U2 release acoustic video of Sunday Bloody Sunday to mark 50th anniversary of the massacre

Virgin Radio

31 Jan 2022, 13:05

Bono and The Edge have recorded a stripped-back version of U2's 1983 song.

Sunday Bloody Sunday refers to Bloody Sunday, the name given to the massacre on 30th January 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, in which the British army shot at unarmed protestors. Of the 26 civilians that were shot, 14 died. This was the highest number of people killed in a shooting during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The black and white video of the live acoustic performance was posted yesterday on the U2 Instagram page, with the simple caption: “30 January 2022 - With love, Bono & Edge.” The video includes archive footage during The Edge’s guitar solo.

The video has also been shared on U2’s YouTube page: 

In this new version of the song, which first appeared on their album War, Bono alters the lyrics, singing: “Here at the murder scene, The virus of fiction, reality TV, Why so many mothers cry, Religion is the enemy of the Holy Spirit guide, And the battle just begun, Where is the victory Jesus won?”

Sunday Bloody Sunday was the opening track on War, and has received worldwide acclaim since its release. In 2004 and 2010, it was included in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

In 2006, it was listed by Q as the 18th-greatest song of the 1980s, while Time has named it as one of the Top 10 Protest Songs. 

Sunday Bloody Sunday has become a firm fixture in U2’s live shows throughout the years, and a live version of the song plays over the end credits of the 2002 docu-drama movie Bloody Sunday.