"
Please" is the eleventh song from
U2U2 are a rock band that formed in Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr...
's 1997 album,
PopPop is the ninth studio album by Irish rock band U2, released in March 1997. The album was a continuation of the band's 1990s reinvention, as they pursued a new musical direction by combining alternative rock, techno, dance, and electronica influences...
. It was released as the album's fourth single on October 20, 1997.
As with "
Sunday Bloody Sunday"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is the opening track from U2's 1983 album, War. The song was released as the album's third single in March 1983 in Germany and The Netherlands. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is noted for its militaristic drumbeat, harsh guitar, and melodic harmonies...
", the song is about
The TroublesThe Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The single cover for this song features the pictures of four Northern Irish politicians —
Gerry AdamsGerard "Gerry" Adams, MLA, MP is an Irish Republican politician and abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West...
,
David TrimbleWilliam David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC , is a politician from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland. He is currently a life peer for the Conservative Party.He shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize with John Hume of...
,
Ian PaisleyRev Dr Ian Richard Kyle Paisley is a veteran politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , the largest single grouping in the 2007 elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, he was elected First Minister with Sinn Féin's Martin...
, and
John HumeJohn Hume is a former Irish politician from Derry, founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble....
(clockwise from top left). Two months before the release of the single, live versions of "Please" and three other songs from the
PopMart TourThe PopMart Tour, often referred to as simply PopMart, was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish 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...
were released on the
Please: Popheart Live EP in September 1997.
This song was played live during every performance of the PopMart Tour, with an outro similar to the drumbeat to that of "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Each performance segued directly into "Where the Streets Have No Name." During the
Elevation TourThe Elevation Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2000 album All That You Can't Leave Behind, the tour visited arenas in 2001. After the band's previous two extravagant stadium tours, Zoo TV and PopMart, the Elevation Tour returned the...
, the song was played in electric form in its first performance before being played
acousticallyAcoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
by
BonoPaul David Hewson, KBE , most commonly known by his stage name Bono, is an Irish singer and musician, 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 future wife,...
and
The EdgeDavid Howell Evans , more widely known by his nickname and stage name The Edge , is an Irish musician known best as the guitarist, keyboardist, and main backing vocalist for the Irish rock band U2...
at about 20 different shows.
"
Please" is the eleventh song from
U2U2 are a rock band that formed in Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr...
's 1997 album,
PopPop is the ninth studio album by Irish rock band U2, released in March 1997. The album was a continuation of the band's 1990s reinvention, as they pursued a new musical direction by combining alternative rock, techno, dance, and electronica influences...
. It was released as the album's fourth single on October 20, 1997.
As with "
Sunday Bloody Sunday"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is the opening track from U2's 1983 album, War. The song was released as the album's third single in March 1983 in Germany and The Netherlands. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is noted for its militaristic drumbeat, harsh guitar, and melodic harmonies...
", the song is about
The TroublesThe Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in
Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and it is situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The single cover for this song features the pictures of four Northern Irish politicians —
Gerry AdamsGerard "Gerry" Adams, MLA, MP is an Irish Republican politician and abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West...
,
David TrimbleWilliam David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC , is a politician from Northern Ireland who served as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party and was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland. He is currently a life peer for the Conservative Party.He shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize with John Hume of...
,
Ian PaisleyRev Dr Ian Richard Kyle Paisley is a veteran politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , the largest single grouping in the 2007 elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, he was elected First Minister with Sinn Féin's Martin...
, and
John HumeJohn Hume is a former Irish politician from Derry, founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble....
(clockwise from top left). Two months before the release of the single, live versions of "Please" and three other songs from the
PopMart TourThe PopMart Tour, often referred to as simply PopMart, was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish 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...
were released on the
Please: Popheart Live EP in September 1997.
Live performances
This song was played live during every performance of the PopMart Tour, with an outro similar to the drumbeat to that of "Sunday Bloody Sunday." Each performance segued directly into "Where the Streets Have No Name." During the
Elevation TourThe Elevation Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2000 album All That You Can't Leave Behind, the tour visited arenas in 2001. After the band's previous two extravagant stadium tours, Zoo TV and PopMart, the Elevation Tour returned the...
