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U2 — When Love Comes To Town
Album: Rattle & Hum
Avg rating:
6.9

Your rating:
Total ratings: 597









Released: 1988
Length: 4:07
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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I was a sailor, I was lost at sea
I was under the waves
Before love rescued me
I was a fighter, I could turn on a thread
Now I stand accused of the things I've said

Love comes to town I'm gonna jump that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town

I used to make love under a red sunset
I was making promises I was soon to forget
She was pale as the lace of her wedding gown
But I left her standing before love came to town

I ran into a juke joint when I heard a guitar scream
The notes were turning blue, I was dazing in a dream
As the music played I saw my life turn around
That was the day before love came to town

When love comes to town I'm gonna jump that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town

When love comes to town I'm gonna jump that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town

I was there when they crucified my Lord
I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword
I threw the dice when they pierced his side
But I've seen love conquer the great divide

When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town
Comments (102)add comment
The whole is less than the sum of the parts.
Posted 9 years ago by handyrae    [ Reply ]
colt4x5 wrote:
It was very generous of BB to let U2 sit in on this one. 

shellbella wrote:
BB tears this up...  {#Clap}

WonderLizard wrote:
I was about to post the same thing. Amazing, raw vocal, "Take this, kid..."
 
U2 are fans of B.B. King and wrote this song for him:

Go Behind U2 and B.B. King's Incredible Collaboration in New Doc Clip

U2 rarely played this live thereafter but B.B. kept it in his set list for years. Nice.
Posted 9 years ago by easmann    [ Reply ]
{#Bananajam}BB, the voice, the legend, will always entertain.
Posted 9 years ago by SteadyRollingMan    [ Reply ]
waouh, I would never have said that this is U2 so different from what we usually here... and, I actually like it, this song is a good surprise ! 
Posted 9 years ago by ChrisVIII    [ Reply ]
 shellbella wrote:
BB tears this up...  {#Clap}

 
I was about to post the same thing. Amazing, raw vocal, "Take this, kid..."
Posted 10 years ago by WonderLizard    [ Reply ]
Not my least favorite U2 song, but it does make me appreciate PSD.
Posted 10 years ago by dwlangham    [ Reply ]
BB tears this up...  {#Clap}
Posted 10 years ago by shellbella    [ Reply ]
Clearly on U2s best songs ever.
Posted 10 years ago by Ahnyer_Keester    [ Reply ]
 dragon1952 wrote:
Ummm....I believe they alternated guitar.





 

{#Whisper}Pretty sure that was The Edge alternating, not Bono and that information has absolutely nothing to do with my opinion that BB King should not have sung on this song.
Posted 11 years ago by sirdroseph    [ Reply ]
 rlr511 wrote:
AGREE
 sirdroseph wrote:

I am not a BB King fan, he should've played the guitar which is fine and let Bono do all the vocals, would've been better IMO.

 

Ummm....I believe they alternated guitar.

 


Posted 11 years ago by dragon1952    [ Reply ]
the only u2 song I would give more than a 6 for

Posted 11 years ago by philinnz    [ Reply ]
sorry... even The King and Lucille can't stop me from punching the PSD.  Play on Dr. Didg.  and thanks RP for the PSD.
Posted 11 years ago by GawgaBoy    [ Reply ]
 colt4x5 wrote:
It was very generous of BB to let U2 sit in on this one.
 
 
He does own this song...Even the sisters singing backup are way in the back.
Posted 11 years ago by kcar    [ Reply ]
 LizK wrote:
   {#Bananajam}←  Lucille                Love it!
 

Indeed...  this synergy between Bono and BB is marvelous...  we be dancing...
 
Posted 11 years ago by Lazarus    [ Reply ]
   {#Bananajam}←  Lucille                Love it!
Posted 11 years ago by LizK    [ Reply ]
LMAO That Bonehead got more neck than a herd of Giraffe I bet BB was laughing all the way to the Bank but there again if BB is a religious man he could not turn up the chance to play with the saviour of mankind.
Posted 11 years ago by Toke    [ Reply ]
It was very generous of BB to let U2 sit in on this one.
 
