The 1981 song that not a single member of U2 actually liked: “Not high on content”
U2’s 1981 song ‘Fire’, recorded during work on their second album, was a track the band later regarded as underdeveloped. The Edge described it as high in potential but low in content, despite its big chorus and appeal as a live performance.
The song was recorded in the Bahamas before the main Dublin sessions for October, when U2 were short of material after Bono lost a briefcase of lyrics and ideas. Live versions, including a 1982 performance at Werchter, continued to circulate on releases, and the song later appeared on a 2021 anniversary edition. It was eventually dropped from the band’s setlist.
In short
- U2 saw ‘Fire’ as an unfinished song.
- The Edge said it had potential but little content.
- Live performances gave it a longer life.
Explained simply
U2 are an Irish rock band whose members are Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. Their second album, October, followed their 1980 debut Boy and was made while the band were still developing their sound and writing songs for a growing audience.
The Edge is U2’s guitarist and a songwriter in the band. Before the main recording sessions in Dublin, U2 worked in the Bahamas and faced a shortage of material after Bono lost a briefcase containing lyrics and ideas. “Fire” was among the songs recorded during that period.
The band’s songs have often been reworked and performed live as well as released on albums. Live recordings of “Fire” remained in circulation, and it later appeared on an anniversary edition of October, giving listeners a way to hear a song the band did not keep in its regular concert repertoire.