, the song was played in electric form in its first performance before being played
acousticallyAcoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
by
BonoPaul David Hewson, KBE , most commonly known by his stage name Bono, is an Irish singer and musician, 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 future wife,...
and
The EdgeDavid Howell Evans , more widely known by his nickname and stage name The Edge , is an Irish musician known best as the guitarist, keyboardist, and main backing vocalist for the Irish rock band U2...
at about 20 different shows. The song has not been played in full since. However, it was "snippeted" frequently along with "
The Hands That Built America"The Hands That Built America" is a song by U2, released on the soundtrack to the film Gangs of New York. It was one of two new songs on their The Best of 1990-2000 compilation, with the other being "Electrical Storm"...
" during "
Bullet the Blue Sky"Bullet the Blue Sky" is the fourth track from U2's 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. The song is one of the band's most overtly politically toned songs, with live performances often being heavily critical of war and guns....
" on the
Vertigo TourThe 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 visited arenas and stadiums from 2005 through 2006. The Vertigo Tour consisted of five legs that alternated between indoor arena shows in North...
.
Track listings
The four live tracks were previously released in other countries on the
Please: Popheart Live EP.
"Dirty Day"
Two remixes of "
Dirty Day"Dirty Day" is the ninth track on U2's 1993 album, Zooropa.-Recording and composition:"Dirty Day" originates from the band recording "live" jam performances in the studio during the Zooropa sessions on the band's break in the Zoo TV Tour. The song was written about a character who leaves his family...
" from
ZooropaZooropa [a] is the eighth studio album by the Irish rock band U2. Originally intended as an EP, it was recorded between legs of the Zoo TV Tour and released on 5 July 1993 by Island Records as a full-length album...
were made for the single, both by
Butch VigButch Vig is an American musician and record producer, best known internationally as the drummer of the Madison, Wisconsin-based alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of multi-platinum selling albums Nevermind by Nirvana and Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins.Now a resident of Los...
and
Duke EriksonDouglas Elwin Erickson , better known as Duke Erikson, is a founding member of the band Garbage. At 16 years old he formed his first band, The British. Erickson studied art history, and financed his studies with numerous jobs such as carpenter or truck driver...
.
"I'm Not Your Baby" (Skysplitter Dub)
This song was recorded for the soundtrack for
Wim WendersErnst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer.-Early life:Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. He graduated from high school in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area. He then studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and Düsseldorf...
'
The End of ViolenceThe End of Violence is a 1997 film by the German director Wim Wenders. The film's cast includes Bill Pullman, Gabriel Byrne, Traci Lind, Rosalind Chao, Andie MacDowell, and Loren Dean, among others. It also features a soundtrack marked with the signature sounds of Wenders regulars Jon Hassell, Ry...
, with guest vocals by
Sinéad O'ConnorSinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter.-Early life:Sinéad O'Connor was born in Glenageary Dublin and was named after Sinéad de Valera, wife of Irish President Éamon de Valera and mother of the doctor presiding over the delivery, and Saint Bernadette of Lourdes...
. The version featured here is an instrumental remix, with few differences from the original version.
"Please" and "Where the Streets Have No Name" (Live from Rotterdam)
This performance was taken from the European première of the
PopMart TourThe PopMart Tour, often referred to as simply PopMart, was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish 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...
on July 18 1997 at
Feijenoord StadiumThe Feijenoord Stadion, better known by its nickname De Kuip , is a stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands that was completed in 1937. The name is derived from the area "Feijenoord" in Rotterdam, and from the club with the same name .Capacity at completion: 64,000. Maximum capacity: 69,000...
, in
RotterdamRotterdam ; city and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland, situated in the west of the Netherlands. The municipality is the second largest in the country, with a population of 584,046 as of January 2007...
, The Netherlands. The middle eight in "Please" featured the drumbeat from "
Sunday Bloody Sunday"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is the opening track from U2's 1983 album, War. The song was released as the album's third single in March 1983 in Germany and The Netherlands. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is noted for its militaristic drumbeat, harsh guitar, and melodic harmonies...
", and the outro, with
BonoPaul David Hewson, KBE , most commonly known by his stage name Bono, is an Irish singer and musician, 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 future wife,...
's
falsettoThe term falsetto refers to the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal cords, in whole or in part...
, segued into the opening chords of "Where the Streets Have No Name", which was updated to an almost
technoTechno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan, USA during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
sound. The end of the performance included some lyrics from another song from
Pop, "The Playboy Mansion".
