"With or Without You" - U2

Single

Track Listing:

Background Information

The second release from U2’s Songs of Surrender album is the remade version of “With or Without You”. Like the first single, “Pride (In the Name of Love)“ this song starts out as a quiet acoustic number, and grows into something more, featuring alternate lyrics along the way. Production credits for this new song list Bono and The Edge as producers, and Bob Ezrin as co-producer. Duncan Stewart is named as an additional producer, and also is listed as having mixed the song.

Of note, “With or Without You” is not found on the 16-track basic CD release of Songs of Surrender and is only available on deluxe and super deluxe formats of the album.

The song was released first to streaming services where the album was available as a pre-order, and sites like Apple and YouTube Music were the first to see the single, which debuted at midnight on these services in each country. A launch on more traditional shops followed, with “With or Without You” now available on most online storefronts and streaming services. On most services it is a standalone single, but on Apple Music it appears as part of the full deluxe album. Artwork for the single is not unique and features the album artwork. A promotional single was issued to radio via digital distribution in the morning of January 27 as well.

The song is available in CD-quality and high resolution audio formats, as well as in a Dolby Atmos mix on services that support that multichannel format. In most stores the track is a single track, just “With or Without You” but on Spotify it appears the track has been bundled with the previously released “Pride (In the Name of Love)” as one single with two tracks, although the original “Pride” single remains on the service as well.

The new song features some lyrics changes from the original. “See the thorn twist in your side, I’ll wait for you” becomes, “I’m such a thorn in your side, should I wait for you?” and “You give it all, but I want more, and I’m waiting for you” becomes “We give it all but I want more, And I’m greedy for you” on this new version of the song, as well as a number of smaller changes. Bono debuted the new lyrics in concert in New York at the New York Society for Ethical Culture and would sing the new lyrics each night as part of his “Stories of Surrender“ tour.

“With or Without You” was previously released as a single in March 1987, where it was the first song released from The Joshua Tree.

Liner Notes

Producer: Bono and The Edge. Co-Producer: Bob Ezrin. Additional producer: Duncan Stewart. Engineer: Alastair McMillan, Duncan Stewart, Richard Rainey, The Edge. Mixed by Duncan Stewart. Bass Guitar: Adam Clayton. Vocals: Bono. Drums, Percussion: Larry Mullen, Jr. Guitar, Keyboards, Piano, Rhodes, Vocals, Wurlitzer electric piano: The Edge. Rhodes, Wurlitzer electric piano: Duncan Stewart. Mastering Engineer: Scott Sedillo

Artwork

Photos by Anton Corbijn.

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