"Last Night on Earth" - U2

Promotional Release

Track Listing:

Background Information

“Last Night on Earth” was the third single released to promote “Pop”. The commercial version of the single was released in July 1997, and the promotional release preceded it by about a month. Where the commercial single was released in orange, or green covers, the covers of the promotional single were varied, with some in purple, some in red and blue, and some in a completely different design. Also released at the same time was a “Pop Muzik” promotional release, which featured some of the songs featured on the commercial “Last Night on Earth Single”.

There was a 7-inch vinyl release, for use in juke boxes. This featured the “Single Version” of “Last Night on Earth” and was backed with the “First Night in Hell Mix”. The single was released in a generic white diecut sleeve. It featured a molded label rather than a paper label. The vinyl was pressed in France and distributed throughout Europe. The 12-inch promotional single from the UK was a very nice looking single, with a unique sleeve in red and blues. It was distributed to DJs, and a sticker on the front of the vinyl announced “Featuring mixes by Monkey Mafia, David Saber, & The Soul Assassins”. Monkey Mafia was the name under which Jon Carter was doing remixes at the time, and he worked on the “First Night in Hell Mix”. David Saber is a misprint, and it was Danny Saber who worked on remixes on this promotional vinyl. The single featured :Last Night on Earth (First Night in Hell Mix)”, “Happiness is a Warm Gun (The Gun Mix)”, “Pop Muzik (PopMart Mix)”, and “Happiness is a Warm Gun (The Danny Saber Remix).”

The 5-inch CD promotional releases for the USA and UK both featured the same cover as the commercial single, but with a purple tint. The CDs themselves were also tinted purple. The UK promo, NIGHTCD1, featured just one track, “Last Night on Earth (Single Version)”, and the US promo featured both the “Single Version” and the “Album Version” of the song. A 5-inch CD promo was also produced for Mexico. This came in a cardboard sleeve, with a unique front cover, and the lyrics for “Last Night on Earth” on the back sleeve. The promo featured the album version of “Last Night on Earth” and was pressed on July 1, 1997. The front cover is unique featuring images of the band in purple, using a grid pattern similar to the “Pop” album cover.

Liner Notes

Last Night on Earth (Single Version):
Music by U2. Lyrics by Bono & The Edge. Produced by Flood. Engineered by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent. Assisted by Rob Kirwan. Mixed by Rob Kirwan and Howie B. Assisted by Michael Harris. Decks: Howie B. Additional vocal production: Steve Osborne. Contains excerpts from “Trayra Boia” written by N. Vasconcelos and D. Milan. Performed by Colin Walcott, Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell.

Last Night on Earth (Album Version):
Music by U2. Lyrics by Bono & The Edge. Produced by Flood. Recorded by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent. Assisted by Rob Kirwan. Mixed by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent. Assisted by Steve Kirwan. Decks: Howie B.

Pop Muzik (Popmart Mix):
Words and music by Robin Scott. Vocal by Bono. Mixed by Steve Osborne. Mix engineer and additional programming: Ben Hiller. Assitional vocal production: Howie B.

Happiness is a Warm Gun (The Gun Mix):
Words and music by John Lennon & Paul McCartney. Performed by U2. Produced by Flood. Engineered by Rob Kirwan. Mixed by Rob Kirwan, Flood and Howie B. Remixed by Joe Chicarelli and John X.

Last Night on Earth (First Night in Hell Mix):
Music by U2. Lyrics by Bono and the Edge. Produced by Flood. Engineered by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent. Assisted by Rob Kirwan. Mixed by Rob Kirwan and Howie B. Assisted by Michael Harris. Additional vocal production: Steve Osborne. Decks: Howie B. Additional production and remix by Jon Carter. Contains excerpts from “Trayra Boia” written by N. Vasconcelos and D. Milan. Performed by Colin Walcott, Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell.

Happiness is a Warm Gun (The Danny Saber Mix):
Words and music by John Lennon & Paul McCartney. Performed by U2. Produced by Flood. Engineered by Rob Kirwan. Mixed by Rob Kirwan, Flood and Howie B. Remixed by Danny Saver. Discipline and perversion by John X. Mixed by Tom Lord-Alge.

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