Landlady
by U2

Album: Songs of Experience (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In his notes for Songs Of Experience, Bono mentions an unspecified health scare that rocked him to the core. Inspired by Irish poet Brendan Kennelly's advice to "write as if you're dead", the album then started to take the shape of a shocked Bono's final letters to family, friends and fans.

    "It's just one of those moments when nothing else matters," he continued. "So what do you have to say for yourself? And what do you want to say to the people that you love?"

    This song is addressed to Bono's wife Ali, the Landlady of his Killiney mansion. The term Landlady is used because in U2's early days, Ali paid the rent while the broke Bono tried to make a go of being a musician with the fledgling band.
  • This is one of two "letters" on Songs of Experience where Bono is addressing Ali. On "You're the Best Thing About Me" he tells his wife just how much she means to him.

Comments: 1

  • Nick from La Paz, BoliviaMy favorite song from the album. If you're as in love as Bono and I are with our wives, this song will mean so much to you. A romantic masterpiece about being dependent of your one and only.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.

The End Of The Rock Era

The End Of The Rock EraSong Writing

There are no more rock stars - the last one died in 1994.