Unknown Caller
Encyclopedia
"Unknown Caller" is a song by Irish
rock
band U2
and the fourth track on their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. It was written from the perspective of a drug addict, who begins to receive bizarre text messages on his cellphone
. The song was developed very early during the No Line on the Horizon sessions, and was recorded in a single take.
, Morocco
. Recording took place in rented the courtyard of a hotel Riad, which the band turned into a makeshift recording studio. "Unknown Caller" was recorded in a single take in this time, along with the songs "No Line on the Horizon
", "Moment of Surrender
", and "White as Snow
". A few iterations of the track had previously been developed, but the "definitive version was only ever played once." Guitarist The Edge
noted that they "were songs that pretty much came together in the space of a couple of hours, and therefore probably were played in the final incarnation maybe once or twice." Co-writer and producer
Daniel Lanois
noted that the song "pretty much had its personality intact from day one." The open-air Riad allowed the band to hear the overhead birdsong during their sessions; this was taped and included in the introduction of the song. Towards the end of the recording sessions, producer Steve Lillywhite
made a few minor changes to the song to make it "brilliant", including changes to the song's drum
ming and bassline
.
In an interview with The Guardian
, lead singer Bono
stated that he became tired of writing in the first-person, noting that "I'd just worn myself out as a subject matter"; as a result he created several characters, including a traffic cop, a drug addict, and a soldier serving in Afghanistan. The drug addict character appears in "Unknown Caller", as well as in "Moment of Surrender", when the character is having a crisis of faith and is suicidal. In an altered state, the character attempts to use his phone to buy drugs, when he begins receiving cryptic text messages with technology-inspired directions. The themes in the song include social alienation
and personal identity, as well as optimism
. Mojo
noted that the drug addict was "not unusual in this record in being lost, spiritually broken." The lyrics "3:33, when the numbers fell off the clock face" are a reference to Jeremiah
, the same Bible verse referenced on the cover of U2's 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind
.
group chant of commands ("Go / Shout it out / Rise up / Hear me, cease to speak / That I may speak / Shush now"), alternating with drawn out "Ohh / Ohh" lines. After the second chorus, a French horn part, played by Richard Watkins
, as well as a church organ are heard. The song concludes with a guitar solo that was taken directly from the song's backing track.
. It was played at 22 of 24 concerts during the first leg of the tour, where it typically followed one of "In a Little While", "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
", and "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
", and preceded "The Unforgettable Fire
". It was played performed at the beginning of the second leg of the tour, usually following "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
" or "Your Blue Room
", but was dropped from the set list for several weeks. It was played again towards the end of the second leg.
In the break between songs, the birdsong recorded in the introduction was played through the stage's speakers. The video screen shows footage of the band members with the song's lyrics positioned overtop scrolling from right to left. The words are colored red with the exception of the word that is currently being sung, which is highlighted in green.
described The Edge's guitar solo as "a straightforward, elegiac break with a worn, notched edge to his treble tone", while likening Bono's chorus chant of "Shout for joy if you get the chance" to the band's 1979 song "Out of Control
", noting that "[Bono] is still singing about singing." Reviewer Brian Hiatt noted that the song would have worked well on All That You Can't Leave Behind
. Q
described the song's placement in the opening half of the album as "the U2 of wide-open spaces, of sweeping mountain valleys, and of Edge's signature chiming guitar lines." Mojo felt that bassist Adam Clayton
's playing was largely responsible for the song's "evocation of both frigidity and tenderness", noting the transition from the French horn to The Edge's guitar solo was "as exalted as any U2 music gets." Blender
felt that Bono "reache[d] Bowie-in-Berlin levels of arty alienation," and labelled the guitar playing in the song the best from the album, while the New York Times believed it would be a "likely arena singalong" live. Uncut
likened the song to the band's 1984 single "Pride (In the Name of Love)
", describing it as "the most dramatic bait-and-switch on a record riddled with them – a gentle Edge guitar figure and birdsong an unlikely foundation for the gradual erection of a terrifically unabashed stadium epic." Musician Gavin Friday
described the song as "a new age 'Bad
, and Hot Press
editor Niall Stokes
called the song "another U2 classic".
Allmusic was not a fan of the song, stating "when U2, Eno, and Lanois push too hard — the ill-begotten techno-speak overload of "Unknown Caller"... — the ideas collapse like a pyramid of cards... turning it into a murky muddle." NME
believed that the lyrics were No Line on the Horizons greatest weakpoint, citing "Unknown Caller"'s chorus of "Force quit and move to trash" and "Restart and reboot yourself" as being inspired by Bono's computer. Pitchfork Media
stated that the song was "a wash of shameless U2-isms," noting that some of the guitar parts were very similar to those of "Walk On".
"Unknown Caller" is the opening track in the Anton Corbijn
film Linear
, based on a story by Corbijn and Bono where a Paris
ian traffic cop travels across France and the Mediterranean Sea
to visit his girlfriend in Tripoli
. The opening sequence shows a scene of Paris at dusk, before moving on to a journey through the city streets. It ends at the traffic cop's home, where the next track, "Breathe
", begins. "Unknown Caller" has been used in ESPN
television commercials advertising the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, along with several other U2 songs.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
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...
and the fourth track on their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. It was written from the perspective of a drug addict, who begins to receive bizarre text messages on his cellphone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
. The song was developed very early during the No Line on the Horizon sessions, and was recorded in a single take.
