Songs of Surrender

40 Songs, 40 Creators

SONGS 1-10 | SONGS 11-20 | SONGS 21-30 | SONGS 31-40 | SONGS 41-UP

40 songs re-recorded by us, re-imagined by you.

01. Yana Yatsuk | Pride (In the Name of Love)

Posted: 21 Feb 2023

Yana Yatsuk (b. 1993) is a Ukrainian born photographer based in between Los Angeles and New York. She moved to New York from Atlanta, Georgia at age 16 on her own and slowly began pursuing photography as self-taught. Growing up as an immigrant in the South shaped Yatsuk's work by naturally embodying grit, diversity, and humanity in its rawest form.

"I wanted to make something that told a story about love. The beautiful, the pain, chapters, up and down movements, and overall contrasting experiences of it all.

I thought the dancers would be perfect as I wanted to tell a story with movement and not words."

Find out more about Yana:
https://www.instagram.com/yanayatsuk
https://www.yanayatsuk.com/

02. Donte Colley | With or Without You

Posted: 21 Feb 2023

Donte Colley is an award-winning creator, dancer, and actor who connects global communities through his message of joy and self-love. Colley has appeared in music videos for Doja Cat, Chloe Bailey, Ariana Grande and Victoria Money, and performed live with The Chainsmokers.

Find out more about Donte:
https://www.instagram.com/donte.colley
https://www.tiktok.com/@dontecolley
https://www.dontecolley.com/

03. Actual Objects | Stories for Boys

Posted: 22 Feb 2023

Actual Objects is an experimental multidisciplinary creative studio founded by artists, architects, and creative theorists who use technology to create critical work about the changing world around us. AO is known for its provocative work for artists and clients like Marine Serre, Hood By Air, Travis Scott, Nike, MoMA, and YvesTumor, among many more. AO also develops in-house projects, most recently an interactive art installation “Vicky” shown in 2022 at 180 the Strand in London.

"We were really inspired by the drawings in Bono’s upcoming book, and wanted to create a video that felt playful and nostalgic in that same spirit.

Rick and Claire grew up with U2 playing in their childhood homes - “With or Without you” was the song Claire’s parent’s played as a newborn on the car ride home from the hospital, and Rick’s mom was known in college for the U2 pin that she wore on her jacket every day. U2’s discography soundtracked our entire upbringings."

Find out more about Actual Objects:
https://www.instagram.com/actualobjects/
https://www.actualobjects.net/

04. Elle Johnson | Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

Posted: 23 Feb 2023

Elle Johnson is a Swedish creative and photographer. Based in Los Angeles. Her work has been described as having a raw edge and a timeless feel. She captures moments in seemingly peaceful everyday settings and has developed a unique style by doing so.

“For this video I wanted to tune into feelings. Chasing, longing and running. Showing how love can pull us in these different directions.”

Find out more about Elle Johnson:
https://www.instagram.com/ellejohnson/
https://www.elle-johnson.com/

05. Maddy Rotman | 11 O'Clock Tick Tock

Posted: 24 Feb 2023

Maddy Rotman is a photographer. Nico Geyer is a musician and leadman of a band called Nitefire. Nitefire loves U2.

Maddy and Nico on the piece:
This piece was inspired by the confusion, listlessness, and unassuredness one feels when becoming a young man - a central theme in U2's body of work. The feeling of frenzy the piece evokes was just as much a part of its creation process. With just one rainy LA afternoon to shoot, Nico and I became hellbent on taking as many photos as possible in as many locations as possible; pitching, with great success, to all of our friends, “Wanna be in a U2 video?” We snapped quickly outside strangers' houses in the Valley before we could get caught, embraced enamored onlookers in Santa Monica looking for their big break, crashed a child's birthday party at our favorite park, and saw corners of our city we may have never seen otherwise. To turn “good“ to “great”, I did it all with my best friend.

