Your Fan, Bono

13 May 202015

Your Fan, Bono

To mark his birthday at the weekend, Bono has curated a playlist of '60 Songs That Saved My Life' and through this week is writing letters to thank their creators.

Six more 'fan letters' are being shared today - to The Beatles, Patti Smith, Kanye West, Ramones, REM and Jay Z & Alicia. 

Here's some highlights.

Writing to The Beatles about I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Bono recalls, 'It was the spring of 1964… the song on the radio felt like life force… like I was for the first time conscious that I was alive and that being alive was a really, really great idea!'

Remembering being in the Saturday Night Live studio in 2013, when Kanye West debuted Black Skinhead, he writes, 'It felt like hip hop wanted the black leather jacket back from rock 'n' roll… and the rock 'n' roll silhouette too….'

Swallow My Pride, he writes to Ramones, was 'the sound of liberation through humiliation… these songs are so simple I'm thinking maybe I can not only play them, maybe I can write them… so they became my liberation too.'

Writing to Patti Smith ('Your fan from forever, for forever') he recalls how People Have The Power has been played at so many U2 shows. 'It reminds us that the real action of the show lies in the hearts and minds of the people who attend it and it's not the apparatus, however thoughtfully contrived and constructed. The lights, camera, action is the way we draw nearer, but the intimacy is always about meeting people where they are…'

Listening to Nightswimming reminds Bono of how much he misses REM: 'After y'all broke up, I was kind of happy that you'd made peace with the world of expectation and ended on such a high tremulous note. Recently, I'm not so happy. I ache for the ache at the heart of your band. I long with the longing that is the mind of R.E.M. The wanderlust. The returning. And that baritone…. God help us all. That baritone might just fix the brokenness we all feel right now….'

As for Empire State of Mind, Bono's tells  JAY-Z and Alicia Keys that only they 'would take on Sinatra, to write a better theme song for this great city…. Forget the Empire State Building, the braggadocio, the front, the attitude, the persona required to pull this off is as tall and defiant as the Freedom Tower.'

Read the latest letters in full in our gallery above - and find all the letters published to date here.

Read '60 Songs That Saved My Life'.

