UMG Recordings
Release Date: December 10th 2021
Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre
U2– I Believe In Father Christmas EP (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- I Believe In Father Christmas
- Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
- Angel Of Harlem
- If God Will Send His Angels
- New Year’s Day
U2 need no introduction. Seriously. The Irish rock quartet, comprising of Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton, have been creating thought-provoking, engaging, and resonating melodies professionally since the 1980’s, and with a resume of 14 studio albums, many more live projects, and an unshakeable brotherly bond lasting more than 45 years; these guys are rock royalty- one of the few much-loved and adored rock bands ever. Probably alongside the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith. We blogged about U2 a number of years ago (you can read about them here!); and while we should have blogged about them as part of the series about iconic and identity-building artists of all time, their influence and timelessness and overall respect in the music industry at large, cannot be denied. Songs like “Where The Streets Have No Name”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, “40”, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, “One”, “One Tree Hill”, “Window In The Skies”, “Beautiful Day”, “Magnificent”, “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own”, “Vertigo”, “City Of Blinding Lights”, Pride (In The Name Of Love)”, “With Or Without You”, “All I Want Is You”, “Stuck In A Moment That You Can’t Get Out Of”, “When Love Comes To Town”, “Mysterious Ways” and “Bad” (to name a few), have all blessed the ears of many who listen, as the group attempt to tackle the big questions, of the meaning of life, death, God, love, relationships, friendships, sex, the great beyond, the cosmos, the concept of suffering and evil, and everything else in between.
In March 2023, the group unveiled their brand-new album Songs Of Surrender. After the much-loved and highly rated 2017 project Songs Of Experience and the hit single “Your Song Saved My Life” for the movie Sing 2; long-time fans have been clamouring and hoping for something new. Well, U2 have answered; and they’ve featured 40 well-known classics (inclusive of many of their hit singles); and all of then re-recorded in an acoustic setting, repackaged for a new generation. It’s inspired by Bono’s autobiography called Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, and I personally reckon that these renditions are creative and smart, despite Bono’s evidently raspier voice. But for fans, this project divides them immensely. One may say that this is a cop-out release because ‘the band are so old that they’re out of ideas and that they’re mentally done’. That may be true. There are behind the scenes drama about Larry not touring at the moment, and some long-time fans are peeved that Bono, Adam, and The Edge are continuing touring without them. Regardless of your own views about the iconic rock quartet, one thing is for certain. That these 40 songs (either their re-recorded format or in their original form) are transcendent across time periods; and that U2 can inspire and encourage us both now and into the future.
It’s approaching Christmas 2023 within a couple of months. But for this week, we’re reviewing Christmas albums and EP’s again as part of our still ongoing Christmas In July series; what better way to revisit U2 than to dive deep into their 2021 EP I Believe In Father Christmas? The title track is a reflective and melancholy guitar led ballad where Bono passionately wishes us all a Merry Christmas and includes a great myriad of imagery and other metaphors (probably too much to dissect at this very moment!) and is a track that is multifaceted and multilayered. U2 then cover a powerful rendition of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”; while the original melody “Angel Of Harlem” pays homage to Billie Holliday and the song of hers that Bono heard on the radio during Christmas time one year. “If God Will Send His Angels”, a powerful and reflective track that is as political as it is probably attacking organised religion, genuinely and sincerely asks the question of whether everything in this world will be alright if only God sends his angels, whether overtly or covertly, to give us guidance and help us along the path God wants for us. I Believe In Father Christmas then ends with the popular single “New Year’s Day”, from U2’s 1983 album War.
What’s next for Bono, The Edge, Adam, and Larry… is anyone’s guess. Will we see a new studio album, or perhaps a full-length Christmas project? Are these guys finished like some fans are thinking? Or are they just taking a longer than usual break before the presumed and rumoured releases of Songs Of Ascent and Songs For Fighting? Whatever the case, we have witnessed the greatness of these four men and seen the wonders of the many artistic and creative melodies they’ve unveiled over the years. If U2 were to end tomorrow, then Songs Of Surrender as a creative greatest hits project, is personally I reckon the perfect way to bow out. But with this Christmas EP, I’ve realised that these guys have so much more yet to give. So don’t go U2; how about one more studio album?
3 songs to listen to: I Believe In Father Christmas, If God Will Send His Angels, New Year’s Day
Score: 5/5
RIYL: Coldplay, Bon Jovi, John Farnham, Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams, Jimmy Barnes, The Corrs, Ronan Keating