Mysterious Ways (song)

"Mysterious Ways" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the eighth track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby and was released as the album's second single on 2 December 1991. The song began as an improvisation called "Sick Puppy", with the band liking only the bass part that bassist Adam Clayton composed. The band struggled to build a song from it, with vocalist Bono and producer Daniel Lanois arguing intensely during one songwriting session. The song's breakthrough came after guitarist the Edge began experimenting with the Korg A3 effects unit. "Mysterious Ways" features a danceable beat, funky guitar hook, and conga-laden percussion, as well as mystical lyrics by Bono about romance and women.

This article is about the U2 song. For the 1774 hymn sometimes called "Mysterious Ways", see God Moves in Mysterious Ways. For the 1991 Kim Hill song, see Brave Heart (Kim Hill album).

"Mysterious Ways"
Single by U2
from the album Achtung Baby
Released2 December 1991[1]
Recorded1990–1991
Studio
Genre
Length
  • 4:04 (album version)
  • 4:08 (Best Of version)
LabelIsland
Composer(s)U2
Lyricist(s)Bono
Producer(s)Daniel Lanois with Brian Eno
U2 singles chronology
"The Fly"
(1991)		 "Mysterious Ways"
(1991)		 "One"
(1992)
Music video
"Mysterious Ways" on YouTube
Audio sample
"Mysterious Ways"
  • file
  • help

"Mysterious Ways" reached the top ten on the singles charts of several countries, including Canada and the band's native Ireland, where it went to number one. In the United States, the song topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and Album Rock Tracks charts and peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. It received praise from critics after the release of Achtung Baby, many of whom called it one of the album's standout tracks and one that best illustrated the band's musical evolution on the album.

A music video for the song was filmed in Morocco and incorporated distorted images of Bono and a belly dancer, Morleigh Steinberg, who eventually married the Edge. "Mysterious Ways" made its live debut on the Zoo TV Tour in 1992, when performances were accompanied by an on-stage belly dancer. The group has continued to perform the song on subsequent tours.

Writing and recording

"Mysterious Ways" began as an improvised demo called "Sick Puppy" that the group recorded at STS Studios in Dublin,[2][3] as vocalist Bono, guitarist the Edge, and bassist Adam Clayton jammed over a drum machine.[4] The band liked Clayton's bassline, which originated during their recording of a cover version of "Night and Day" and for a while, consisted of little more than a "one-note groove".[4] However, the band had difficulties completing the remainder of the song melodically. Bono said that it was "a bass line in search of a song", while the Edge stated that "the key to the song was finding ways to mess around with chords on top without having to change the bass".[4]

As U2 continued to struggle with the song, the tense atmosphere of the recording sessions at Hansa Studios in Berlin took its toll. Producer Daniel Lanois arrived at the studios early one morning before the band to work on ideas he had for the song. When Bono arrived, he began singing and contributing vocal ideas, but this conflicted with what Lanois had in mind for the track. Bono and a frustrated Lanois proceeded to argue intensely for over two hours, worrying sound engineer Joe O'Herlihy that a physical altercation would ensue. Bono looks back on the episode with a sense of humour: "That's why I love Danny so much. He cares about the record he's making as much and more than any band or artist he's working with."[5]

The song "One", which proved to be breakthrough in the difficult recording sessions for Achtung Baby,[6] began after a moment of inspiration as the band worked on "Mysterious Ways". The Edge caught Lanois' attention while toying around with various chord progressions for the bridge of "Mysterious Ways".[2] Encouraged by Lanois, the Edge combined two of the chord progressions, inspiring the rest of the group to join him and improvise the new song "One".[6]

