Photo Credit: Andrew McPherson
U2 have pulled an unreleased track from their bag of early 2000s compositions, unveiling “Happiness” for the first time. The track was unearthed as the band preps for the 20th-anniversary release of their 11th original studio album, How to Dismantle an Atom Bomb, and the revisited commemorative offering, How To Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb, due Nov. 29, 2024.
To delineate the specialty of the shadow LP, U2 landed on remastering 10-track specific tracks. By revisiting the vault, the Irish rock group was able to tap into early aughts studio sessions, widely considered a time of fierce creativity and feverish production for the band. In part, the intense wave can be associated with the death of the bandleader, Bono’s father, subsequently opening the floodgates for artistic and personal reflection.
“The sessions for How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb were such a creative period for the band, we were exploring so many song ideas in the studio. We were inspired to revisit our early music influences, and it was a time of deep personal introspection for Bono who was attempting to process – dismantle – the death of his father,” echoed The Edge.
He continued to speak on the LP, adding, “For this anniversary edition I went into my personal archive to see if there were any unreleased gems and I hit the jackpot. We chose ten that really spoke to us. Although at the time we left these songs to one side, with the benefit of hindsight we recognize that our initial instincts about them being contenders for the album were right, we were onto something.
“What you’re getting on this shadow album is that raw energy of discovery, the visceral impact of the music, a sonic narrative, a moment in time, the exploration and interaction of four musicians playing together in a room… this is the pure U2 drop,” the lead guitarist, otherwise known as David Howell Evans concluded.
Capturing the essence of Bono’s message, “Happiness” extends the emotive reminder: “Happiness is for those who don’t really need it…” Preluded by the singer’s howl of “Hold on…” Despite a 20-year lapse, the song remains a fixture of the band’s rock lean, thematically provoked by motifs of joy, sadness, war, life, death, and other reality-shifting emotions.
Pre-order How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Remastered 20th Anniversary) editions and How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Re-Assemble Edition).
Scroll down to view the track lists.
How To Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb
1. Picture Of You (X+W)
2. Evidence Of Life
3. Luckiest Man In The World
4. Treason
5. I Don’t Wanna See You Smile
6. Country Mile
7. Happiness
8. Are We Gonna Wait Forever?
9. Theme From The Batman
10. All Because Of You 2
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb 20th Anniversary Reissue:
1. Vertigo
2. Miracle Drug
3. Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
4. Love and Peace or Else
5. City of Blinding Lights
6. All Because of You
7. A Man and a Woman
8. Crumbs from Your Table
9. One Step Closer
10. Original of the Species
11. Yahweh
12. Fast Cars