The Monday Movement

Bad — U2

After a brief hiatus on the Monday Movement, today marks our return. Our return to writing, releasing, and just going there. And I tell you what, we are back and as fresh as ever. Now, back to the music.

Dane and I had the incredible opportunity to see U2's opening night show on June 24th. It was the first show of their epic five night stand at the United Center. Me, being the nutty U2 fan, went to four of the five shows. I know, I’m a little crazy. But if you have seen them live before, you may understand how people like me become this way. Nobody puts on a show like U2.

This post isn’t a concert review (that will come soon) — but instead this is part 2 of the Monday Movement featuring U2's mammoth track off 1984's Unforgettable Fire. It’s a song called Bad.

While they didn’t play Bad on night one when the both of us were there, they did play it on night two and night five. They can’t play everything on every night…even though we wish they could! In any event, Dane still seemed to be really enjoying himself. Here’s a little bit about what he had to say about his first U2 show.

“What impressed me more than that was what incredible performers/musicians these guys are. From start to finish U2 sounded tight. As a fan you could tell the band really cared about what they were delivering to their audience; it was evident they took their rehearsal seriously. Why? Because they wanted to get it right!”

Seeing U2 is such a unique experience that spurs great emotion. You walk into a U2 show looking for something more, and you walk out feeling like you were just apart of something truly bigger than life itself. It’s an addicting feeling. And the song, Bad, is an anthem that communicates this desire to escape something so suffocating.

The song is about a friend of Bono’s in the early 80's who was on a downward spiral because of heroin addiction. In the opening verses, Bono, being the friend, reaches out to help; to heal. But as much as he tries, he can’t seem to break through to his friend. And it is killing him. The struggle is just as immense on both sides.

If you twist and turn away
If you tear yourself in two again
If I could, yes I would
If I could, I would
Let it go
Surrender
Dislocate

If I could threw myself
Set your spirit free
I’d lead your heart away
See you break, break away
Into the light
And to the day

The more Dane and I listen to this song, the more we think it is about keeping hope alive. Bono needed his friend to surrender to addiction and to everyone around him, but he just couldn’t. And on the Innocence+Experience Tour, Bono is focusing on the word Surrender. Or in other words, finding a way to let go. The below video is a performance of Bad from a few months ago out in LA. Bono and the band go into this deeper.

They talk about Surrendering to the music.

“So, you know, this is a sign, the mark of this show. We surrender to you. You surrender to the music and God who created the music, or whoever you think in place of God. It’s about surrender; it’s an important word. This is about letting go. Anything you want to let go of tonight. Anything.”

“I know I sound like a preacher, but you know it’s the truth. You can let it go. The miracle of music, God is in this.”

A couple of months ago, Dane and I were having lunch and looking over these lyrics. We both came to the foregone conclusion that one of the meanings has to do with an individual needing to have a spiritual awakening. To release yourself from some sort of struggle. Somehow, someway, to find that moment of surrender.

You Surrender to yourself. It is so important and so vital. To grow, to evolve, to just be somebody better than you have been. I’ve had a lot of change in my life recently. This song has meant so much to me. I can’t even freaking explain it.

You don’t have to be religious or believe in God to Surrender. But you have to believe in something. As Dane so often talks about the 12 steps of overcoming addiction; it just seems that the 12th step is everything.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

And as you get into the final verses of Bad, Bono belts out:

I’m wide awake
I’m wide awake
Wide awake
I’m not sleeping
Oh, no, no, no

Just an amazing tie-in.

You have to literally let go, let your guard down, and surrender to something else out there. Whether you Surrender to God or something higher that you believe in..that awakening begins. Or it could be to your family and friends or your lover…And most importantly to yourself. As Bono says it’s “anything that’s holding you back, holding you back…tonight you can let it go.”

It’s only way to be the person you know you truly should be. And, while this song is about substance abuse, you can use this message towards anything in your life.

Whether it’s overcoming addiction or overcoming the fear of being accepted by our peers — you have to free yourself…to ultimately be yourself. But how do you do it? How do I let go? How do we let it go? It’s the fear of being powerful beyond measure. The fear that the effort might hurt a little bit; the fear that you want to be the person you know you should be, but other’s won’t understand. They won’t believe. And you know what? That’s okay.

But for those who read this post, what are they going to think? It doesn’t matter. This is the release I’m looking for. This is another side to me that I want to share. And maybe you will find something that you will want to share, too.

Just let it go.

If I could, you know I would
If I could, I would
Let it go…