Shadows and Tall Trees
Encyclopedia
"Shadows and Tall Trees" is a song by Irish
rock
band U2
. It is the eleventh and final track of their debut album Boy, which was released in October, 1980. The song's title was inspired by William Golding
's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies
, as a chapter from the book is entitled "Shadows and Tall Trees". The theme is a boy's search for self-identity in his surroundings while taking a walk on a dark, rainy night.
Early Demos as a demo. The version from Early Demos was 4:40, only four seconds longer than the version released on Boy. Of the three songs on that EP, it was the only one to ever make it onto an album.
Even though it started from live sets, once it had been perfected by the group and released from Boy, it is possible that it has only been performed once in concert.
"Shadows and Tall Trees" was different from the rest of Boy, for The Edge
, guitarist of U2, used an acoustic guitar
on the song. All 10 other tracks were played with an electric guitar
by The Edge. It is also notable that the track before, "The Electric Co.
", fades into "Shadows and Tall Trees". They are tied together with a long guitar note.
Early editions of the Boy vinyls and some CD editions contain a 30-second snippet of an instrumental right after "Shadows and Tall Trees". However, this was not part of the song. It is thought to be a hidden track
. Many believe that it was a segment of an early version of "Fire
", a song that would be released as the lead single from 1981's October
, U2's next album.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
. It is the eleventh and final track of their debut album Boy, which was released in October, 1980. The song's title was inspired by William Golding
William Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding was a British novelist, poet, playwright and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate, best known for his novel Lord of the Flies...
's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies is a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding about a group of British boys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves, with disastrous results...
, as a chapter from the book is entitled "Shadows and Tall Trees". The theme is a boy's search for self-identity in his surroundings while taking a walk on a dark, rainy night.
Background
"Shadows and Tall Trees" is one of U2's first songs, as it evolved out of very early live shows. It was originally released on U2's 1978 three-song EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Early Demos as a demo. The version from Early Demos was 4:40, only four seconds longer than the version released on Boy. Of the three songs on that EP, it was the only one to ever make it onto an album.
Even though it started from live sets, once it had been perfected by the group and released from Boy, it is possible that it has only been performed once in concert.
"Shadows and Tall Trees" was different from the rest of Boy, for The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
, guitarist of U2, used an acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
on the song. All 10 other tracks were played with an electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
by The Edge. It is also notable that the track before, "The Electric Co.
The Electric Co.
"The Electric Co." or "Cry/The Electric Co." is the tenth song by Irish rock band U2 from their debut album Boy, released in 1980.- History :...
", fades into "Shadows and Tall Trees". They are tied together with a long guitar note.
Early editions of the Boy vinyls and some CD editions contain a 30-second snippet of an instrumental right after "Shadows and Tall Trees". However, this was not part of the song. It is thought to be a hidden track
Hidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
. Many believe that it was a segment of an early version of "Fire
Fire (U2 song)
"Fire" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fifth track on the band's 1981 album, October, and was released that year as the album's first single.-History:...
", a song that would be released as the lead single from 1981's October
October (album)
October is the second album by Irish rock band U2, released in 1981. The album featured spiritual themes, inspired by Bono, The Edge, and Larry Mullen, Jr.'s memberships in a Christian group called the "Shalom Fellowship", which led them to question the relationship between the Christian faith and...
, U2's next album.