"Two Hearts Beat as One" - U2

Single

Track Listing:

Background Information

“Two Hearts Beat as One” was the second single released to promote the War album. It was issued worldwide, with the exception of The Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Brazil, where “Sunday Bloody Sunday” was released instead. The single almost made it to number 1 at home in Ireland, but was kept out of the top spot by David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”. “Two Hearts” peaked at #2 instead. The cover art for both singles was the same: Peter Rowen in a pose similar to that found on the War sleeve but taken from a wider angle, with the title along the top of the sleeve on a red banner. (In Japan, both “Two Hearts Beat as One” and “Sunday Bloody Sunday” were released. In that case, very different art was produced for “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” and a different B-side was issued, to distinguish it from the “Two Hearts Beat as One” release.) The single was released on both 7-inch and 12-inch formats. It was never released on CD. However, a series of singles reissued on CD in Austria in 1991 did include the “Sunday Bloody Sunday” single.

The commercial 7-inch single of “Two Hearts Beat as One” included “Endless Deep” as the B-side. This track was also used as the B-side for the “Sunday Bloody Sunday” single, with the exception of the aforementioned Japanese release, which substituted the album version of “Red Light.”

Numerous edits and mixes of “Two Hearts Beat as One” exist, and there has been confusion over the years over which version is which, due to the differing titles that have appeared across various promos and commercial releases. The remastered deluxe edition of War in 2008 finally brought some clarification to the issue.

The most easily distinguished version of “Two Hearts Beat as One” is the album version from War, clocking in at 4:03 in length. The 7-inch edit, running 3:52, is simply an edit of the album version and not an alternate mix. (The line “I can’t stop to dance” at 3:40 on the album version was removed to create this 7-inch edit.) This version can be found on the commercial 7-inch releases in most regions, as well as on the USA 12-inch promo DMD643.

At the time of release, three remixes of “Two Hearts Beat as One,” plus edited variations, were issued: a 5:56 remix by Francois Kevorkian, a 4:24 remix by Francois Kevorkian, and a 5:43 remix by Steve Lillywhite. The 5:56 Kevorkian mix was titled the “Long Version” and released on a US promotional single (DMD643), but not issued commercially. An edit of this “Long Version” was also done, running 3:42 in length and released as the b-side to both the French 7-inch of “Two Hearts Beat as One” and the 1983 “I Will Follow (Live)” single. This 3:42 edit of the “Long Version” has been referenced as the “Import Mix” or the “French Edit” over the years.

Things get murkier with the remaining two remixes. When originally released, the commercial “Two Hearts Beat as One” 12-inch single clearly identified the 5:43 Lillywhite remix as either the “Club Version” or the “Extended Version.” This same mix was also included on the “Sunday Bloody Sunday” single and the 7-inch double-pack of “Two Hearts Beat as One,” but it was not labeled as a remix on either release. However, both of those releases contained text on the front cover stating that they included “Special U.S. Remixes.” The absence of a mix name on the back of the sleeve, coupled with the reference to “Special U.S. Remixes” on the front, led some collectors to believe that the 5:43 version was actually the “USA Remix.” As a result, the names of each mix were switched, resulting in the 5:43 Lillywhite mix being called the “USA Remix” and the 4:24 Kevorkian mix being labeled the “Club Version.” When released in 2008, the remastered deluxe edition of War clarified the matter by listing the 4:24 version as the “USA Remix” and the 5:43 version as the “Club Version.” As the War remaster clearly identifies these tracks for the first time and confirms what the original 12-inch single of “Two Hearts Beat as One” shows, U2songs has chosen to rename these tracks accordingly. The 4:24 version is now identified throughout the discography as the “USA Remix,” and the 5:43 version is identified as the “Club Version.” The second disc that came with the deluxe version of War included the “Long Mix,” the “USA Remix” and the “Club Version.” The 7-inch single edit and the “Import Mix/French Edit” were not included, as they are simply straight edits of the longer tracks.

A video for “Two Hearts Beat As One” was filmed in Montmartre, a hill in the northern part of Paris, France. Directed again by Meiert Avis (his fifth video with the band), it depicts U2 performing on a rooftop, with Paris laid out in the background. The band footage is inter-cut with scenes of Peter Rowen (the boy from the cover of War) walking around the streets following carnival performers, including an acrobat and a fire-breather. The clip has never been collected on any U2 video compilation.

Live, “Two Hearts Beat As One” made its debut during The War Tour, and was played at most concerts up until the third leg of The Unforgettable Fire Tour, at which point it began to be phased out. After The Unforgettable Fire Tour, it appeared in the set only once more, as part of an encore at a Lovetown concert in Dublin. Then in 2015, as a surprise to many, “Two Hearts Beat as One” reappeared and was performed at three different concerts on that tour. A live performance of “Two Hearts Beat as One” is available on the video release of U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky, but the song was not included on the audio version of that release.

Other than the mixes discussed above, there have been no other official releases of “Two Hearts Beat as One.” “Endless Deep” made its CD debut on the bonus disc accompanying The Best of 1980-1990 & B-Sides, and also appeared on the deluxe version of the War reissue in 2008.

Liner Notes

Two Hearts Beat as One (7” Edit) (3:52):
Taken from the album – “War”. Produced by Steve Lillywhite. Engineered by Paul Thomas.
Endless Deep (2:58):
Previously unavailable. Produced by U2 / St. Francis Xavier. Engineered by Kevin Maloney.
Two Hearts Beat as One (Studio Version) (4:03):
Produced by Steve Lillywhite. Engineered by Paul Thomas.
Two Hearts Beat as One (US Remix):
Re-mixed by Francois Kervorkian at Sigma Sound, NYC. Re-mix Engineer: John Potoker. Assisted by Glenn Rosenstein. Produced by Steve Lillywhite.
Two Hearts Beat as One (Club Version) (5:43):
Mixed by Steve Lillywhite. Produced by Steve Lillywhite.
Two Hearts Beat as One (Import Mix / French Edit):
Re-mixed by Francois Kervorkian at Sigma Sound, NYC. Re-mix Engineer: John Potoker. Assisted by Glenn Rosenstein.
New Year’s Day (US Remix):
Re-mixed by Francois Kervorkian at Sigma Sound, NYC. Re-mix Engineer: John Potoker. Assisted by Glenn Rosenstein. Produced by Steve Lillywhite.

Artwork

Photograpy by Ian Finlay. Band Phot by Anton Corbijn.

Recognition and Awards

  • #5 Best Single of 1983 (Rip It Up Magazine, 1983)

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