Posted 12 years ago by colt4x5    [ Reply ]
Ahhh. This hits the spot.

The blues had a son, and they called it rock'n'roll.
Posted 12 years ago by Megavolt    [ Reply ]
nice musical break from the usual U2/Edge "Chunka Chunka" format
Posted 12 years ago by max_p    [ Reply ]
 PopKombo wrote:
BB King sings circles around Bono
 
I doubt that's news to Bono.
Posted 12 years ago by dwlangham    [ Reply ]
BB King sings circles around Bono
Posted 12 years ago by PopKombo    [ Reply ]
Hmmm.....I usually dislike this song, but today I'm really rocking to it. I think I'm re-listening to the lyrics and finding a new meaning in them.
Posted 12 years ago by handyrae    [ Reply ]
 Sasha2001 wrote:
Even Bono hates this album.
 
That counts as a testimonial in my books. This is pure blues rock, doesn't sound at all like U2, and that's fine by me. 7 from the rockin' Nottingham jury.

Posted 12 years ago by fredriley    [ Reply ]
"... but I did what I did before Love came to town."  You said it, big man.
Posted 12 years ago by unclehud    [ Reply ]
Even Bono hates this album.
Posted 12 years ago by Sasha2001    [ Reply ]
Turn it up NOW!!!
Posted 12 years ago by shellbella    [ Reply ]
Works for me!!!
Posted 12 years ago by Dahlia_Gumbo    [ Reply ]
AGREE
 sirdroseph wrote:

I am not a BB King fan, he should've played the guitar which is fine and let Bono do all the vocals, would've been better IMO.


 


Posted 13 years ago by rlr511    [ Reply ]

I am not a BB King fan, he should've played the guitar which is fine and let Bono do all the vocals, would've been better IMO.


Posted 13 years ago by sirdroseph    [ Reply ]
we ALL stand accused of the things we've said...
Posted 13 years ago by MiracleDrug    [ Reply ]
Great duet by these two guys. Guitars and BB’s vocals are super.
Posted 13 years ago by seven7    [ Reply ]
 jmsmy wrote:
A good U2 song - but BB King's vocals are AMAZING
 
Mmm Hmmm! BB totally makes this song!!!
Posted 13 years ago by audiophelia    [ Reply ]
I thought this was on the "Lost Boys" soundtrack, and I love it.  Memphis and Dublin mashup with ladies singing backup!

{edit: It's not on the Lost Boys soundtrack.  Sources: imdb and Wikipedia.}
Posted 13 years ago by unclehud    [ Reply ]
 FlatCat wrote:
'zactly. Painful to listen to. They're both WAY better than that on their own.
 
Agreed. This song bugs the crap out of me.
Posted 13 years ago by scraig    [ Reply ]
A good U2 song - but BB King's vocals are AMAZING
Posted 13 years ago by jmsmy    [ Reply ]
 sdn wrote:
I'm not enjoying the bellowing.
  'zactly. Painful to listen to. They're both WAY better than that on their own.

Posted 14 years ago by FlatCat    [ Reply ]
B-burger-King lays it out real nice on his electric guitar, great big slabs of luurrve 
Posted 14 years ago by drews    [ Reply ]
 Cynaera wrote:
I really hope this was an impromptu, unrehearsed session. BB didn't need accompaniment for this, but his voice seems fuller as a result of this collaboration, so maybe the added injection of younger was like flame to gasoline. Whatever the case, this just rocked me. BB King and his Lucille. Two forces of nature, combined.

{#Yes} What she said!

