THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

320-U2-One.

1992-Number 7 single.

Best Bit-At 4.08. These are some of the many accolades. ‘Today FM’ voted the song the best Irish song ever. In a survey by the music channel ‘VH1′ to find the UK’s favourite song lyric,’One life, with each other, sisters, brothers,’ was voted the top, and in 2005 in their list of the ‘1001 Best Songs Ever,’ ‘Q’ magazine had this song as their Number 1.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that if it hadn’t have been for this song then U2 would have split before the release of their seventh studio Album ‘Achtung Baby’ in 1991. The band were exhausted after completing the ‘Lovetown Tour’ in 1989-1990, following the release of their sixth Album ‘Rattle and Hum’ which had been critically slated by some music critics, leading to the bands members arguing about which musical direction to take next.

In October 1990 U2 arrived in Berlin to work on ideas for what would become their seventh studio Album ‘Achtung Baby.’ On the making of ‘One’ The Edge has said,’At the instant we were recording it, I got a very strong sense of it’s power. We were all playing together in the big room, a huge eerie ballroom full of ghosts of the war, and everything fell in to place’.It was a reassuring moment, when everyone finally went ‘Oh great,’ this album has started.’

The lyrics to ‘One’ were written by Bono, with the music being credited to all four band members (see also best songs 766-190 and 84.) On the songs meaning Bono has said,’It’s a father and son story. I tried to write about someone I knew who was coming out and was afraid to tell his father. It’s a religious father and son, I have lots of gay friends, and I’ve seen them screwed up from unloving family situations, which just are completely anti-Christian. If we know anything about God, it’s that God is love, that’s part of the song, and then it’s also about people struggling to be together, and how difficult it is to stay together in this world, whether your in a band or a relationship.’

‘One’ was released as the third single from ‘Achtung Baby’ and was essentially a charity single as proceeds were donated to AIDS research, with each country it sold in receiving the royalties earned there, for example it reached Number 2 in Italy, Number 3 in New Zealand, and Number 10 in America. In 2005 Bono was the co-founder of the ‘One’ campaign, which is an organisation that was set up to put pressure on the United States government to give an additional 1% of it’s budget to help poor regions in Africa. In 2006 the American singer Mary J. Blige (see also best songs 359) covered ‘One’ for her seventh studio Album ‘The Breakthrough.’ Bono provided additional vocals to the track while The Edge, (guitar) Adam Clayton, (bass) and Larry Mullen Jr., (drums) also performed on the song, which reached Number 2 in the UK.

‘You say love is a temple, love is a higher law. You ask of me to enter, but then you make me crawl, and I can’t keep holding on to what you got, ’cause all you got is hurt.’