The band made progress on "Mysterious Ways" after the Edge began experimenting with the "Funk Wah" setting on a Korg A3 guitar effects unit and Bono told him to use it for the song.[4][7] Bono said it made an "envelope of sound which would turn a guitar chord into the funkiest of jackhammers".[4] Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. recorded a drum track near the end of the sessions, introducing a "much groovier beat" that "demonstrated the difference between a drum machine and a real drummer".[4] Bono calls the song "U2 at our funkiest ... Sly and the Family Stone meets Madchester baggy".[4] Lanois provided additional percussion by playing the congas. "Mysterious Ways" and the track it inspired, "One", were the only two songs that were primarily completed at Hansa Studios before the album sessions moved to Dublin in 1991.[2] Much like they did for other songs from Achtung Baby, U2 continued to work on "Mysterious Ways" up to the recording deadline, adding a guitar overdub after the mix was already finished.[8]

Several different verses were written, but the Edge advocated those with a "nursery rhyme feel", such as "Johnny, take a walk with your sister in the moon / Let her pale light in to fill up the room".[4] He also composed the chorus' reassuring line, "It's all right / It's all right / It's all right", wanting to prove a point since no prior U2 song contained the line.[4]

Composition

"Mysterious Ways" is played in a 4/4 time signature at a tempo of 99 beats per minute.[9] The introduction to the song, which features the song's well-known guitar hook, consists of "one seventh-fret barre chord, a couple of rhythmic scratches and two notes" played in a key of B♭.[10] The verses follow a chord progression of B♭–E♭–B♭–F.[11]

The song's lyrics are addressed to a man living without romance, which was in line with a proposed title for the album, Fear of Women.[4] The lyrics describe how women often entrance and dominate men; Bono said, "At times, I do tend to idealize women", explaining that his wife Ali sometimes complains that he puts her on a pedestal. Some have found religious interpretations for the song. Scholar Atara Stein, in an essay analysing U2 songs, describes "Mysterious Ways" as one of several Achtung Baby tracks that idealizes women and creates a false illusion of them. Stein found religious meaning in the line "She moves in mysterious ways" and Bono's request to the woman to "Lift my days, light up my nights". According to her, "Paradoxically, this process of idealization simultaneously elevates the woman as an idol to be worshipped while presenting her as a potentially dangerous force the singer must control."[12]

Release

"Mysterious Ways" was released as the album's second single on 25 November 1991. In the U.S., the song reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the band's highest-charting singles in the U.S.; only three other U2 singles ("With or Without You", "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", and "Desire") have reached higher positions. "Mysterious Ways" also topped both the Modern Rock Tracks and Album Rock Tracks Billboard charts. It peaked at number eight on the Dutch Top 40. "Mysterious Ways," however, is one of few U2 songs to miss the top ten in the UK Singles Chart, where it only reached number 13.

When the single covers to "Even Better Than the Real Thing", "The Fly", "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses", and "Mysterious Ways" are arranged, a picture of the band members driving a Trabant is formed.

Music video

The video had a belly dancing theme, which included distorted shots of Bono dancing, and other mystical images. It was filmed by Stéphane Sednaoui in Morocco. The belly dancer was portrayed by Morleigh Steinberg.[13]

Reception

Upon the release of Achtung Baby, "Mysterious Ways" received positive reviews from critics. Rolling Stone called it a standout track among the new dance-influenced songs, praising its "ebullient hook and a guitar solo in which the Edge segues from one of his signature bursts of light into an insidious funk riff".[14] Steve Morse of The Boston Globe called it an "exceptional love song ... with a rapturous chorus" and noted that even though Bono's vocals on the album differ significantly from his previous style, "Mysterious Ways" features him returning to his "yearning self".[15] The New York Times praised the song as the album's best track, commenting that it is "full of rhythmic cross-currents and fuzz-toned murk" and citing it as an example that the band had "taken Bo Diddley and James Brown lessons for its new syncopated dance songs".[16] The Austin Chronicle singled out the song's "conga-laced funk" as one of three moments on the record where U2 have never sounded better.[17]

