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}} "City of Blinding Lights" is a song by the rock band U2. It is the fifth track on their 2004 album ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'' and was released as the album's fourth single on 6 June 2005. The song was a top ten hit in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. The music video was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia. The earliest incarnation of the song was developed during sessions for the band's 1997 album ''Pop''. The lyrics were partially inspired by lead singer Bono's recollection of his first trip to London, and by the band's experience of playing New York City in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Other lyrics refer to Bono's relationship with his wife. The song's underlying theme reflects lost innocence and was inspired by an image Bono saw of himself from the early 1980's. The sound has been compared to the tone of U2's 1984 album ''The Unforgettable Fire'' and their 1987 single "Where the Streets Have No Name." "City of Blinding Lights" was well received by critics and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song at the 2006 ceremony. The song made its live debut on the group's 2005 Vertigo Tour, when it was commonly played as the opening song, and it has been performed at every show from a U2 concert tour since. The track has been used in episodes of ''The Simpsons'' and ''Entourage'', and in the film ''The Devil Wears Prada''. President Barack Obama used it at campaign events during the 2008 and 2012 U.S. presidential elections, and listed it as one of his favourite songs; U2 performed it at his inaugural celebration. ==Writing and inspiration== U2 developed "City of Blinding Lights" from a song called "Scott Walker," an outtake from the band's 1997 album ''Pop''. This incarnation, written as an homage to the singer of the same name, was only an outline when the recording sessions for ''Pop'' concluded. The group reworked it in preparation for their 2000 album ''All That You Can't Leave Behind'', but the song was still unfinished when that album was released. They rewrote the song for their 2004 album ''How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb''.〔Stokes (2005), p. 172〕 Bassist Adam Clayton said, "There was a melody and a groove that ultimately didn't go anywhere and we kind of threw out everything, found chords that worked with that melody and built it back up, new drum parts, new bass parts, new guitars."〔McCormick (2006), p. 324〕 A photographic exhibition in the Netherlands by longtime band photographer Anton Corbijn served as a thematic inspiration for the song. Lead vocalist Bono saw an image of himself boarding a helicopter, taken in 1982 during filming of the music video for "New Year's Day." A journalist asked him what he would say to his younger self if given the chance; Bono replied, "I'd tell him he's absolutely right and stop second guessing himself."〔 He explained his comments later, saying, "I realized how much I'd lost ... that way of looking at the world. There was such a clarity to it, but it was so defiant in a way."〔 The chorus was inspired by U2's first concert in New York City following the September 11 attacks during their 2001 Elevation Tour. When the lights illuminated the audience during a performance of "Where the Streets Have No Name," the band saw tears streaming down the faces of many fans.〔Stokes (2005), p. 173〕 Upon seeing this raw release of emotion, Bono shouted, "Oh you look so beautiful tonight"; later, the band integrated the line into the chorus. The fans' passion, along with the resolve of the city following the attack, were the primary inspirations for many of the song's other lyrics.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「City of Blinding Lights」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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