"
Walk On" is the fourth single 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 2000 album,
All That You Can't Leave BehindAll That You Can't Leave Behind is the tenth studio album by the Irish rock band U2, released in 2000 by Island Records in the UK and Interscope Records in the U.S. The album signaled the band's return to a more traditional sound after their experimentation with alternative rock and dance music in...
. The song was written about
Aung San Suu KyiAung San Suu Kyi AC , born 19 June 1945, is an opposition politician and general secretary of the National League for Democracy in Burma . Aung San Suu Kyi was the third child in her family. Her name is derived from three relatives; "Aung San" from her father, "Kyi" from her mother and "Suu" from...
. It won the "
Grammy Award for Record of the YearThe Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959. The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
" in
2002The 44th Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 2002. The biggest was Alicia Keys, winning 5 Grammys, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'"...
, marking the first time an artist had won the award for songs from the same album in consecutive years.
The song was written about and dedicated to
Aung San Suu KyiAung San Suu Kyi AC , born 19 June 1945, is an opposition politician and general secretary of the National League for Democracy in Burma . Aung San Suu Kyi was the third child in her family. Her name is derived from three relatives; "Aung San" from her father, "Kyi" from her mother and "Suu" from...
. It is written in the form of a supporting, uplifting anthem, praising her for her activism and fighting for freedom in Burma.
"
Walk On" is the fourth single 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 2000 album,
All That You Can't Leave BehindAll That You Can't Leave Behind is the tenth studio album by the Irish rock band U2, released in 2000 by Island Records in the UK and Interscope Records in the U.S. The album signaled the band's return to a more traditional sound after their experimentation with alternative rock and dance music in...
. The song was written about
Aung San Suu KyiAung San Suu Kyi AC , born 19 June 1945, is an opposition politician and general secretary of the National League for Democracy in Burma . Aung San Suu Kyi was the third child in her family. Her name is derived from three relatives; "Aung San" from her father, "Kyi" from her mother and "Suu" from...
. It won the "
Grammy Award for Record of the YearThe Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959. The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
" in
2002The 44th Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 2002. The biggest was Alicia Keys, winning 5 Grammys, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'"...
, marking the first time an artist had won the award for songs from the same album in consecutive years.
Composition
The song was written about and dedicated to
Aung San Suu KyiAung San Suu Kyi AC , born 19 June 1945, is an opposition politician and general secretary of the National League for Democracy in Burma . Aung San Suu Kyi was the third child in her family. Her name is derived from three relatives; "Aung San" from her father, "Kyi" from her mother and "Suu" from...
. It is written in the form of a supporting, uplifting anthem, praising her for her activism and fighting for freedom in Burma. She has been intermittently under
house arrestIn justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
since 1989 for her efforts. Due to the political tribute of this album, those in Burma caught with possession of either the single for this song or the album
All That You Can't Leave BehindAll That You Can't Leave Behind is the tenth studio album by the Irish rock band U2, released in 2000 by Island Records in the UK and Interscope Records in the U.S. The album signaled the band's return to a more traditional sound after their experimentation with alternative rock and dance music in...
could face a
prisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Other terms are penitentiary, correctional facility, and jail , although in the United States "jail" and "prison" refer to different subtypes of correctional facility...
sentence lasting between three and twenty years.
The title of
All That You Can't Leave Behind come from the lyrics of this song:
The only baggage you can bring / is all that you can't leave behind. "Walk On" was originally two different songs that, according to
Adam ClaytonAdam Charles Clayton is 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. Clayton is well-known for his bass playing on songs such as "New Year's Day", "With or Without You", "Get on Your...
, had great riffs, but sounded terrible separately. The band combined them, and ended up with one of their most uplifting songs.
The song took on further renewed meaning, following the September 11th attacks in 2001, as a cry by Americans to remain strong and united as a country. Consequently, it was performed on
America: A Tribute to HeroesAmerica: A Tribute to Heroes was a benefit concert organized by actor George Clooney and broadcast by the four major United States television networks in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon...
, a performance that earned the band a Grammy nomination. The first live performance following September 11th was at the
University of Notre DameThe University of Notre Dame du Lac is a private Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, Indiana, USA....