Comments
15
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mary_mcnally
Beautiful Day is one of those songs
I’m glad I have the opportunity to thank you for writing “Beautiful Day”. The song came out during a very dark time in my life. My parents’s health declined in 2000 to the point where they were both in the same nursing home. My dad had endured Parkinson’s for 20 years. He was shortly diagnosed before he retired. When it looked like home health care was not enough, the family had the sad talk about going to a facility. My father asked if my mom (his wife) could go with him. Mom said, “I’m mobile.” She must have jinxed herself. Not long after that statement. She fell in the garage and broke her hip. That created a massive rethinking of their situation. Her oncoming dementia became evident after surgery. So where does the song come in? Practically every time I got in the car from late 2000 to May 2001 that song came on the radio. I started associating the song with my father. Often the sun would be shining to underscore the hopefulness in the song. It brought me so much solace. Whenever I hear it, I think of him and bless you guys for writing and recording it. My dad died April 12, 2001 and my mom on May 22, 2001.
Clemdog
Nightswimming
I'm still angry that R.E.M. broke up...
halo96
60 Songs That Saved My Life
I hope a wonderful subscribers gift hardbound copy of this is in the works!! Hint, Hint!
40karine
great. they could figure in annex...
to the autobiography... the "what"??? I hope that the confinement has boosted the writing as for 'only' 10% of the population here in France who have a book waiting somewhere in a drawer. :-) I have a letter too, or a telegram... Lost my father at 14 in 1983, and my friend Corinne played the song "Tomorrow" in her small room, and said to me: "Listen to this". A long story and a long journey began then.
Tabitha_Coverstone
stay
These letters,,, I'm not crying, you're crying. I'm sorry your happiness has taken a hit, but you struck back in fabulous form taking on one more persona: vulnerable, grateful fan. "Just a slob like one of us." These letters gave my own pain a name that I plan calling out with all the breath left me. Thank you. Happy way belated birthday.
darrensmith8
Thank you, ""U-2"",
At a time in my life when it seemed all was lost, helpless and selfish of me , wanted too end it . Wanted too find my best friend and grandad that left me. But wait their was a certain song from an amazing band that kept me here, So so eternaly grateful too that band of brothers , and their beautiful song that saved my life. Thank you
Vladileni
Vladileni
i'm brazilian but i love your music i feel at peace your music brings me joy i love you send me a self photographed photo my dream and dawn you feel the power of your music but close
carpilelandais
I can't Breathe
Hello U2, you should write or re-write a song called "I can't breathe". In this tragic moments, this would be more than welcome. Emmanuel
Quantum
Você transformou a minha vida!
Feliz aniversário, Bono! A minha vida foi transformada desde o dia em que ouvi os primeiros acordes do U2 e sua poesia frenética. Assim, seu aniversário, representa pra mim, uma espécie de renascimento. Sei que nem sabe de minha existência, mas isso não importa, o mais importante é que desde o primeiro single que recebi no Brasil, October, você entrou em minha vida, um gênio, se divertindo ao cantar como um garoto, esculpido no tempo e a quilômetros de distância de mim. Mas de repente, o que era distante ficou perto, quando fui ao primeiro show da banda no Brasil, o que seria inimaginável tornou-se possível, e depois de tantos encontros, criou-se uma amizade virtual... intensa, verdadeira, inexoravelmente, real! Encontramo-nos e já construímos momentos únicos, que ficarão na eternidade, fazendo-nos irmãos. A Deus, devo agradecer por tê-lo como ídolo e alegria maior não poderia existir. Já aprendi tanto, por ser um fã seu e de sua banda. Vocês me levaram a conhecer sua terra natal, a Irlanda, aprendi novos idiomas só pra acompanhá-los... e você continuará a brilhar sempre. Sorria muito, para que continue a iluminar todos à sua volta. Feliz aniversário, meu grande amigo!
lasrotas
vialactea
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BONO ! Have a Beautiful Year !!...and MORE !!! Wow, what a good idea this "60 songs that save my life"... many of them i could say the same about : like David Bowie "Heroes", New Radicals "You Get What You Give"... and mostly i have a special crush on Frank Sinatra and You Bono in "Under My Skin" (Your voice here !!!....) and also on Sinéad O'connor "You Made Me Thief Of Your Heart" ...All of them made of Pure Emotion and Generosity... You see, it is not a surprise to me if U2 as well has been giving us, your fans, so much EMOTION along the way, your way, our way : YOU SAVED OUR LIFE 2 !!!! with YOUR SONGS and YOUR SOUL !!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BONO ! TAKE CARE ALWAYS !!!!
musicabona
Letters of gratitude and inspiration
These letters are true poetry and Bono´s words express so much thankfulness and joy. Speaking about essential things like early experiences, liberation and longing he fills his intimate reflections with sincere admiration for those songs and their creators. I love the eloquence and humility in Bono´s writing. Looking forward to reading more letters!
ramblinghorse
Evidence that stories connect us
Such a great letter to Kanye. An example of how experiences, fear, terror can be shared through music and that it can help us heal and try to process it. These are such beautiful letters Bono! It's such a thrill as a fan to able to hear the stories about the songs that meant so much to you. It feels like you can feel the moment you heard The Beatles and the energy that seemed to come out of the sky and connected with you and made you feel alive. The longing for the voice of Mike Stipe and REM (which we could so use right now! I miss them too.) I can imagine the recipients of these letters and what it will mean to them when they read them. Thanks for sharing these. xx Jen
ramblinghorse
Evidence that stories connect us
Such a great letter to Kanye. An example of how experiences, fear, terror can be shared through music and that it can help us heal and try to process it.
Fra1970
Happy birthday B man
What a fantastic present for as! An intimistic journey trought your music. Thank you poet. ❤ Francesca
mbastin72
An absolute beautiful letter to REM
These letters are beautiful.
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