Writing and recording
The No Line on the Horizon sessions began with two weeks of recording in FezFes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. Recording took place in rented the courtyard of a hotel Riad, which the band turned into a makeshift recording studio. "Unknown Caller" was recorded in a single take in this time, along with the songs "No Line on the Horizon
No Line on the Horizon (song)
"No Line on the Horizon" is a song by rock band U2; it is the opening and title track on their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. An alternate version, "No Line on the Horizon 2", was included as a bonus track on some versions of the album. The song was developed during the band's earliest sessions...
", "Moment of Surrender
Moment of Surrender
"Moment of Surrender" is a song by rock band U2 and the third track on their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. During the initial recording sessions for the album in 2007 in Fez, Morocco, the band wrote the song with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois within a few hours...
", and "White as Snow
White as Snow (song)
"White as Snow" is a song by Irish rock band U2 and the ninth track on their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. It was written from the perspective of a dying soldier serving in Afghanistan, and lasts the length of time it takes him to die...
". A few iterations of the track had previously been developed, but the "definitive version was only ever played once." Guitarist 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...
noted that they "were songs that pretty much came together in the space of a couple of hours, and therefore probably were played in the final incarnation maybe once or twice." Co-writer and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
noted that the song "pretty much had its personality intact from day one." The open-air Riad allowed the band to hear the overhead birdsong during their sessions; this was taped and included in the introduction of the song. Towards the end of the recording sessions, producer Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
made a few minor changes to the song to make it "brilliant", including changes to the song's drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
ming and bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
.
In an interview with The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, lead singer Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian 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...
stated that he became tired of writing in the first-person, noting that "I'd just worn myself out as a subject matter"; as a result he created several characters, including a traffic cop, a drug addict, and a soldier serving in Afghanistan. The drug addict character appears in "Unknown Caller", as well as in "Moment of Surrender", when the character is having a crisis of faith and is suicidal. In an altered state, the character attempts to use his phone to buy drugs, when he begins receiving cryptic text messages with technology-inspired directions. The themes in the song include social alienation
Social alienation
The term social alienation has many discipline-specific uses; Roberts notes how even within the social sciences, it “is used to refer both to a personal psychological state and to a type of social relationship”...
and personal identity, as well as optimism
Optimism
The Oxford English Dictionary defines optimism as having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view." The word is originally derived from the Latin optimum, meaning "best." Being optimistic, in the typical sense...
. Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
noted that the drug addict was "not unusual in this record in being lost, spiritually broken." The lyrics "3:33, when the numbers fell off the clock face" are a reference to Jeremiah
Book of Jeremiah
The Book of Jeremiah is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the book of Isaiah and preceding Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve....
, the same Bible verse referenced on the cover of U2's 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind
All That You Can't Leave Behind
All That You Can't Leave Behind is the tenth studio album by rock band U2. It was released on 30 October 2000 by Island Records in the United Kingdom and Interscope Records in the United States...
.
Composition
"Unknown Caller" is composed in the key of G major. The song begins with a droning noise, the birdsong of Moroccan swallows, and exotic instruments, before The Edge begins playing a four note riff, similar to that of "Walk On". The chorus features a monotoneMonotone
Monotone refers to a sound, for example speech or music, that has a single unvaried tone.Monotone or monotonicity may also refer to:*Monotone , an open source revision control system*Monotone class theorem, in measure theory...
group chant of commands ("Go / Shout it out / Rise up / Hear me, cease to speak / That I may speak / Shush now"), alternating with drawn out "Ohh / Ohh" lines. After the second chorus, a French horn part, played by Richard Watkins
Richard Watkins
Richard Watkins is a concerto soloist and chamber music player. He was Principal Horn of the Philharmonia from 1985 to 1996, a position he relinquished to devote more time to his solo career....
, as well as a church organ are heard. The song concludes with a guitar solo that was taken directly from the song's backing track.
Live performances
"Unknown Caller" made its live debut on the opening night of the U2 360° TourU2 360° Tour
The U2 360° Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour visited stadiums from 2009 through 2011. It was named for a stage configuration that allowed the audience to almost completely surround the stage...
. It was played at 22 of 24 concerts during the first leg of the tour, where it typically followed one of "In a Little While", "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
"Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" is the second single from U2's 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind. The song, characterised by gospel-tinged melodies and saccharine lead guitar part, won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 2002...
", and "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
"Stay " is a song by the rock band U2. It is the fifth track on their 1993 album, Zooropa and was released as the album's third single on 22 November 1993. The song was a top ten hit in the Ireland, Australia, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. The music video was shot in Berlin,...
", and preceded "The Unforgettable Fire
The Unforgettable Fire (song)
"The Unforgettable Fire" is a song by rock band U2. The fourth song on their 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire, it was released as the album's second single in April 1985. The band cite an art exhibition by victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that was held at the Peace Museum...
