September 13, 2004
Fans in the know have heard this title rumoured in whispers and moans for months now, but today NME.com, BBC1 Radio, and U2.com all confirmed it officially: U2's new album, due November 23rd (in North America), will be titled How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. One of the rumours that hinted at this as the title was a story Michael W. Smith told a concert audience, about Bono asking him if he knew how to dismantle an atomic bomb. Bono's answer? "Love. With Love." Of course, it would be a bit foolish to expect hippie sentimentality (*cough*Imagine*cough*) from U2, but one rumoured song title is "Love and Peace or Else." (I blogged about the six confirmed song titles not too long ago.)
A quick thinking forum member over at Interference.com suggested a Biblical reference that may line up with the album title and Bono's answer to the question. The phrase "They will beat their swords into plowshares" pops up in several books of the Bible, and a particularly good example is this great passage in Micah 2:
2 Many nations will come and say,Another line in that passage, "He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths," reminded me of another song titled that's been talked about since the end of the Elevation tour: "Lead Me in the Way I Should Go." Here's hoping that track made the cut for the new album.
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD ,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.3 He will judge between many peoples
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.4 Every man will sit under his own vine
and under his own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid,
for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
In a more worldly vein, can I just say that U2 are incredibly brilliant when it comes to marketing. From the stolen (or was is lost?) rough mix of the cd, to the "are they or aren't they elaborate plants by the band" leaks of song clips taped from outside Bono's beach house to the way they had label reps taking iPods to radio stations to preview "Vertigo" for the DJs, they have slowly but surely been kindling the flames of hype for the new album. I have a feeling they hype machine will be impossible to avoid after "Vertigo" hits radio (just in time for the Grammy cutoff date, a la "Beautiful Day"). And then there's the tour, which is scheduled to start in March, which by no accident is just after they will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. This is a warning, if you thought U2 were inescapable in 2001, 2005 will be a big dose of deja vu.
Finally, the album title announcement was accompanied by this new photo of the band. I have to say, I'm loving The Edge's t-shirt, and Larry's "Since 1977" shirt is clever as well.
Of course, it goes without saying that Larry's shirt is off by a year. :-)
The album title Bible reference seems tenuous at best, as literature and pop culture are filled with references to dismantling bombs and choosing peace over war ... but the song title references appear to be pretty obvious in their Bible references, and you'd have to assume the lyrics we get will prove at least some of the assumptions correct.
Posted by: m2 at September 14, 2004 01:06 PMIt isn't the strongest link, you're right, and, come to think of it, making a connection to the album title ignores the story that Damien Hurst suggested the title originally.
What can I say, though? I like looking for these connections! It it would be interesting if the passage as a whole was one Bono found inspiration in when writing the lyrics of the album. It does go with the "dismantle with love" idea, especially when "Love" equals "God" in Bonoese.
Posted by: John at September 14, 2004 03:19 PMYou know what's hilarious, John, and maybe you're having this too, but I'm getting searches now on like "dismantle atomic bomb Bible reference" etc. Uhhhh... folks? For Biblical citations, you wanna think like, "Iron Age," OK? Whatver happens with the album, we can 100% guarantee that no sentence containing the phrase "atomic bomb" is a direct quote from Christian (or Hebrew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or any other) scripture. ;-)
Posted by: Beth at September 14, 2004 05:06 PMThat is hilarious! Of course, if Google has an answer, then it must be true or they must exist, right? At least in some postmodern sense of the word... (sarcasm)
I'll have to check my stats and see if I'm getting any of that.
Posted by: John at September 14, 2004 05:17 PMMy other favorite recent search: "Ned Flanders Geo Prism."
Posted by: Beth at September 15, 2004 03:47 PMHow bizzare! I still get a lot of searches on some variation of "Bono" and "Pope" thanks to that article I co-wrote last year...
Posted by: John at September 15, 2004 10:24 PMI think the one thing that has made me become a loyal follower of this band since 1981 is their willingness to dare and not rest on the past success. They've always said, "We're doing it our way...whether people buy it or not." And as much as I like to think that my tastes are conservative and status quo, deep down I do like disorder and risk taking. And I think that's pretty much the band's philosophy as well. I'm very much looking forward to Nov 22nd. I hope it's full of risks and loud.
Posted by: Stephen at September 27, 2004 01:41 PMActually the title refers to Bono. He meant it to describe the way he unwound after his father's death. It's a good description as well, I felt like that after a family member died
Posted by: Joe at October 6, 2004 07:43 AMYeah, I recently read that as well. Sounds like it's going to be a great album!
Posted by: John at October 6, 2004 08:31 AMANYONE EVR THOUGHT OF THIS,
BONO+JESUS=SECOND COMING!!!!!!!!!
I look at him when he`s on stage,i look at the masses,listen to his lyrics,more importantly,i listen to his skats in between,there isnt a purer man,with a purer message,yet he gets slated for sitting with politicians and noblemen alike,even at the labour conference in the uk,,,but i do not hear his swearing of allegiance to these people,,i hear him scream at them,but do they listen.
Bono,i would follow you into the fire my friend,my guide,my father.
the things he tells us,the things he says,if we all just lived it,then,maybe jesus`s work would be complete,,,
as for people going on about the biblical references,,havent you all been listening to all the song for all the years,,the jesus references are not few and far between,infact,,on average,,there is a jesus reference every 2 songs,,take a look,take a listen,,
into the heart let it flow,,,,
god bless the atomic bomb,,which bono truely nstates is himself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
if anything ever happens to him,,,,,,what hope will there be for music and for the people,,,
one day,we will have to stand up against them all,the new world order,what chance would we have without bono?
amen to u2,,,,adam,larry,edge,paul and ali to name but a few of his apostles,,,,
we are all now bonos children,
spread the word,,,,not the disease!
callum
Posted by: cal at October 28, 2004 12:19 PMAs a believer, its clear to me that Bono, while a great man, doesn't get that it is the inside of a person that needs healing, not the outside. Aids drugs will allow people to live the lifestyle they want without consequences. Great, if the Earth is all we have. Fidelity and love through Jesus will save souls. I don't hear any of that from Bono.
Posted by: dave at December 17, 2004 08:52 PM