Bono remembers how “Vertigo” was born

About that song Good he said that he U2 they were right to ignore instinct for their 2004 hit single “Vertigo”, which originally lacked “unstable chemistry”.

The song became a decisive moment in the history of the band, it is the first song and first single of the album “How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” also published in 2004 and giving the name to their world tour linked to that album during which on some dates U2 opened and closed their sets with this song.

But in a recent interview with Record Collector, Good revealed that “Vertigo” began as a much less lively work, titled “Native Son”, under the aegis of the producer Chris Thomson.

“In that case, we were right not to trust our first instincts,” the singer said. “Chris is great with guitar sounds, as well as singers and bands. He did what he could, but it wasn’t the combustible, unstable chemistry we needed for our show.” The main producer of the album, Steve Lillywhiteconvinced the band to approach the song differently. “Steve wanted us to play it live without overdubs.”

The lyrics talk about a night out with the singer. “It’s the most realistic song I’ve written about the pure joy of being out and about. … The loss and finding of yourself that can happen in a club.”

Lillywhite decided to act as if the listener was in space with U2. “You start to feel the shape of the room,” Bono said. “The sense of place, the mood of the band is incorporated into the recording.” He added: “Steve Lillywhite deserves credit for forcing our hand on this point. If you’re in a bind, he’s usually the right man to call.”

And Lillywhite was able to land the winning shot for the Irish band. In fact, the song won three Grammy Awards in 2005 for “Best Rock Song”, “Best Performance by a Group” and “Best Music Video”.