". It was played performed at the beginning of the second leg of the tour, usually following "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 a song by rock band U2. It is the second track from their 1987 album The Joshua Tree and was released as the album's second single in May 1987...
" or "Your Blue Room
Your Blue Room
"Your Blue Room" is a song by Passengers, a group composed of rock band U2 and producer Brian Eno. It is the third track on the group's only release, the 1995 album Original Soundtracks 1. The track was written for the 1995 Michelangelo Antonioni–Wim Wenders film Beyond the Clouds...
", but was dropped from the set list for several weeks. It was played again towards the end of the second leg.
In the break between songs, the birdsong recorded in the introduction was played through the stage's speakers. The video screen shows footage of the band members with the song's lyrics positioned overtop scrolling from right to left. The words are colored red with the exception of the word that is currently being sung, which is highlighted in green.
Reception and legacy
"Unknown Caller" received mixed reviews from critics. Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
described The Edge's guitar solo as "a straightforward, elegiac break with a worn, notched edge to his treble tone", while likening Bono's chorus chant of "Shout for joy if you get the chance" to the band's 1979 song "Out of Control
Boy (album)
Boy is the debut album from Irish rock band U2, released October 20, 1980. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album received generally positive reviews. Common themes among the album's songs are the thoughts and frustrations of adolescence. The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit...
", noting that "[Bono] is still singing about singing." Reviewer Brian Hiatt noted that the song would have worked well on All That You Can't Leave Behind
All That You Can't Leave Behind
All That You Can't Leave Behind is the tenth studio album by rock band U2. It was released on 30 October 2000 by Island Records in the United Kingdom and Interscope Records in the United States...
. Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
described the song's placement in the opening half of the album as "the U2 of wide-open spaces, of sweeping mountain valleys, and of Edge's signature chiming guitar lines." Mojo felt that bassist Adam Clayton
Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...
's playing was largely responsible for the song's "evocation of both frigidity and tenderness", noting the transition from the French horn to The Edge's guitar solo was "as exalted as any U2 music gets." Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
felt that Bono "reache[d] Bowie-in-Berlin levels of arty alienation," and labelled the guitar playing in the song the best from the album, while the New York Times believed it would be a "likely arena singalong" live. Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
likened the song to the band's 1984 single "Pride (In the Name of Love)
Pride (In the Name of Love)
"Pride " is a song by Irish rock band U2. The second track on the band's 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire, it was released as the album's lead single in September 1984...
", describing it as "the most dramatic bait-and-switch on a record riddled with them – a gentle Edge guitar figure and birdsong an unlikely foundation for the gradual erection of a terrifically unabashed stadium epic." Musician Gavin Friday
Gavin Friday
Gavin Friday is an Irish singer and songwriter, composer, actor and painter.-Career:Gavin was born in Dublin and grew up in Finglas, a neighbourhood located on Dublin's Northside...
described the song as "a new age 'Bad
Bad (U2 song)
"Bad" is a song by rock band U2 and the seventh track from their 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire. A song about heroin addiction, it is considered a fan favourite, and is one of U2's most frequently performed songs in concert....
, and Hot Press
Hot Press
Hot Press is a fortnightly music and political magazine based in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it had a circulation of 19,215 during 2007...
editor Niall Stokes
Niall Stokes
Niall Stokes is the award-winning editor of the long-running fortnightly Ireland music and political magazine Hot Press based in Dublin. He has edited the magazine since 1977. He has been a longstanding champion of Irish music, most famously U2 in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s...
called the song "another U2 classic".
Allmusic was not a fan of the song, stating "when U2, Eno, and Lanois push too hard — the ill-begotten techno-speak overload of "Unknown Caller"... — the ideas collapse like a pyramid of cards... turning it into a murky muddle." NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
believed that the lyrics were No Line on the Horizons greatest weakpoint, citing "Unknown Caller"'s chorus of "Force quit and move to trash" and "Restart and reboot yourself" as being inspired by Bono's computer. Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
stated that the song was "a wash of shameless U2-isms," noting that some of the guitar parts were very similar to those of "Walk On".
"Unknown Caller" is the opening track in the Anton Corbijn
Anton Corbijn
Anton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...
film Linear
Linear (film)
Linear is a 2009 film directed by Anton Corbijn. The film includes music from U2's 2009 studio album, No Line on the Horizon, and was included on both digital and DVD formats with several editions of the album.-Development:...
, based on a story by Corbijn and Bono where a Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian traffic cop travels across France and the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
to visit his girlfriend in Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
. The opening sequence shows a scene of Paris at dusk, before moving on to a journey through the city streets. It ends at the traffic cop's home, where the next track, "Breathe
Breathe (U2 song)
"Breathe" is a song by Irish rock band U2 and the tenth track on their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. The lyrics detail an outburst from the song's narrator. The song was developed primarily by guitarist The Edge, with musical influences from Jimmy Page and Jack White...
", begins. "Unknown Caller" has been used in ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
television commercials advertising the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, along with several other U2 songs.
See also
- List of covers of U2 songs - Unknown Caller