New Release: Please Remastered

Original Story by Aaron J. Sams (2024-05-15)

The newest single released as part of the “To Love and Only Love“ collection of digital singles is “Please”. The single will be available on digital store fronts and streaming services on Friday, May 17.


IMAGE: Please Single (Remastered 2024)

The tracks included here are all taken from the commercial singles, released in 1997 on CD, cassette and vinyl. The “To Love and Only Love” collection is an effort by U2 to upgrade their offerings on streaming services. Many of these tracks have not been available in the past on these services. Twelve singles in total are being reissued in 2024.

The songs included on “Please” are as follows:

  • “Please” (Single Version / Remastered 2024) – U2 (05:49)
  • “Dirty Day” (Bitter Kiss / Remastered 2024) – U2 (04:34)
  • “Dirty Day” (Junk Day / Remastered 2024) – U2 (04:42)
  • “I’m Not Your Baby” (Skysplitter Dub / Remastered 2024) – U2 (05:50)
  • “Please” (Live from Rotterdam, Jul. 18, 1997 / Remastered 2024) – U2 (07:11)
  • “Where the Streets Have No Name” (Live from Rotterdam, Jul. 18, 1997 / Remastered 2024) – U2 (06:35)
  • “Staring at the Sun” (Live from Rotterdam, Jul. 18, 1997 / Remastered 2024) – U2 (05:33)

Sadly, the recording of “With or Without You” that was originally included on the “Please” single has not been included on this new digital single. That track, unlike the other tracks, had been recorded in Edmonton, on the band’s first stop in that city.

“Please” was released in many regions as two singles, one with a cover featuring Irish politicians, and the other featuring an image from the PopMart tour, and titled the “PopHeart” EP. In the US the two formats were combined similar to what has been done with this digital release.

Like “Last Night on Earth”, U2 felt that the version of “Please” on Pop hadn’t been finished due to the last minute push to finish the album. U2 recorded a new version at Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, in the Netherlands while on the PopMart tour which is used on this single.

The single is filled out by two remixes of “Dirty Day” done by Butch Vig and Duke Erikson. An instrumental version of “I’m Not Your Baby” is the last of the studio tracks. The non-instrumental version was done with Sinéad O’Connor for the soundtrack of the Wim Wenders film The End of Violence.

The cover of the new single features four Irish politicians, involved in the Irish peace process in 1997. These include Gerry Adams, leader of Ireland’s Sinn Féin party, in the top left corner; David Trimble, of the Ulster Unionist Party, in the top right corner; Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, in the bottom right corner; and John Hume, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, in the bottom left corner.

The remaining tracks are live tracks taken from Rotterdam in July 1997. Additional tracks from the Rotterdam shows are featured on the deluxe version of the PopMart DVD.

The original release of the “Please” single hit #7 in the UK, reached #31 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in the US, and reached #10 in the Canadian sales chart. (The release of “PopHeart” in Canada reached #4 in the Canadian sales chart.)

Versions of “Please” were previously released digitally in 2003, 2004 (as part of “The Complete U2”) and again in 2008. These releases were limited to specific regions, or have not been available for some time. More information about “Please” can be found in our discography entry. We’ve also set up our own full page for the “To Love and Only Love“ reissue project which can be found here.

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