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Lemon (U2 song)
 
 
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"Lemon" is the fourth song and second single from U2
U2

U2 are a rock music band from Dublin, Republic of Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. .The band formed in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency....
's 1993 album, Zooropa
Zooropa

Zooropa is the eighth studio album by the Republic of Ireland rock music band U2. Originally intended as an Extended play, it was recorded between legs of the Zoo TV Tour and released on 6 July 1993 by Island Records as a full-length album....
. This song, more than any previous U2
U2

U2 are a rock music band from Dublin, Republic of Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. .The band formed in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency....
 song, showcases Bono
Bono

Paul David Hewson , also known by his stage name Bono, is the main vocalist of the Ireland rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his future wife, Ali Hewson, and the future members of U2....
's falsetto
Falsetto

The term falsetto refers to the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice and overlapping with it by approximately one octave....
 skills, aided by atmospheric vocals from The Edge
The Edge

David Howell Evans , more widely known by his nickname and stage name The Edge , is a British people Irish people musician known best as the guitarist, keyboardist, and main backing vocalist for the Ireland rock band U2....
 and Brian Eno
Brian Eno

Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno , is an England musician, composer, record producer, music theory and singer, who, as a solo artist, is best known as the People known as the father or mother of something of ambient music....
. The song has been described as a futuristic German disco.

single and promo releases were complete with different dance
Dance music

Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dance. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement....
 remix
Remix

A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. A remixer uses Audio mixing to compose an alternate master recording of a song, adding or subtracting elements, or simply changing the equalization, dynamics, Pitch , tempo, playing time, or almost any other aspect of th...
es, as well as a shortened edit of the title track (the album version was almost 7 minutes long).

The song was played live at 10 different Zoo TV
Zoo TV Tour

The Zoo TV Tour was an elaborately-staged worldwide concert tour by Republic of Ireland rock music band U2. Launched in support of the album Achtung Baby, the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1992 through 1993....
 shows in Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, and Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, during the show's encore.






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Encyclopedia


"Lemon" is the fourth song and second single from U2
U2

U2 are a rock music band from Dublin, Republic of Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. .The band formed in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency....
's 1993 album, Zooropa
Zooropa

Zooropa is the eighth studio album by the Republic of Ireland rock music band U2. Originally intended as an Extended play, it was recorded between legs of the Zoo TV Tour and released on 6 July 1993 by Island Records as a full-length album....
. This song, more than any previous U2
U2

U2 are a rock music band from Dublin, Republic of Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. .The band formed in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency....
 song, showcases Bono
Bono

Paul David Hewson , also known by his stage name Bono, is the main vocalist of the Ireland rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his future wife, Ali Hewson, and the future members of U2....
's falsetto
Falsetto

The term falsetto refers to the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice and overlapping with it by approximately one octave....
 skills, aided by atmospheric vocals from The Edge
The Edge

David Howell Evans , more widely known by his nickname and stage name The Edge , is a British people Irish people musician known best as the guitarist, keyboardist, and main backing vocalist for the Ireland rock band U2....
 and Brian Eno
Brian Eno

Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno , is an England musician, composer, record producer, music theory and singer, who, as a solo artist, is best known as the People known as the father or mother of something of ambient music....
. The song has been described as a futuristic German disco.

History

The single and promo releases were complete with different dance
Dance music

Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dance. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement....
 remix
Remix

A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. A remixer uses Audio mixing to compose an alternate master recording of a song, adding or subtracting elements, or simply changing the equalization, dynamics, Pitch , tempo, playing time, or almost any other aspect of th...
es, as well as a shortened edit of the title track (the album version was almost 7 minutes long).

The song was played live at 10 different Zoo TV
Zoo TV Tour

The Zoo TV Tour was an elaborately-staged worldwide concert tour by Republic of Ireland rock music band U2. Launched in support of the album Achtung Baby, the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1992 through 1993....
 shows in Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, and Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, during the show's encore. During each performance, Bono would perform the song dressed as Zoo TV character "MacPhisto
Zoo TV Tour

The Zoo TV Tour was an elaborately-staged worldwide concert tour by Republic of Ireland rock music band U2. Launched in support of the album Achtung Baby, the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1992 through 1993....
," a former cabaret performer with devilish horns. Each performance was immediately followed by the band's "With or Without You
With or Without You

"With or Without You" is the lead single from U2's 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. It has since become highly-acclaimed as one of the band's most popular songs....
".

Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold

Paul Oakenfold is a record producer and a popular Trance music DJ....
's "Perfecto
Planet Perfecto

Planet Perfecto were a dance "Supergroup " formed in 1997 by Paul Oakenfold, Ian Masterson & Jake Williams. They were signed to Oakenfold's record label, Perfecto Records....
 Mix" of the song was used on the PopMart Tour
Popmart Tour

The PopMart Tour, often referred to as simply PopMart, was a worldwide concert tour by the Republic of Ireland Rock music band U2. Launched in support of the group's 1997 album, Pop , the tour's concerts were performed in stadiums from 1997 through 1998....
, being played as the band walked out of their Spinal Tap
Spinal tap

Spinal tap can refer to:*Spinal tap, colloquial term for a lumbar puncture*Spinal Tap, a fictional hard rock band*This Is Spinal Tap, a mockumentary portraying the same band...
-like rock prop, a 40-foot mirrorball
Disco ball

A disco ball, mirror ball, glitter ball, or ball mirror is a roughly sphere object that reflects light directed at it in many directions, producing a complex display....
 lemon, onto the B-stage for an encore.