Nico on U2:
Growing up, U2 was always the music my friends’ parents listened to. U2’s Vertigo was also the first song I listened to in 2007. As I grew older, more and more of U2’s discography began to unfold before me, and more of their songs, all the way from Boy through Zooropa to All That You Can’t Leave Behind, became staples in my musical appetite. Today, I’m constantly referencing their work both musically and visually. Their tact for songwriting, their ability to meld genres, their beautifully simplistic lyricism, and their confidence are what makes them one of my favorite bands. As a friend put it once, you don’t get U2 until life gets 2 U.

Find out more about Maddy Rotman:
https://www.instagram.com/maddyrotman/
https://maddyrotman.com/

06. Blu De Tiger | Desire - Songs Of Surrender

Born and raised in New York City, Blu DeTiger has garnered millions of followers through her music and viral bass skills. She has toured with the likes of Caroline Polachek and Bleachers, and is currently working on her debut album. For this piece, Blu added her unique blend of funk and flair to U2’s iconic song “Desire” by creating her own bassline.

Find out more about Blu De Tiger:
https://www.tiktok.com/@bludetiger
https://bludetiger.com

07. Alana O'Herlihy | Sunday Bloody Sunday - Songs of Surrender

Alana O’Herlihy is a multidisciplinary photographer, director and mixed media artist. Always on the precipice of what's next in pop culture and technology, she creates work for the context of the myriad digital and physical realms we live in today.

"Having grown up with my very Irish father, adoring Bono is in my blood. This was a really special project for me. I decided to take the very serious subject matter that Sunday Bloody Sunday is about, and juxtapose it with those coming of age moments for women, and that loss of innocence."

Find out more about Alana O'Herlihy:
https://www.instagram.com/lilmami_lani/
https://www.alanaoherlihy.com/

08. Ben Elias | 40 - Songs of Surrender

Ben Elias is a director and cinematographer from Aotearoa New Zealand, now living in New York.

“My grandmother Brenda was an extra in a Lord of the Rings movie many years ago, and every time I go back to see her she asks me for her next role. It’s not often my films call for an elderly woman with a kiwi accent, so I’ve had to let her down several times. Fortunately U2 reached out while I was home visiting in January, and gave me carte blanche for a video: Brenda and her husband Peter, my Grandfather, took the next flight up from Wellington to Auckland. We spent a lovely day together walking around the countryside, filming from overhead, revisiting places I hadn’t seen since I was a kid. I feel honoured to have made this little film. Brenda feels ready for stardom.”

Find out more about Ben:
https://www.instagram.com/dimkiwi/
https://benjelias.com/

09. Goldmond Fong | Stay (Faraway, So Close!) - Songs of Surrender

Goldmond Fong is an award winning creative director and video editor. Most known for his motion graphics work, he decided to create an infinite zoom visualizer for U2’s Songs of Surrender The Re-imagined Album. The piece symbolizes the need to constantly move forward; and with that we slowly defog the path that lies ahead. Enjoy.

- Dir/Designer // @goldmond
- EP // @griffindistefano
- Prod. Co // @6degreesfilms

Find out more about Goldmond Fong:
https://www.instagram.com/goldmond/
https://www.goldmondfong.com

Mitch DeQuilettes | Beautiful Day (Songs of Surrender)

Mitch deQuilettes is a mixed race Los Angeles based filmmaker. His work focuses on thematic expressionism through music videos and social satire in his narrative.

"I wanted to create a visual that celebrated a moment of pure bliss through a sequence that teetered between reality and dream. I connected to a theme that communicated the idea that joy can be fleeting but there will always be more of those moments to come. Enjoy as presently as possible."

“When this song came out I was 12. I remember this song vividly. I was really into TRL at the time and would come home every day after school and watch the countdown. A Beautiful Day was like #1 for weeks, maybe even months. It's an honor years later to be a part of this song's legacy.”

Find out more about Mitch de Quilettes:
https://www.instagram.com/mitchdequilettes/
https://www.mitchelldequilettes.com/

SONGS 1-10 | SONGS 11-20 | SONGS 21-30 | SONGS 31-40 | SONGS 41-UP