Posted 14 years ago by tapatia1072    [ Reply ]
This entire album just simply rocks! {#Dancingbanana_2}
Posted 14 years ago by salide    [ Reply ]
I really hope this was an impromptu, unrehearsed session. BB didn't need accompaniment for this, but his voice seems fuller as a result of this collaboration, so maybe the added injection of younger was like flame to gasoline. Whatever the case, this just rocked me. BB King and his Lucille. Two forces of nature, combined.
Posted 14 years ago by Cynaera    [ Reply ]
I'll be downloadin' this one tonight!

{#Dancingbanana}
Posted 14 years ago by ginniet    [ Reply ]
ripping good performance. relax, some of you. it's just music, bono doesn't have to be god and this doesn't have to be 'real blues' though i thank this tune for sparking a love of blues in me, all good music leads to more
Posted 14 years ago by lophrequa    [ Reply ]
 apd wrote:
(quietly) "Can the Edge play rhythm for me? I can't play rhythm... I got stupid fingers..."
(Bono, stunned) "uh... sure... he can play... uh...."
"Yeah... I got stupid fingers..."
(cut to BB ripping a solo.)
 
{#Lol}

Posted 15 years ago by orpheus    [ Reply ]
You can only bear it once. Down-rating it. Ho-Hum. {#Stop}
Posted 15 years ago by McCoco    [ Reply ]
 rcurrier wrote:
Note to whiney Irish aspiring bluesmen:
Don't sing with BB King. All it does is show how ill-suited your voice is to the blues.
You might get away with it if you just sing it by yourself, but the direct comparison is just way too damning.
 
See also: Sting vs. Pavarotti

Posted 15 years ago by lmic    [ Reply ]
(quietly) "Can the Edge play rhythm for me? I can't play rhythm... I got stupid fingers..."
(Bono, stunned) "uh... sure... he can play... uh...."
"Yeah... I got stupid fingers..."
(cut to BB ripping a solo.)
Posted 15 years ago by apd    [ Reply ]
 ruthless wrote:


Bono & BB; fun combination on this one!
 

Spoken like a true Memphis boy! Being from NYC, and points east, I perhaps have a more sophisticated palate....this duet, fucking GROWL's!!!!!! turn it UP! {#Guitarist}
Posted 15 years ago by redstorm    [ Reply ]
 sdn wrote:
I'm not enjoying the bellowing.
 
Sorry, that was me, some physically challenged kids, some veterans, and some nuns had come close to trespassing on my lawn and I had to give them a good dressing down. They won't do that again!
Posted 15 years ago by peter_james_bond    [ Reply ]
Sing the blues Bono, yehe!!

Posted 15 years ago by gregler    [ Reply ]
 tiggers wrote:


Yes it's done to show how utterly dreadful that Little Feat track really is. This is far from U2's best work yet infinitely better than that Little Feat tosh.

 

what he said, just totally invert it!{#Flamed}{#Beat}{#Nyah}
Posted 16 years ago by orpheus    [ Reply ]
Zoe24 wrote:
Followed Little Feat today...Hum.
Yes it's done to show how utterly dreadful that Little Feat track really is. This is far from U2's best work yet infinitely better than that Little Feat tosh.
Posted 16 years ago by tiggers    [ Reply ]
sutcliff wrote:
today too. The game is afoot...
Followed Little Feat today...Hum.
Posted 16 years ago by Zoe24    [ Reply ]
Ah, the incontrovertible truth that Bono must be a SadoMasochist - evident from his pleasure in being whupped off stage by a true bluesman, and then inflicting the results on us.
Posted 16 years ago by Ngoziman    [ Reply ]
must be friday am on RP, no "pretty music"
Posted 16 years ago by smc9229    [ Reply ]
You rule BB!
Posted 16 years ago by Ericac    [ Reply ]
Köles_Tamás wrote:
Interesting. Today it followed Little Feat again.
today too. The game is afoot...
Posted 16 years ago by sutcliff    [ Reply ]
denbear wrote:
Just didn't do it for me, following Little Feat. I can see the connection, but the cultural distance is too far.
Interesting. Today it followed Little Feat again.
Posted 16 years ago by Köles_Tamás    [ Reply ]
bono vs. zz top
Posted 16 years ago by loversclub    [ Reply ]
I'm not enjoying the bellowing.
Posted 16 years ago by sdn    [ Reply ]
This doesn't belongs on my RP. mute.
Posted 16 years ago by MinMan    [ Reply ]
Little Feat followed by this: yep, now you're definitely channeling my parent's tape deck no problem, I'm just wanting to try to contact my flighty mother now and I'm getting pangs for her spinach dip
Posted 16 years ago by jenakle    [ Reply ]
1wolfy wrote:
Get Down Song !!
Bono & BB; fun combination on this one!
Posted 16 years ago by ruthless    [ Reply ]
Get Down Song !!

