U2 are gearing up to release Songs of Surrender, an album featuring reimagined recordings of 40 of the storied band’s songs. Ahead of the collection’s debut, the band has shared a new version of their 1987 hit “With or Without You,” which you can listen to below.
“With or Without You” famously begins with an especially dreamy intro — shimmering keys, howling guitar, thumping bass. In U2’s new version, meanwhile, they strip the song down, opting for acoustic guitar to replace the original’s lush percussion. Bono’s voice is front and center, and fortunately, it remains in top condition for the verses’ low murmur. In keeping with the new minimalist interpretation, the band shaves down the song’s length, trading the original’s fade-out for a quick end at the chorus.
Songs of Surrender follows the release of Bono’s memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, where he shares insights into the making of 40 songs from U2’s four-plus-decade career. The album fittingly arrives in full on St. Patrick’s Day, and pre-orders are ongoing. Previously, the band shared a new version of “Pride (In The Name Of Love).”
In addition to looking back on his old catalog, Bono has a hankering to record new music — specifically, a captial-R Rock album. If U2 does record new music, however, and decides to tour it, drummer Larry Mullen Jr. said he’d have to sit it out, citing surgery he needs after spending 40 years playing drums.