U2’s new single, “Electrical Storm,” originally set for a September release, was leaked by radio stations in the U.S. and Europe earlier this week. It officially arrives at radio on Thursday (August 29). The new song is featured on the band’s forthcoming Greatest Hits (1990-2000) collection, which is due in stores November 5. In the past few days, it has been played on Radio One in the U.K., RTL in France, and American stations in Philadelphia and Boston. Versions of the single recorded from the radio have also popped up on several U2 fan websites worldwide as an audio download.

With a slow opening build of strumming acoustic guitar and tinkling bells, the song begins with Bono singing, “The sea it swells like a sore head/And the night it is aching/Two lovers lie with no sheets on their bed/And the day it is breaking.” He later intones, “Let’s see colors that have never been seen/Let’s go to places no one else has been,” and then the refrain of “You’re in my mind/All of the time/I know that’s not enough/If the sky can crack/There must be some way back/To love and only love.”

The band shot a video for the song on August 21. Shooting began at 6 a.m. on a French beach and wrapped up Thursday morning, 21 hours later. Photographer and filmmaker Anton Corbijn (also known for his extensive work with Depeche Mode) directed. Corbijin shot the cover for U2’s landmark 1987 release, The Joshua Tree.

In other U2 news, Bono donated his 20 year-old classic Mercedes-Benz automobile to a charity auction in Dublin on Monday (August 26). The 450 SEL Mercedes is outfitted with a pricey $15,000 sound system and a cow-hide interior, with the license plate A1. It was the singer’s first expensive car, bought with earnings from U2’s debut album back in 1980.

Bono donated the car to the auction, which was held in conjunction with a celebrity golf tournament and dinner overseen by Keith Duffy, formerly of the Irish group Boyzone, and now a star on the popular U.K. TV soap Coronation Street. Duffy’s goal was to raise money for the Irish Autism Alliance and the Irish Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society.

“STORM” CD ARRIVES AT RADIO

Radio stations around North America have received the “Electrical Storm”
radio-only promo CD from Interscope Records. The CD has two versions of the
song:

1. Electrical Storm [4:26]
2. Electrical Storm William Orbit Mix (Radio Edit) [4:25]

Our radio sources report that the song is being picked up across all
formats, and the number of monitored stations playing “Electrical Storm” has
quadrupled in the last 24 hours. Equally noteworthy is that the CD and
sleeve both say The Best of 1990-2000 will be in stores on November 5th, a
week earlier than previous reports had suggested. Note for the collectors
reading: there’s no catalog number anywhere on the CD or sleeve.

Direct link to CD scan: http://www.atu2.com/view.html?estorm_lg.jpg

- Courtesy @u2

The fine folks at @U2.com have a scan of the Electrical Storm cd.

http://www.atu2.com/view.html?estorm_lg.jpg

The image reads
1. ES
2. ES radio edit

from Best of 1990-2000 in stores 11/05/02

Yes another one Here’s a cleaned up version of Electrical Storm (Single Mix) played on radio stations across the nation & world today (Minus the DJ).

There are some confusion over which ES version is which. The XRT in the file name of this file is for reference only. I believe it refers to the radio station it was pulled from WXRT (Chicago). This is the single version.

Check U2wanderer.org for a run down on the different version.

Non-Broadband users (56k modems) – Real Audio versions:

Electrical Storm (4:26 Version) “Single Mix”

Electrical Storm (Orbit Mix from WXRT)

Electrical Storm (BBC Radio 1 version)

Many thanks to Jason S. of U2outloud.com for the cleaned version of the single mix..

Enjoy!

***

Lyrics:

Electrical Storm
__

The sea it swells like a sore head
And the night it is aching
Two lovers lie with no sheets on their bed
And the day it is breaking

On rainy days we go swimming out
On rainy days, swimming in the sound
On rainy days we go swimming out

You’re in my mind all of the time
I know that’s not enough
If the sky can crack
There must be some way back
For love and only love

Car alarm ?? back to sleep
You’re kept awake
Dreaming someone else’s dream
Coffee’s cold, but it’ll get you through
Compromise – that’s nothing new to you

Let’s see colours that have never been seen
Let’s go to places no one else has been

You’re in my mind
All of the time
I know that’s not enough
If the sky can crack
There must be some way back
To love and only love

Electrical storm
Electrical storm
Electrical storm
Baby, don’t cry

It’s hot as hell, Honey, in this room
Sure hope the weather will break soon
The air is heavy, heavy as a truck
Hope the rain will wash away our bad luck

heeeey… heeeey…..

If the sky can crack
There must be some way back
For love and only love

Electrical storm
Electrical storm
Electrical storm

Baby don’t cry
Baby don’t cry
Baby don’t cry
Baby don’t cry

Members of U2 have chilled with Robert De Niro, partied with Destiny’s Child and negotiated with world leaders. Now they’ve also romanced a mythological creature from the deep.

Last week, drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., embraced a mermaid as

director Anton Corbijn (Depeche Mode, Nirvana, Metallica) rolled the camera in Eze-Sur-Mer, a seaside community in France. The band was there to film the video for the single “Electrical Storm,” a new song from its upcoming disc Greatest Hits 1990-2000, which will be released November 5.

Actress Samantha Morton, who played the lead “pre-cognitive” in the film “Minority Report,” played the mermaid, who was also filmed on a garden swing. The video for “Electrical Storm” will come out next month.

The song is sweet and plangent, but simpler than most of the tunes on the band’s last album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind. It begins with chiming bells, gentle strumming and soft, seductive vocals. After the first verse, the drums kick in, giving the track a slightly more upbeat feel.

Like many U2 songs, “Electrical Storm” builds with subtle dynamics, including strings over the bridge and a hiccuping guitar solo. The lyrical content addresses couples struggling, laughing and loving. It’s familiar territory for sure, though lines like “It’s hot as hell, honey in this room/ Sure hope the weather will break soon” and “The air is heavy, heavy as a truck/ Hope the rain will wash away our bad luck” are perhaps not examples Bono’s most insightful verse to date.

In addition to recording “Electrical Storm,” U2 recently covered the Ramones song ‘Beat On The Brat’ for the tribute album We’re A Happy Family (see “Rob Zombie Finalizes Ramones Tribute With Last-Minute Adds”). Mullen signed on to be a judge for the Shortlist Music Prize alongside other The Strokes, Mos Def, Alanis Morissette, The Neptunes, Iggy Pop, Beck, India.Arie, Sonic Youth and Paul Oakenfold (see “For The Record: Quick News On Snoop Dogg, Marilyn Manson, Ghostface Killah, Alanis Morissette & More” ).

- MTV NEWS

U2Swisshome.com has a “Cleaned up” version of Eletrical Storm which has NO BBC 1 jingle in it. U2Swisshome also reports that this version we are hearing is a “soft” version and that the one played for Island representatives last month was described as much more “electric” and “rock-like” than this ’soft’ version.

Goto U2Swisshome.com and click to the audio section.

Thanks Oli for the heads up!