Posted 16 years ago by 1wolfy    [ Reply ]
Just didn't do it for me, following Little Feat. I can see the connection, but the cultural distance is too far.
Posted 16 years ago by denbear    [ Reply ]
Pez wrote:
rgj, it's a fair critique. Maybe it just bugs me that U2 have always had a wonderful, unique style of their own (not that they have to stick to it), but then they decide to adopt the blues, grab BB for credibility, then try to outdo it for the masses. Bono's got a fine voice, but it felt like they were just trying to establish themselves as bluesmen because they felt like it and could get away with it, being at the peak of their popularity. If we're talking about rock acts who do that, the Stones have done it better for so many years, and have made it their own.
agree, very self-indulgent (think this is about where bono started to get a big head)
Posted 16 years ago by orpheus    [ Reply ]
10. Oh yes, its a 10.
Posted 16 years ago by Ahnyer_Keester    [ Reply ]
the 2 sides of the moon....I think this was the worst blues song ever for a "pro" blues lover.... and an interesting song for any young boy/girl ho liked mainstream music (or at least the band) and has the possibility to discover something "diffe rent"
Posted 17 years ago by exciter76    [ Reply ]
u2? whatever - This makes me wanna hear Spirit's rendition of "walking the dog"
Posted 17 years ago by MinMan    [ Reply ]
The thing U2 did wrong was get too popular by being enjoyed by too many people, thereby ruling out the chilly embrace of the illuminatti. How many kids heard BB King because of Bono? Who would you rather hear on the radio or at the Superbowl? Nickelback?
Posted 17 years ago by djayt    [ Reply ]
I love U2. I hate this song.
Posted 17 years ago by handyrae    [ Reply ]
pilgrim wrote:
one of my fondest concert-going memories was catching U2 on this tour, specifically in Fort Worth with BB King opening up. They performed this during the encore...snippets of which made the film. I was transfixed the entire night, and still feel the electricity when i catch the film. damn goosebumps, can't have anythig nice
i would have liked to have been there with you. i saw bb king the new year's eve and he did his version. most excellent.
Posted 19 years ago by miamizsun    [ Reply ]
I don't want to hear anything from Rattle and Hum. This was the album where U2 "Jumped the Shark." Way overplayed and over rated. Somehow, U2 became relevant again after that, and this is something that I will always be amazed at. But, when this live album came out, U2 became way over exposed.
Posted 19 years ago by Mugro    [ Reply ]
When Love comes to town
Posted 19 years ago by fuh2    [ Reply ]
I used to think this was a decent song. But following after You Can't Always Get What You Want, it seems just...bland.
Posted 19 years ago by xkolibuul    [ Reply ]
rjb4 wrote:
Worst U2 Song Ever (said in Comic Book Guy voice)
exactly
Posted 20 years ago by mogwei85    [ Reply ]
pilgrim wrote:
one of my fondest concert-going memories " ..." I was transfixed the entire night, and still feel the electricity when i catch the film." "damn goosebumps" oh yeah. My bro and I caught U2 in Calgary 3-1/2 years ago for EYCLB - transfixed, electric, and goosebumps are still words I have for this group, their sound and their words. We're all of us just trying to get it right some of the time! Keep on trying, Bono and boys, and all of us.
Posted 20 years ago by stacadette    [ Reply ]
rcurrier wrote:
Note to whiney Irish aspiring bluesmen: Don't sing with BB King. All it does is show how ill-suited your voice is to the blues. You might get away with it if you just sing it by yourself, but the direct comparison is just way too damning.
Not a big fan of The Commitments I take it?
Posted 20 years ago by TheLoneIguana    [ Reply ]
Worst U2 Song Ever (said in Comic Book Guy voice)
Posted 20 years ago by rjb4    [ Reply ]
