Desire by U2 - Songfacts

Album: Rattle And Hum (1988)

Charted: 1 3

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This song is about the ambition and dedication required to be a successful band. It also criticizes American preachers who swindle followers out of their money.
This features the "Bo Diddley beat", a rhythm made famous by Diddley. Other songs featuring this beat include George Thorogood's "Who Do You Love" and The Rolling Stones' "Not Fade Away."
The song incorporates a blues style. U2 became interested in American forms of music - gospel, blues, folk - after touring there in the early and mid '80s.
The Edge has said the guitar riff is influenced by The Stooges' (Iggy Pop's band) "1969."
This was U2's first #1 hit in the UK.
The first single from the album Rattle And Hum, "Desire" was also the first song performed in their tour documentary Rattle And Hum.
The Edge (Hot Press, October 1988): "Music's become too scientific, it's lost that spunk and energy that it had in the '50s and '60s. When I listen to most modern records I hear a producer, I don't hear musicians interacting. And that quality, that missing quality is something we were trying to get back into our own music. What I like about Desire is that if there's ever been a cool #1 to have in the UK, that's it because it's totally not what people are listening to or what's in the charts at the moment. Instead it's going in exactly the opposite direction. It's a rock and roll record - in no way is it a pop song."
On the Zoo TV tour, Bono would perform this as Mirrorball Man, wearing a shiny preacher's suit that looked like a disco ball and kissing his image in a mirror. He used the character only in the US, where scandalous preachers were prevalent.
In concert, Bono changes the lyrics a bit to "And the feeling when I'm inside her" instead of "And the fever when I'm beside her." >>
Suggestion credit:
Bill - Johnstown, PA
This won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group in 1989. It was also the 1988 Rolling Stone Readers Pick for Best Single.
"The rhythm is the sex of the music," Bono says of the song in the band's book U2 by U2. "I wanted to own up to the religiosity of rock 'n' roll concerts and the fact that you get paid for them. On one level, I'm criticizing the lunatic fringe preachers 'stealing hearts at a traveling show' but I'm also starting to realize there's a real parallel between what I am doing and what they do."
Miami Vice was one of the few TV series that could consistently secure the rights to popular songs like this one while they were still fresh. "Desire" appears in the 1989 episode "Fruit of the Poison Tree." Other TV shows to use the song include Top Gear ("Episode #20.1" - 2013) and The Romanoffs ("The One That Holds Everything" - 2018).

Comments: 13

Drew from AustraliaWell, I shouldn't say often, but in this case, I think they've never presented the song properly live, and the other one I'm thinking about is 'still haven't found what I'm looking for', where all the juicy throbbing accompaniment is sacrificed to turn it into a church song, which it was not
Drew from AustraliaThis is a classic U2 song in that they've made 3 chords sound a whole lot more, it's not just Bono's singing (which is amazing), its also the edges layering, in the album version he's ringing away on an open E string, it obscures the chords and gives it the janglin' drive. Quite often U2 songs are great because of some recording trick like that, and then it gets forgotten for the live shows
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn October 27th 1988, U2's "Desire" was at #14 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; a little over four weeks later on November 26th it would peak at #3 {for 1 week} and it spent 17 weeks on the chart...
On that very same day {October 27th, 1988} the U2 documentary film 'U2: Rattle and Hum'* had its world premiere in Dublin, Ireland...
And it seems a year later bassist Adam Clayton was still celebrating the film's release, for on October 27th, 1989 he was convicted of drunk driving by a Dublin court, the fined was 500 pounds and a ban from driving for one year...
* The film covered the band's Fall of the 1987 tour of North America.
Vagelis from Athens, --To me, the 3 best songs of U2 are:
1)New Year's Day
2)Desire
3)Pride
Vagelis from Athens, --Sorry...I meant favourite
Vagelis from Athens, --At first, when I didn't know this was by U2, I thought it was from the 60's.Its music just felt so retro... I really loved it. But when I found out out was by one of my favourie bands, I adored it!!!
Mark from Worcester, Misong smokes. Bono does an excellent job with his voice inflections. The "yeah" he drops in here and there, and others. The "voice as instrument" principle that he does as well as anyone.
Sean from Lake Charles, LaI really love this song! I particularly love the harmonica part played by Bono toward the end of the song. One of the greatest entertainers ever also an equally great world ambassador. I'd love to meet Bono one day.
Emily from Abingdon, VaAnyone know where the video was filmed?
Boris from Maribor, United StatesVery famous and excellent U2 song. I personally think that "desire" is one of the 10 U2's best songs. I especially like the part: "for love or money money money..."
A classic!
Marius from LÃ¼neburg, GermanyOn Slane 2001, they played at in the middle of the audience, including a great base-guitar-solo by Clayton.
Jen from Boulder, CoIn the video, Robert F. Kennedy is shown as Bono sings "money, money, money... for money, money money," for reasons thus far unknown.
Mel from London, Englandthis song has a refernce to heroin in - "I'm like the needle, Needle and spoon", maybe showing how people following American preachers are addicted like heroin addicts and are spending all their money on it. it works, really it does! mel

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