God Part II

Song infobox
Name = God Part II


Type = Song
Artist = U2
alt Artist =
Album = Rattle and Hum
Published =
Released = 10 October 1988
track_no = 14
Recorded =
Genre = Rock
Length = 3:15
Writer =
Composer =
Label = Island Records
Producer = Jimmy Iovine
Background =
Tracks =
prev = "Heartland"
prev_no = 13
next = "The Star-Spangled Banner"/"Bullet the Blue Sky"
next_no = 15/16

"God Part II" is the fourteenth track from U2's 1988 album, "Rattle and Hum". It was written as a sequel of sorts to John Lennon's "God", having the same kind of lyrical structure. It also contains an attack on American biographer Albert Goldman, on the following verses:

:"I don't believe in Goldman":"His type like a curse":"Instant karma's gonna get him":"If I don't get him first"

Additionally, the song alludes to Bruce Cockburn's "Lovers in a Dangerous Time", in the lyric "Heard a singer on the radio late last night/He says he's gonna kick the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight."

The song is a departure from the folksy sound of the album's other studio recordings and is an introduction to the darker sound the band would adopt following the release of their next album, "Achtung Baby".

A remix entitled the 'Hard Metal Dance Mix' was released on the "When Love Comes to Town" single.

Performance history

"God Part II" was only played on the Lovetown Tour in late 1989 and early 1990. It was played at 36 of the 47 concerts; it debuted at the first show of the tour on 21 September 1989 in Perth and was last performed at the second-last show of the tour on 9 January 1990 in Rotterdam. It was one of six songs to be used as concert openers on the tour, opening two concerts: 26 December 1989 in Dublin and 5 January 1990 in Rotterdam. For these two performances, its heavy bassline was linked to a recording of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil". [U2-Vertigo-Tour.com, [http://www.u2-vertigo-tour.com/God_Part_II-s167.html God Part II performance history] , accessed 25 September 2007.]

After the Lovetown Tour, its sole live appearance was as a brief lyrical snippet by Bono at the end of "With or Without You" on 23 April 1992 in Vancouver. [U2-Vertigo-Tour.com, [http://www.u2-vertigo-tour.com/show300.html Setlist for 23 April 1992, Vancouver] , accessed 25 September 2007.]

References