The Unforgettable Fire

When U2 went into the studio to record their fourth album, they decided to experiment with new sounds and textures. The band employed Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois to help lead them in this new direction. Edge played around with new guitar effects, which had been all but absent on the War album. The end result of the new direction was The Unforgettable Fire, which was released on October of 1984.

The first singe from the new album, released September, 1984, was a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" was U2's first single to crack the US Top 40 and the UK Top 5.


The second single was the album's title track. Released April 1985, it reached #6 in the UK.


On July 13, 1982, U2 participated in Live Aid, a concert to benefit famine relief in Ethiopia, at Wembley Stadium, London. During their set, they played a 12 minute long version of the song "Bad" from The Unforgettable Fire. During this performance, Bono jumped from the stage, helped a young girl over the barricade, hugged and slow danced with her. This began a still-standing tradition of Bono pulling girls from the crowd and dancing with them on stage during their concerts.