The allusion to film in the "Lemon" video was also partially based from the fact that the song was conceived after Bono watched an old filmstrip of his late mother. The song's title originates from this filmstrip in which Bono's mother was wearing a lemon-colored dress. The song's lyrics are about using film to recreate and preserve memory.

Music video


The music video for "Lemon", directed by Mark Neale
Mark Neale

Mark Neale is a United Kingdom documentarian and film director based in Los Angeles, California. His best known work is the 1999 documentary No Maps for These Territories, which profiled cyberpunk author William Gibson....
, was filmed in black and white with a grid-like background as a tribute to Eadweard Muybridge
Eadweard Muybridge

Eadweard J. Muybridge was an England List of photographers, known primarily for his early use of multiple cameras to capture motion , and his zoopraxiscope, a device for projecting motion pictures that pre-dated the celluloid film strip that is still used today....
. Muybridge was a photographer who was the first person to successfully capture fast motion on film, using his device, coincidentally named the Zoopraxiscope
Zoopraxiscope

Image:Zoopraxiscope 16485d.gifThe device appears to have been one of the primary inspirations for Thomas Edison and William Kennedy Dickson's Kinetoscope, the first commercial film exhibition system....
, a reference to the lyrics ("A man makes a picture - a moving picture/Through light projected he can see himself up close"). The video primarily features a sequence of clips of the band members playing their instruments and performing a series of distinct actions, with captions for each one (e.g. "man walking up incline", "man running", "man playing pool"). In the background of the video, a pendulum
Pendulum

A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so it can swing freely.When a pendulum is displaced from its resting Mechanical equilibrium, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position....
 can be seen swinging, a clock can be seen ticking, as well as dollars falling from the sky, various scientific objects (DNA, Satellite feeds, etc.), and a cross
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
. All of these symbols seem to be representing mans attempt to preserve time, via money ("He turns his money into light to look for her"), religion, or technology. The video also featured Bono dressed as both "The Fly" and "MacPhisto".

Track listings


Single version 1

12" vinyl
12-inch single

The 12-inch single gramophone record came into existence with the advent of disco music in the 1970s. The first 12" single was actually a 10" acetate used by a mix engineer in need of a Friday night test copy for famed disco mixer Tom Moulton....
 release (USA
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
)
  1. "Lemon" (Bad Yard Club
    Bad Yard Club

    The Bad Yard Club are an ensemble of performers put together by David Morales.The performers were producers Sly Dunbar and Handel Tucker, keyboardists Eric Kupper and The Daou, vocalists CeCe Rogers, Anastacia and Donna Giles, and dancehall/reggae rappers Delta , Papa San, Stanryck and Natural E....
    ) — 10:13
  2. "Lemon" (Morales Bad Yard Club Version Dub) — 6:35
  3. "Lemon" (Morales Momo's Reprise) — 4:08
  4. "Lemon" (Perfecto
    Paul Oakenfold

    Paul Oakenfold is a record producer and a popular Trance music DJ....
     Mix) — 8:56
  5. "Lemon" (Oakenfold
    Paul Oakenfold

    Paul Oakenfold is a record producer and a popular Trance music DJ....
     Jeep Mix) — 5:30


Single version 2

CD
CD single

A CD single is a single in the form of a standard size compact disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor....
/cassette
Cassette single

A cassette single is a single in the form of a Compact Cassette. The first commercial release of a cassette single appears to have been the Go-Gos' song "Vacation " b/w "Beatnik Beach" by I.R.S....
 release (Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 and Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
)
  1. "Lemon" (Edit) — 4:39
  2. "Lemon" (Oakenfold Jeep Mix) — 5:30
  3. "Lemon" (Album Version) — 6:56
  4. "Lemon" (Morales Bad Yard Club Version Dub) — 6:35


Promo version 1

10" vinyl release (USA)
  1. "Lemon" (Bad Yard Club Mix) — 8:35
  2. "Lemon" (Serious Def Dub) — 6:24


Promo version 2

12" vinyl release (UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
)
  1. "Lemon" (Bad Yard Club) — 10:13
  2. "Lemon" (Momo's Beats) — 4:25
  3. "Lemon" (Bad Yard Club Version Dub) — 6:35
  4. "Lemon" (Serious Def Dub) — 6:24


Promo version 3

12" vinyl release (UK)
  1. "Lemon" (Perfecto Mix) — 8:57
  2. "Lemon" (Trance Mix) — 9:14


Promo version 4

Single-track CD release (UK)
  1. "Lemon" (Edit) — 4:39


Promo version 5

CD release (USA)
  1. "Lemon" (Edit) — 4:39
  2. "Lemon" (Lemonade Mix Edit) — 4:16
  3. "Lemon" (Album Version) — 6:56
  4. "Lemon" (Lemonade Mix) — 6:40


Chart positions

YearSingleChartPosition
1993"Lemon"US Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks

Hot Modern Rock Tracks is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the forty most-played songs on modern rock radios, most of which are alternative rock songs....
#3
1993"Lemon"US Hot Dance Music/Club Play#1
1993"Lemon"US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales#16
1993"Lemon"Australian ARIA Charts
ARIA Charts

File:ARIA Charts Logo.pngThe ARIA charts are the main Australia record charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling single and albums in various genres in Australia....
#6


See Also

  • List of covers of U2 songs - Lemon