Is there a way to filter out Tux's comments on Radiohead and U2? :roll:
Posted 20 years ago by rpm    [ Reply ]
rcurrier wrote:
Note to whiney Irish aspiring bluesmen: Don't sing with BB King. All it does is show how ill-suited your voice is to the blues. You might get away with it if you just sing it by yourself, but the direct comparison is just way too damning.
LOL! That is great.
Posted 20 years ago by japanmoran    [ Reply ]
Seeing this movie in a theater was better than any U2 concert I had been to. Great tune.
Posted 20 years ago by japanmoran    [ Reply ]
My bro just finished installing a wonderful home theatre with kick ass sound. Rattle and Hum was the maiden voyage of that ship, and man, was it awesome. If you haven't seen that DVD lately, revisit. Geniuses at the top of their game.. and in black and white, no less.
Posted 20 years ago by GolfRomeo    [ Reply ]
Not the most annoying noise they made, but still the best place for it is the shredder.
Posted 20 years ago by Tux    [ Reply ]
Damn, I was going to say something deep and intelligent, but I don't think I can be more intelligent on this glass of bordeaux at home than I was when I posted the last from work (on tea or coffee, I imagine).... Suffice it to say, U2 had a style that was semi-original, and then evolved to "let's take on the blues because we're really famous and can be self indulgent!" I'm sorry; they're not a blues band. If you're going to be British/Irish and do the blues, you might as well just listen to the Stones (sorry, Joe dear... good thing you're asleep now) or Clapton, both of whom do a fine job.... This track still irritates me, though I'm still a U2 fan generally. Back to the bordeaux.
Posted 20 years ago by Pez    [ Reply ]
upinya wrote:
I hate to be broad and generalizing, but someday someone will explain to me why I'm supposed to think that BB King has talent. A nice voice, sure, but it seems to me his guitar playing is a flat-out joke. Flame on.
2 points: 1. You aren't being "broad and generalizing," rather, your critique is specific with regards to BB. Now, if you were criticizing all blues legends from Mississippi, or even all blues legends from the greater Indianola area of Mississippi, then there would be, perhaps, some concern that you were being overly broad with your critique. 2. You can set a metronome to BB King's guitar playing- he's just that good.
Posted 20 years ago by Zeke19    [ Reply ]
one of my fondest concert-going memories was catching U2 on this tour, specifically in Fort Worth with BB King opening up. They performed this during the encore...snippets of which made the film. I was transfixed the entire night, and still feel the electricity when i catch the film. damn goosebumps, can't have anythig nice
Posted 20 years ago by pilgrim    [ Reply ]
drH wrote:
why should anybody bother to explain it to you? do you own homework, slacker.
Posted 20 years ago by moon_shadow    [ Reply ]
I always defend this album as it seems to be one of the more maligned in their catalogue. Not sure why--the influences already noted in other posts are well employed by many tracks. Even "God Part 2" is fairly interesting to me, if a bit smug. The documentary film detailing this album and tour is another matter, but not bad either. This track smokes, regardless of how inferior Bono may sound compared to B.B. (admittedly so).
Posted 20 years ago by redeyespy    [ Reply ]
upinya wrote:
I hate to be broad and generalizing, but someday someone will explain to me why I'm supposed to think that BB King has talent. A nice voice, sure, but it seems to me his guitar playing is a flat-out joke. Flame on.
why should anybody bother to explain it to you? do you own homework, slacker.
Posted 20 years ago by drH    [ Reply ]
This should be named "Bono gets a singing lesson from THE MAN".
Posted 20 years ago by drH    [ Reply ]
