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Mysterious Ways (song)
 
 
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"Mysterious Ways" is the eighth track on 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 1991 album, Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby

Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Republic of Ireland rock music band U2. It was released on 19 November 1991, nearly two years after lead vocalist Bono announced the band would have to "go away and dream it all up again", following the mixed response to 1988's Rattle and Hum and their own sense of musical stagnation....
 and was released as the album's second single. When the covers to "Even Better Than the Real Thing
Even Better Than the Real Thing

"Even Better Than the Real Thing" is the second song from U2's 1991 album, Achtung Baby and was released in 1992 as the fourth single from the album....
", "The Fly", "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

"Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" is the fifth track on U2's 1991 album, Achtung Baby, and was released in 1992 as the album's fifth and final single....
", and "Mysterious Ways" are arranged, a picture of the band members driving a Trabant
Trabant

The Trabant is an automobile produced by former East Germany auto maker HQM Sachsenring GmbH in Zwickau, Sachsen-Anhalt. It was the most common vehicle in East Germany, and was also exported to countries both inside and outside the communist bloc....
 is formed.

video had a belly dancing
Belly dance

Belly dance is a Western culture term for a traditional Egyptian dance form. Some American devotees refer to it simply as "Middle Eastern Dance." In the Egyptian Arabic language it is known as raqs sharqi or sometimes raqs baladi ....
 theme, which included distorted shots of Bono dancing, and other mystical images.






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Encyclopedia


"Mysterious Ways" is the eighth track on 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 1991 album, Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby

Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Republic of Ireland rock music band U2. It was released on 19 November 1991, nearly two years after lead vocalist Bono announced the band would have to "go away and dream it all up again", following the mixed response to 1988's Rattle and Hum and their own sense of musical stagnation....
 and was released as the album's second single. When the covers to "Even Better Than the Real Thing
Even Better Than the Real Thing

"Even Better Than the Real Thing" is the second song from U2's 1991 album, Achtung Baby and was released in 1992 as the fourth single from the album....
", "The Fly", "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

"Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" is the fifth track on U2's 1991 album, Achtung Baby, and was released in 1992 as the album's fifth and final single....
", and "Mysterious Ways" are arranged, a picture of the band members driving a Trabant
Trabant

The Trabant is an automobile produced by former East Germany auto maker HQM Sachsenring GmbH in Zwickau, Sachsen-Anhalt. It was the most common vehicle in East Germany, and was also exported to countries both inside and outside the communist bloc....
 is formed.

Music video and live performances

The video had a belly dancing
Belly dance

Belly dance is a Western culture term for a traditional Egyptian dance form. Some American devotees refer to it simply as "Middle Eastern Dance." In the Egyptian Arabic language it is known as raqs sharqi or sometimes raqs baladi ....
 theme, which included distorted shots of Bono dancing, and other mystical images. It was filmed by Stephane Sednaoui
Stιphane Sednaoui

St?phane Sednaoui is a French photographer and film director....
 in Morocco
Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
.

When played live on the Zoo TV Tour
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....
, this song featured a belly dancer on stage. The version played was extended, including a longer introduction with a piano part 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....
. Also, a slide solo is featured after what was the end of the studio version of the song. Both the added intro and outro features added lyrics from 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....
, much of which is sung in the 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....
. One of the dancers, Morleigh Steinberg, later married The Edge. It has been played on every tour since it debuted, appearing on every live video release since except for Elevation 2001: Live from Boston. Edge has always used a Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker

Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker ), is an electric guitar manufacturer, notable for putting the world's first electric guitars into general production in 1932....
 330-12 for this song.

Chart performances

The song reached #9 on the Hot 100 (the previous single, "The Fly", had only managed to reach #61) making it one of the band's highest-charting singles in the U.S.; only three other U2 singles ("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....
", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is the second track from U2's 1987 album The Joshua Tree, and was released as the album's second single....
", and "Desire") have reached higher positions. "Mysterious Ways" also topped both the 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....
 chart and the Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks

Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music but are not modern rock stations, which are counted in the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart....
 chart. It peaked at #8 on the Dutch Top 40.

Track listings

7" single / Cassette
  1. "Mysterious Ways" (album version) — 4:04
  2. "Mysterious Ways" (Solar Plexus magic hour 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...
    ) — 8:14


CD maxi / 12" maxi / Double cassette
  1. "Mysterious Ways" (album version) — 4:04
  2. "Mysterious Ways" (Solar Plexus extended club mix) — 7:00
  3. "Mysterious Ways" (Apollo 440
    Apollo 440

    Apollo 440 are an England musical band formed in 1990 in Liverpool, England by brothers Trevor and Howard Gray with fellow Liverpudlians Noko and James Gardner , although Gardner left after the recording of the first album....
     magic hour remix) — 4:25
  4. "Mysterious Ways" (tabla motown remix) — 4:27
  5. "Mysterious Ways" (Solar Plexus club mix) — 4:09


5" CD single, bonus - Australia
  1. "Mysterious Ways" (the Perfecto
    Paul Oakenfold

    Paul Oakenfold is a record producer and a popular Trance music DJ....
     mix) — 7:06
  2. "Mysterious Ways" (ultimatum mix) — 5:00


Credits

  • Written by U2
  • Engineered by Flood
  • Assistant : Robbie Adams
  • Mixed by Daniel Lanois, The Edge, Flood and Shannon Strong
  • Percussion : Daniel Lanois
  • Produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois
  • "Solar Plexus club mix" and "Solar Plexus club mix" remixed by Howard Gray, Steve Lillywhite and Trevor Gray


Charts

Chart (1991)Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart3
Dutch Singles Chart8
French SNEP Singles Chart19
German Singles Chart46
Irish Singles Chart1
Swedish Singles Chart17
Swiss Singles Chart13
UK Singles Chart13
U.S. Billboard Hot 1009
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks1
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks1
Chart (1992)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play42
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales29



See also

  • List of covers of U2 songs - Mysterious Ways