Denise Sullivan of Allmusic praised "Mysterious Ways", saying it is "structured like a gospel chant" and "maintains its deep groove with the assistance of some chunky guitar riffing, a persistent percussive beat, and what sound like spontaneous vocal bursts by Bono in the R&B tradition".[18] In a review of the album's 20th anniversary reissue, Kit O'Toole of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said "Mysterious Ways" exemplified the evolution of the band's sound. In her opinion, despite the song's sonic flourishes, "this departure does not jar longtime fans, as it retains the core of U2—loud, swooping rock guitar, a huge voice, and powerful drums. Quite simply, it's a textbook example of how artists can alter their sound without compromising their essential beliefs."[19] The song flourished and finished tied for 25th place on the "Best Singles" list from The Village Voice's 1991 Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[20]

Live performances

"Mysterious Ways" made its live debut on 29 February 1992 in Lakeland, Florida on the opening night of the Zoo TV Tour, and it was subsequently played at every show on the tour.[21] Zoo TV performances of the song featured a belly dancer on-stage, who would tempt Bono and the Edge. The 1992 indoor legs featured Florida resident Christina Petro as the dancer. Tour choreographer Morleigh Steinberg assumed the role starting with the Outside Broadcast leg; Steinberg began dating the Edge during the tour, and the two married in 2002.[22] During performances, the Zoo TV video screens displayed revolving images of Marilyn Monroe's head with tape over it.[23] Performances from this tour were extended beyond the length of the original studio version of the song, with a slide guitar solo after the point in the song where the studio version ends, and a longer introduction that included a piano interlude by the Edge. Both the added intro and outro featured additional lyrics by Bono, much of which were sung in falsetto.

The group continued playing "Mysterious Ways" on their following concert tour, 1997's PopMart Tour, performing it at each of the tour's 93 shows.[21] On 2001's Elevation Tour, the song was excluded from some shows but was still performed at the majority of concerts.[21] In the 2002 concert film U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland, in a bonus track performance of "Mysterious Ways", Bono calls out his daughter's name, Eve, several times while performing this song. She then joins him on stage and dances with him while he sings during the last half of the song, and during Edge's slide guitar solo outro.

Over the next two tours, the Vertigo and U2 360° Tours, performances of the song became less common.[21] The band also stopped playing an extended slide guitar solo at the end of the song during the U2 360° Tour, with the song finishing with an extended version of the album outro. The extended introduction to the song was removed for the Vertigo and 360° Tours. However, as the 360° Tour continued, "Mysterious Ways" once again became a set list staple. Live performances of the song often involve a female member of the audience joining Bono on stage to dance.

The song was played at every show of the Innocence + Experience Tour as one of the songs on the e-stage.[21] Much like previous tours, a member of the audience was usually bought onstage to dance with the band.

The Edge has always used a Rickenbacker 330/12 to play this song live. On the Zoo TV, PopMart, Elevation and Innocence + Experience Tours he has used a Fireglo coloured model, while on the Vertigo and U2 360° Tours, he has used a Mapleglo coloured one.

Formats and track listings
Two-track single
No.TitleAdditional production and remixLength
1."Mysterious Ways"—4:04
2."Mysterious Ways" (Solar Plexus Magic Hour remix)Howard Gray, Trevor Gray, Steve Lillywhite, Apollo 4408:14
Maxi single
No.TitleAdditional production and remixLength
1."Mysterious Ways"—4:04
2."Mysterious Ways" (Solar Plexus extended club mix)Howard Gray, Trevor Gray, Steve Lillywhite, Apollo 4407:00
3."Mysterious Ways" (Apollo 440 Magic Hour remix)Apollo 4404:25
4."Mysterious Ways" (Tabla Motown remix)Apollo 4404:27
5."Mysterious Ways" (Solar Plexus club mix)Howard Gray, Trevor Gray, Steve Lillywhite, Apollo 4404:09
Bonus single (Australia)
No.TitleAdditional production and remixLength
1."Mysterious Ways" (Perfecto mix)Paul Oakenfold, Steve Osborne7:06
2."Mysterious Ways" (Ultimatum mix)The Stereo MCs a.k.a. Ultimatum5:00

