4/4/18 Pride (In The Name Of Love)

Today is April 4th, a date that is read in the fifth stanza of U2's song "Pride (In The Name Of Love)". The significance of this date? 50 years ago today was the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, a tragedy which shocked and horrified the entire nation. The first line of Pride sets the message of this song. The second track on the band's 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire, it was released as the album's lead single in September 1984. Written about Martin Luther King Jr., the song received mixed critical reviews at the time, but it was a major commercial success for the band and has since become one of the band's most popular songs. "Pride" appeared on the compilation The Best of 1980-1990 as the opening track, and on the 2006 compilation U218 Singles.

  The song contains the erroneous reference to King's shooting as "Early morning, April 4," when it actually occurred after 6 p.m. Bono acknowledges the error and in live performances he occasionally changes the lyric to "Early evening…” The song had been intended to be based on Ronald Reagan's pride in America's military power, but Stephen B. Oates's book Let The Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and a biography of Malcolm X caused the lyricist Bono to ponder the different sides of the civil rights campaigns, the violent and the non-violent.

  Bono said: "I looked at how glorious that song was and thought: 'What the f*ck is that all about?' It's just a load of vowel sounds ganging up on a great man. It is emotionally very articulate - if you didn't speak English."

50 years ago today, we lost the great Martin Luther King Jr. His contributions will never be forgotten. And his name forever synonymous with equality and liberty. MLK was an American hero. Pride is a great song, written about an even greater man. God bless Dr. King, may his legacy live on forever.



Early morning, April four
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride


U2
MLK50

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