Note to whiney Irish aspiring bluesmen: Don't sing with BB King. All it does is show how ill-suited your voice is to the blues. You might get away with it if you just sing it by yourself, but the direct comparison is just way too damning.
Posted 20 years ago by rcurrier    [ Reply ]
hideglue wrote:
" I dont play no chords"-B.B. KING
"Those are some heavy lyrics for such a young man" -BB King
Posted 21 years ago by Shizzam    [ Reply ]
I hate to be broad and generalizing, but someday someone will explain to me why I'm supposed to think that BB King has talent. A nice voice, sure, but it seems to me his guitar playing is a flat-out joke. Flame on.
Posted 21 years ago by upinya    [ Reply ]
Pez wrote:
rgj, it's a fair critique. Maybe it just bugs me that U2 have always had a wonderful, unique style of their own (not that they have to stick to it), but then they decide to adopt the blues, grab BB for credibility, then try to outdo it for the masses. Bono's got a fine voice, but it felt like they were just trying to establish themselves as bluesmen because they felt like it and could get away with it, being at the peak of their popularity. If we're talking about rock acts who do that, the Stones have done it better for so many years, and have made it their own.
Excellent points, and I think you're right to an extent. I do think, however, that Rattle and Hum is meant to represent their embrace of America, which gets figured partly as an embrace of the American music that gave birth to the kind of rock and roll that made their music, and their success, possible--including (or especially) blues, of course, as well as gospel. But some of that did (or does) seem like a bit of a cagey maneuver, and snagging BB for this cut was as much evidence of that as it was an homage both to him and to their own "arrival." Thanks for your thoughtful reply!
Posted 21 years ago by rgj13    [ Reply ]
I really dig this song... maybe not typical U2, but a really fun song nonetheless; --d
Posted 21 years ago by lindydallas    [ Reply ]
rgj, it's a fair critique. Maybe it just bugs me that U2 have always had a wonderful, unique style of their own (not that they have to stick to it), but then they decide to adopt the blues, grab BB for credibility, then try to outdo it for the masses. Bono's got a fine voice, but it felt like they were just trying to establish themselves as bluesmen because they felt like it and could get away with it, being at the peak of their popularity. If we're talking about rock acts who do that, the Stones have done it better for so many years, and have made it their own.
Posted 21 years ago by Pez    [ Reply ]
Pez wrote:
I was a longtime U2 fan until they hit this phase. On the surface, it would be a fine tune, but it just strikes me as very self-indulgent, even though BB classes it up. I think Bono should've just handed over the mike, so to speak.
I enjoy the song myself, though not nearly as much as others in their catalogue. But I do wonder how it is that "self-indulgence" has come to be a criticism of a pop or rock song, to the extent that I wonder just what sort of indulgence is alleged to be happening, and if it is, who else a performer is obliged to indulge? Just an honest question about the terminology of critique.
Posted 21 years ago by rgj13    [ Reply ]
One of the fascinating things about U2 is their reverence for indiginous American musical forms like the blues, gospel, jazz, etc. It was so great seeing the Edge jamming with BB King on "Rattle and Hum".
Posted 21 years ago by charlesryder    [ Reply ]
I was a longtime U2 fan until they hit this phase. On the surface, it would be a fine tune, but it just strikes me as very self-indulgent, even though BB classes it up. I think Bono should've just handed over the mike, so to speak.
Posted 21 years ago by Pez    [ Reply ]
" I dont play no chords"-B.B. KING
Posted 21 years ago by hideglue    [ Reply ]