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Please (u2 Song)




  Cover U2pleasejpg
  Artist U2
  From Album Pop
  Released October 20 / 21 , 1997
  Format CD Single , Cassette
  Genre Rock
  Length 5 M 36 S
  Label Island
  Producer Howie B
  Chart Position <ul>
  Reviews <nowiki></nowiki>
  Last Single Last Night On Earth <br/> ( 1997 )
  This Single Please<br/> ( 1997 )
  Next Single If God Will Send His Angels <br/> ( 1997 )


"Please" is a U2 song, released as the fourth single from the '' Pop '' album. This song, like the classic "Sunday Bloody Sunday" , is about the Troubles in Northern Ireland . The single cover for this song features the pictures of four Irish politicians (namely, Gerry Adams , David Trimble , John Hume and Ian Paisley ). An EP is also available for this song - the '' PopHeart '' single, with four live songs from the ''PopMart'' tour.


TRACK LISTINGS


Version 1

#"Please" (Single Version) (5:36)
#"Dirty Day" (Junk Day) (4:41)
#"Dirty Day" (Bitter Kiss) (4:32)
#"I'm Not Your Baby" (Skysplitter Dub) (5:47)

This is the most common release. A Cassette single had only "Dirty Day" (Junk Day) as the B-side.


Version 2

#"Please" (Single Version) (5:36)
#"Please" (Live from Rotterdam, July 18, 1997) (7:11)
#" Where The Streets Have No Name " (Live from Rotterdam, July 18, 1997) (6:33)
#" With Or Without You " (Live from Edmonton, June 14, 1997) (4:38)
#" Staring At The Sun " (Live from Rotterdam, July 18, 1997) (5:33)

This is the U.S. CD release. All B-sides are taken from the PopHeart EP, which was not released there.


B-SIDES

The "Please" singles were backed with the following B-Sides :


"Dirty Day"

Two remixes of this '' Zooropa '' song were made for the single, both by Butch Vig and Duke Erikson .


"I'm Not Your Baby" (Skysplitter Dub)

This song was recorded for the soundtrack for Wim Wenders ' '' The End Of Violence '', with guest vocals by Sinèad O'Connor . 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 energetic performance was taken from the European première of the PopMart Tour on July 18, 1997 at Feyenoord Stadium, in Rotterdam , The Netherlands . The Middle Eight in "Please" featured the characteristic drumbeat from " Sunday Bloody Sunday ", and the outro, with Bono 's atmospheric Falsetto , segued into the opening chords of "Where the Streets Have No Name", which was updated to an almost Techno 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 from '' The Joshua Tree '' classic was taken from the first leg of the PopMart Tour in June 1997, at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton , Canada .


"Staring At The Sun" (Live from Rotterdam)

This performance of "Staring At The Sun", played by Bono and The Edge as part of an acoustic set at the PopMart concerts, was a departure from the overproduced 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 four versions of this song available:
  • The album version, featured on ''Pop''. This was a more crude version, due to the hurried recording of the album.

  • 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.

  • 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 . This version appears on the Hasta La Vista Baby! album.



VIDEOS

The most common Music Video is a black-and-white concept piece by Anton Corbijn . 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 Edge's guitar solo.

The video appears on the DVD for '' The Best Of 1990-2000 '', along with director's commentary.

A live video, usually called the "Mural Mix", is featured in a promotional DVD for the ''Best Of 1990-2000'' album.


SEE ALSO



EXTERNAL LINKS