Though I’m not a fan of U2’s recent work, their older stuff is great! My all time favorite song by the Irish band is “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” a song that Canadian musician/producer Colin Munroe absolutely reimagined.
Now I’m not one for songs with political statements, but “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is the major exception. With a snare drum that mirrors the British Army gunshots that were fired into a crowd protesting civil rights in Ireland, U2 created a heart-wrenching anthem to what became known as 1972’s Bloody Sunday Massacre. The anger and pain comes through in Bono’s voice as he chronicles those who were murdered on that fateful day (innocently, as was proved when bullet wounds were found in the backs of many of those killed). Bono’s emotional cries, The Edge’s guitar melody and those drums that make you think of a line of intimidating soldiers marching towards you creates an incredibly powerful song.
Colin Munroe, known for his soft and sweet voice, remakes “Sunday Bloody Sunday” but takes away the power in the message. I am a huge fan of Munroe and if I was listening to this song with no intention of being emotionally touched by it, I could tell you that this is a great cover. The fact of the matter, though, is that this rendition does nothing to encapsulate the power and anger that Bono conveys in U2’s version. Munroe’s sweet voice coupled with the banjo and guitars really take away the real message of this song.
Here are some other pages on EnterTheShell.com that you may be into:
- Album Review – Colin Munroe is the Unsung Hero by Colin Munroe
- Artist of the Week – Coldplay
- Editorial – Why U2 and Linkin Park Suck!
- The Enter The Shell Show – Seis de Mayo feat. Greg Holden
- Artist of the Week – CAKE