, where the band brought out members of the
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
PoliceThe New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
and
Fire DepartmentThe New York City Fire Department or the Fire Department City of New York has the responsibility for protecting the citizens and property of New York City's five boroughs from fires and fire hazards, providing emergency medical services, technical rescue as well as providing first response to...
s.
The song's uplifting nature led to it being used to frequently close concerts 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...
. Live versions of the song were released on the
concert filmA concert movie, or concert film, is a type of documentary movie, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by a musician ....
s
Elevation 2001: Live from Boston and
U2 Go Home: Live from Slane CastleU2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle is a concert video release by rock band U2 from the European leg of their Elevation Tour. Recorded on 1 September 2001 at Slane Castle on the band's featured stop in County Meath, Ireland, it was released on DVD in November 2003. Although Slane Concerts at Slane...
.
Music videos
"Walk On" has two videos, an international version, filmed in
Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and...
in November 2000, and a US version, filmed in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in February 2001. Both are featured on the
U218 VideosU218 Videos is a music video compilation DVD by U2 from 2006, released the same day as its compilation album, U218 Singles. The compilation features their most popular videos from "New Year's Day" in 1983 to "The Saints Are Coming" in 2006...
DVD.
Live history
"Walk On" was played on almost every
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...
show as a closing song. During 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...
it appeared rarely, typically in an acoustic format. It was
snippetA snippet, defined as a small piece of something, may in more specific contexts refer to:* Snippet , a short reusable piece of computer source code* Sampling , the use of a short phrase of a recording as an element in a new piece of music...
ed after "Running to Stand Still" on the Vertigo Tour at the dates closest to June 19, the birthday of Aung San Suu Kyi. A full band version of "Walk On" closed each of the Australian concerts in the 5th and final leg of the Vertigo Tour. The version was much longer than previous live versions, usually running between seven and nine minutes. The song is a regular part of the setlist for the
U2 360° TourThe U2 360° Tour is an ongoing worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour will visit stadiums from 2009 through 2010, whereas the previous two tours, the Elevation Tour and the Vertigo Tour, featured indoor arenas...
. Prior to the tour, the band asked fans to bring masks of Suu Kyi to concerts and wear them during performances of "Walk On" in her support.
Version 1
- "Walk On" (Edit) (4:28)
- "Beautiful Day
"Beautiful Day" is the first song and lead single from U2's 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind. It was a commercial success, helping launch the album to multi-platinum status, and is one of U2's biggest hits to date. It was their fourth #1 single in the UK and their first #1 in the...
" (Live from Farmclub.com) (4:48)
- "New York" (Live from Farmclub.com) (6:01)
This is the first
CanadianCanada 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...
CD single.
Version 2
- "Walk On" (Edit) (4:28)
- "Big Girls are Best" (3:37)
- "Beautiful Day" (Quincey and Sonance Mix) (7:55)
This is the second Canadian CD single.
Version 3
- "Walk On" (Edit) (4:28)
- "Where the Streets Have No Name
"Where the Streets Have No Name" is a song by Irish rock band U2 and the opening track from their 1987 album The Joshua Tree. It was released as the album's third single in August 1987 . Bono was inspired to write the lyrics by the notion that it is possible to identify a person's religion and...
" (Live from BostonBoston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England"...
) (6:02)
- "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
"Stay " is the fifth track from U2's 1993 album, Zooropa, and was released as the album's third single on November 22, 1993...
" (Live from TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
) (5:39)
This is the first CD version released on the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
. An
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n version also featured "Gone" (Live from Boston).
Version 4
- "Walk On" (Single Version) (4:11)
- "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 is characterized by gospel-tinged melodies and saccharine lead guitar part. Bono has remarked that the song is inspired by a fictional conversation he has with late friend...
" (Acoustic Version) (3:43)
- "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (US Video) (4:27)
This was a
Enhanced CDEnhanced CD, also known as CD Extra and CD Plus, is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both compact disc and CD-ROM players....
edition, also released in the UK and Europe. Again, the Australian version had an extra track, "Elevation" (Vandit Club Mix).
Version 5
- "Walk On" (Single Version) (4:11)
- "Walk On" (Europe Video)
- "4 x 30s Clips from Elevation 2001 DVD"
This is 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...
edition.
External links