Ordinary love

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Ordinary love
U2
publication November 29, 2013
length 3:38
Genre (s) skirt
Author (s) U2, Danger Mouse
Label Interscope
Award (s) Golden Globe 2014

Ordinary Love is a song by the Irish rock band U2 from 2013. It was written in honor of Nelson Mandela and is part of the soundtrack to his biography Mandela - The Long Road to Freedom (2013). The song received several nominations, including one for an Oscar for best movie song . In 2014 the band won a Golden Globe for best movie song .

History of origin

U2 had been friends with Nelson Mandela since their first anti- apartheid concerts and appearances in South Africa in the 1970s. Film producer Harvey Weinstein asked the band if they could write a song for the soundtrack, and the band agreed without hesitation. After seeing an early version of the film, they decided to make a song that pays tribute to Nelson Mandela and reflects his role.

Bono wrote the lyrics for the song, the music is from U2 and producer Danger Mouse . The recordings took place at Electric Lady Studios in New York City .

publication

The song marked the band's first song release in three years. It was written specifically for the film. A trailer for the film aired in October that included parts of the song. Initially, a release was announced through their website, but plans changed. On November 22nd, the official “Lyric Video” was released, created by Oliver Jeffers and Marc Premo .

For Record Store Day on November 29, 2013, U2 released a limited 10-inch LP via Island Records . On the B-side is the song Breathe from the 2009 album No Line on the Horizon in a special "Mandela Version". On the cover there is a picture of Nelson Mandela, which was also made by Oliver Jeffers . Only then was it published on iTunes .

Music style and text

U2 themselves described the song as a "complicated song for a complicated love story". The song contains elements of church music , so it starts with a synthesizer choir and it contains a break by Edge that is reminiscent of a church bell. It is a slow rock ballad with sparingly used instruments. Bono sings falsetto .

success

The song received a Golden Globe for the best movie song on January 12, 2014 and was considered a promising candidate for an Oscar for the best movie song , but lost to Let It Go from the Disney film Frozen - Totally Unabashed . It also received nominations for the 2014 Critics' Choice Movie Awards and the Denver Film Critics Society Awards .

The song reached top 100 placements in the most important record markets. In Italy the song even became a number one hit and reached platinum status .

Chart placements
Charts Top ranking Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK) Germany (GfK) 39 (13 weeks) 13
Ireland (IRMA) Ireland (IRMA) 13 (7 weeks) 7th
Austria (Ö3) Austria (Ö3) 29 (10 weeks) 10
Switzerland (IFPI) Switzerland (IFPI) 11 (19 weeks) 19th
United States (Billboard) United States (Billboard) 84 (2 weeks) 2

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ U2: 'A COMPLICATED SONG FOR A COMPLICATED LOVE STORY'. Golden Globe Awards , December 7, 2013, accessed January 3, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Kory Grow: U2 Ready Two New Songs for 'Back to Black Friday'. Rolling Stone , October 30, 2013; accessed January 3, 2016 .
  3. ↑ a b Ordinary Love (10 inch vinyl). Official website of U2, accessed January 3, 2016 .
  4. ↑ Kevin Rujerford: The track from 'Long Walk to Freedom' is the band's first new music in three years. In: Hollywood Reporter . Billboard.com , November 22, 2013, accessed January 3, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Video: New U2 song 'Ordinary Love' part of Mandela biopic. Irish Times , October 22, 2013, accessed January 3, 2016 .
  6. ↑ Natalie Kuchik: U2 release official 'Ordinary Love' lyric video. November 24, 2013, accessed January 3, 2016 .
  7. ↑ in the original: "It's a complicated love story so we ended up writing a complicated love song"; U2: 'A COMPLICATED SONG FOR A COMPLICATED LOVE STORY'. Golden Globe Awards, December 7, 2013, accessed January 3, 2016 .
  8. ^ David Fricke: Ordinary Love. December 2, 2013, accessed January 3, 2016 .
  9. ↑ Mandela: The Long Road to Freedom - Awards. Internet Movie Database , accessed January 3, 2016 .
  10. ↑ a b c d e f Chart sources: DE IE AT CH US