“Pride (In the Name of Love)” counts as one of U2’s most well-known hits. The song was released in 1984 on the band’s fourth studio album The Unforgettable Fire. “Pride (In the Name of Love)” – just like another song on the album titled “MLK” – was inspired by the life of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. In this article, we will dive into the story, meaning, and legacy behind the iconic song!
The Story Behind the Song
The story of “Pride (In the Name of Love)” originated in Hawaii. U2 went there in November 1983 during the final leg of the band’s War Tour. During a soundcheck prior to the concert, the band members improvised what is now known as the melody and chords of the song.
Hawaii turned out to be quite a culture shock for U2, especially Bono. “I had never been in a place so exotic,” he said in the book U2 by U2. “It was a long way from home. At the Kahala Hilton there were bottles of wine on the menu for ten thousand dollars. Ronald Reagan had just stayed there.”
“I remember thinking, ‘Why are dolphins jumping past my window?’ The hotel was set up with dolphins swimming through channels. As an unreconstructed Calvinist, to me it was the end of the world.”
Bono originally intended “Pride” to be a song about US President Ronald Reagan’s leadership, which he disagreed with. Everything changed when he met Rolling Stone journalist Jim Henke.
“He had given me a book called Let the Trumpet Sound, a biography of Dr. King, and another on Malcolm X,” Bono said. “They were covering different sides of the civil rights discussion, the violent and non-violent. They were important books to me.”
It led Bono to change his mind about “Pride (In the Name of Love)”. He dismissed the idea of writing “Pride” around Ronald Reagan and started writing the song about Martin Luther King Jr.
“I was giving Reagan too much importance,” Bono told NME. “Then I thought Martin Luther King, there’s a man. We build the positive rather than fighting with the finger.”
“Pride (In the Name of Love)” turned out to be the start of U2’s next project: The Unforgettable Fire. The album marked a change for the band, as they moved away from a self-described ‘standard rock’ sound to an experimental ambient sound.
Read more: The 10 Best U2 Songs of All Time
It made the recording process of the album difficult. The band ditched multiple takes of “Pride (In the Name of Love)”, and re-recorded the song from scratch, before finally making it work.
The song was eventually released as the lead single of The Unforgettable Fire on 3 September 1984. “Pride (In the Name of Love)” reached the top 10 in multiple European countries and marked the band’s first top 40 hit in the US.
The Meaning of the Song
“Pride (In the Name of Love)” is a song about people who’ve sacrificed their lives in the name of love. The song is inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. and pays special homage to his life.
Bono himself wasn’t happy with the song’s lyrics. He later ironically stated: “It is emotionally very articulate – if you didn’t speak English.” Beyond that, the lyrics also contained a factual inaccuracy. The third verse opens with – ‘Early morning/April four’- and refers to Martin Luther King’s assassination. In actuality, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in the evening.
Bono acknowledges the mistake and sometimes changes the lyric to ‘early evening’ during live performances.
The Legacy of Pride (In the Name of Love)
Over the years, “Pride (In the Name of Love)” became one of U2’s most memorable songs. It became a staple during live shows and is one of the band’s most often played songs. Upon its release, the song was also generally received positively, although some critics complained about the song’s lyrical content.
They argued U2’s song was a glorification of the suffering Martin Luther King Jr. endured. Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King’s widow, disagreed with the critics, and awarded Bono the highest honor of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change because of the songs “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and “MLK”.
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