Credits and personnel

U2

Additional performers

Technical

  • Production – Daniel Lanois with Brian Eno
  • Engineering – Flood
  • Additional engineering – Robbie Adams
  • Assistant engineering – Shannon Strong
  • Mixing – Flood, Edge, and Daniel Lanois
  • Mixing assistance – Shannon Strong
  • "Solar Plexus club mix" and "Solar Plexus club mix" remixed by Howard Gray, Steve Lillywhite and Trevor Gray

Charts and certifications

Covers

Snow Patrol reworked the song for the 2011 tribute album AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered. "As much as it's a thrilling live-set stormer," remarked Gary Lightbody, "we've always seen the quiet storm of gospel in 'Mysterious Ways'."[52]

See also:

  • List of covers of U2 songs - Mysterious Ways

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. Sams, Aaron; Kantas, Harry. "U2 – "Mysterious Ways" Single". U2songs.com. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  2. Howell, Peter (8 September 2011). "Howell: U2 and TIFF on the brink of middle age". Thestar.com. Torstar Media Group. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  3. McCormick (2006), p. 216
  4. McCormick (2006), p. 227
  5. Stokes (1996), p. 104
  6. McCormick (2006), pp. 221–224
  7. Leonard, Michael (26 October 2011). "Reinventing U2: The Making of Achtung Baby". Gibson.com. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  8. Tingen, Paul (March 1994). "U2 & Robbie Adams". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  9. "U2 - Mysterious Ways Sheet Music". Musicnotes. Retrieved 29 April 2010. Note: Software required to view the page.
  10. Hiatt, Brian (15 October 2009). "Live from Outer Space". Rolling Stone (1089): 38–47.
  11. "U2 - Mysterious Ways Sheet Music". Musicnotes. Retrieved 29 April 2010. Note: Software required to view the page.
  12. Stein (1999), pp. 269–272
  13. IMDb - Morleigh Steinberg - Other works
  14. Gardner, Elysa (9 January 1992). "U2's 'Achtung Baby': Bring the Noise". Rolling Stone (621): 51. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  15. Morse, Steve (15 November 1991). "U2 bounces back". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  16. Pareles, Jon (17 November 1991). "U2 Takes a Turn From the Universal To the Domestic". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  17. Gray, Christopher (30 March 2001). "Review - U2: Achtung Baby". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
  18. Sullivan, Denise. "Song Review: 'Mysterious Ways'". Allmusic. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  19. O'Toole, Kit (9 November 2011). "Music Review: U2 - Achtung Baby 20th Anniversary Edition". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  20. Christgau, Robert. "The 1991 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  21. "U2 Mysterious Ways". U2Gigs. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  22. McGee (2008), p. 143
  23. Graham, Bill (21 May 1992). "Achtung Station!". Hot Press. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  24. "Australian-charts.com – U2 – Mysterious Ways". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  25. "Ultratop.be – U2 – Mysterious Ways" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  26. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2042." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  27. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 2. 11 January 1992. p. 19. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  28. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  29. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8 no. 51–52. 21 December 1991. p. 39. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  30. "Lescharts.com – U2 – Mysterious Ways" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  31. "Offiziellecharts.de – U2 – Mysterious Ways". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  32. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 2. 18 January 1992. p. 30. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  33. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Mysterious Ways". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  34. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 7. 15 February 1992. p. 26. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  35. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 51, 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  36. "Dutchcharts.nl – U2 – Mysterious Ways" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  37. "Charts.nz – U2 – Mysterious Ways". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  38. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  39. "Swedishcharts.com – U2 – Mysterious Ways". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  40. "Swisscharts.com – U2 – Mysterious Ways". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  41. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  42. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 14 December 1991. p. 22. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  43. "U2 Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  44. "U2 Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  45. "U2 Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  46. "U2 Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  47. "U2 Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  48. "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1992" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 56 no. 25. 19 December 1992. p. 8. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  49. "1992 Year-End Sales Charts" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 51/52. 19 December 1992. p. 17. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  50. "Billboard Top 100 – 1992". Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  51. "New Zealand single certifications – U2 – Mysterious Ways". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  52. "What's On Your Free CD?", Q, December 2011, pp6–7

Bibliography

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