.S. Adult Contemporary	24
U.S. Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	44
Canada RPM Top 100	1

Mary J. Blige & U2 Version

Chart (2006)	Peak position
Perú Top 100	1
Norway Singles Top 20	1
Ö3 Austria Top 40	1
Belgium UltraTop 50	6
Dutch Top 40	2
Dutch Mega Top 50	2
European Hot 100 Singles Chart	3
German Singles Chart	6
Czech IFPI Chart	28
Irish Singles Chart	2
France Singles Top 100	35
Polish National Top 50	12
Spain Los 40 Principales	1
U.K. Download Chart	6
U.K. Top 75 Singles Chart	2
U.K. Top 40 R&B Singles Chart	3
U.S. Hot 100	86
U.S. Pop 100	64
U.S. Hot Digital Songs	60
U.S. Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	36
U.S. Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks	37
United World Chart	5