"With or Without You" (Live from Edmonton)
This performance of "
With or Without You"With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock band U2 and the third track from their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. Released as a single in March 1987, it became the group's first American #1 hit, spending three weeks at the top...
" was taken from the first leg of the PopMart Tour in June 1997, at
Commonwealth StadiumCommonwealth Stadium is a sports stadium located in the Norwood Area of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, primarily used by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. The stadium is owned and operated by the City of Edmonton.- History :...
in
EdmontonEdmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. The city is located on the North Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province, an area with some of the most fertile farmland on the prairies...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
"Staring at the Sun" (Live from Rotterdam)
This performance of "Staring at the Sun", played by Bono and
The EdgeDavid Howell Evans , more widely known by his nickname and stage name The Edge , is an Irish musician known best as the guitarist, keyboardist, and main backing vocalist for the Irish rock band U2...
as part of an acoustic set at the PopMart concerts, was a departure from the version on the
Pop album. It was a more subtle, vocal-oriented version, with only the two guitars and some harmonies during the choruses.
Alternate versions
There are five versions of this song available:
- The album version, featured on Pop.
- The single version, on the single and video. This version was more similar to the live performances, with an orchestrated intro and the "Sunday Bloody Sunday" drumbeat on the middle eight. This version was recorded at the Wisseloord Studios
The Wisseloord Studio is a recording studio in Hilversum, the Netherlands. It was officially opened on 19 January 1978 by Prince Claus.The studios were founded by electronics company Philips, to make it able for artists on their record label PolyGram to record in a professional environment...
in Hilversumis a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...
, NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
.
- The USA edit, a special edit included on the US versions of the "Please" single CD. It is a more stripped down and shortened version of the single version. Its running time is 3 minutes, 55 seconds.
- The live performance from the July 18, 1997 concert in Rotterdam, also from the single.
- Another live performance, from the December 3, 1997 concert in Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city of Mexico. It is the economic, industrial, and cultural center in the country, and the most populous city, with about 8,836,045 inhabitants in 2008...
. This version appears on the Hasta la Vista Baby! album.
Videos
The "Please"
music videoA music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music/song. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos go back much further, they came into their own in the...
is a black-and-white concept piece by
Anton CorbijnAnton Corbijn is a photographer and director from Strijen, the Netherlands. He is widely acknowledged by the music industry, mainly for being the creative director of the visual output of prominent bands like Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for...
. It takes place on a street called "No Name" (a reference to the song "Where the Streets Have No Name") where a beggar is standing, with a sign saying "please" hanging from his neck. Several people pass by on their knees, until a point where this situation is reversed. The band actually does not show up for much of the video, finally making an appearance during
The EdgeDavid Howell Evans , more widely known by his nickname and stage name The Edge , is an Irish musician known best as the guitarist, keyboardist, and main backing vocalist for the Irish rock band U2...
's guitar solo. This video appears on the
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
for
The Best of 1990-2000The Best of 1990–2000 is the second greatest hits compilation by Irish rock band U2, released in November 2002. It went on to become the 12th best selling album in the world that year. . Among the 17 tracks are four remixed or re-recorded tracks and two entirely new songs...
, along with the director's commentary.
Two live videos from the PopMart Tour have been released as well — one video from the
PopMart: Live from Mexico CityPopMart: Live from Mexico City is a concert video release by rock band U2 from their PopMart Tour. Recorded on December 3, 1997 at Foro Sol on the band's featured stop in Mexico City, Mexico, it was released on VHS and Video CD in November 1998, and was re-released in September 2007 on DVD...
release, and one known as the "Mural Mix," (filmed in
HelsinkiHelsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it the most populous municipality in Finland by a wide margin...
on August 9, 1997), which was released on "The History Mix" bonus disc from
The Best of 1990-2000 & B-Sides.
See also
- Pop
Pop is the ninth studio album by Irish rock band U2, released in March 1997. The album was a continuation of the band's 1990s reinvention, as they pursued a new musical direction by combining alternative rock, techno, dance, and electronica influences...
- PopMart Tour
The PopMart Tour, often referred to as simply PopMart, was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish 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...
- List of covers of U2 songs - Please
- U2 discography
The discography of the Irish rock band U2 consists of twelve studio albums, seven live albums, five compilation albums, fifty-eight singles, and seven extended plays . The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr....
External links