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U2 – Angel of Harlem
Released on U2’s ‘Rattle and Hum’ album in 1988, the band’s tenth studio record, “Angel of Harlem” was written as an homage to Billie Holiday. Bono says:
“We landed in JFK and we were picked up in a limousine. We had never been in a limousine before, and with the din of punk rock not yet faded from our ears, there was a sort of guilty pleasure as we stepped into the limousine. Followed by a sly grin, as you admit to yourself this is fun. We crossed Triborough Bridge and saw the Manhattan skyline. The limo driver was black and he had the radio tuned to WBLS, a black music station. Billie Holiday was singing. And there it was, city of blinding lights, neon hearts. They were advertising in the skies for people like us, as London had the year before”
The song and the in-studio performance that was recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis during ‘The Joshua Tree’ tour, was added to the accompanying film of the same name, Rattle and Hum.
The song hit the Top 40 in the U.S., peaking at #14!
