[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

“MLK” – U2 
(Words: Bono, Music: U2, available on The Unforgettable Fire, Island Records 1984) 

“Pride (In the Name of Love)” salutes Martin Luther King, Jr. with one of U2’s biggest anthems.  Sure enough, in the ten minutes I was in the car today I caught the end of it on the radio.  Tucked away at the end of the same album sits “MLK,” a more somber and subdued tribute to the same man.  While “Pride” uses Dr. King’s life as a rallying cry, “MLK” meditates on his spirit.  Aside from the title and an overt allusion to his “dream,” “MLK” could be a generic plea for peace in a troubling time.  Of course, the spirit of Dr. King’s legacy (and the same one Bono wants to mobilize around in “Pride”) calls for the continued struggle to bring peace to those who need it; “MLK” reflects the opposite side of the struggle – those trying to find the strength to endure rather than to liberate.

“MLK” sonically foils “Pride” as well.  Where “Pride” rides a soaring chorus and The Edge’s guitar (and foreshadows the formula that would make them mega-stars on the next album), “MLK” bears Brian Eno’s influence.  Bono sings over a droning synthesizer that hums gently and warmly, leading from one chord to the next.  The synth is primarily atmospheric, serving as a backdrop for Bono’s echoed vocals (the 2009 remastered version brings out this echo in the left channel particularly well).  On the final note (“me” in the lyrics), Bono’s voice and the synthesizer resolve the chord, giving the song the harmonic peace that it lyrically desires.   It’s little more than a sketch of a song (most often used as an introduction for some of U2’s requiems (“Unforgettable Fire” and “One Tree Hill” primarily) but ironically never for “Pride”), but it’s a lovely piece to end The Unforgettable Fire.

More on U2: Allmusic | Amazon MP3 | Emusic | Last.fm