U2 Hints at New Music, Reflects on Protest Song Legacy at Woody Guthrie Prize Ceremony
TULSA, OK – U2 members Bono and The Edge offered a glimpse into their creative process and a potential direction for their next album while accepting the prestigious Woody Guthrie Prize in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on April 27, 2024. The band, honored for embodying Guthrie’s spirit of social justice through music, performed a selection of classic protest songs and debuted lyrics from an unfinished track inspired by the life of Palestinian activist awdah Hathaleen.
The ceremony, held at Cain’s Ballroom - a venue U2 last played in 1981, with subsequent visits in 1983 and 2018 - saw the band revisit iconic tracks including “Running To Stand Still,” “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” and “One,” alongside a cover of Woody Guthrie’s “Jesus Christ.” They also spontaneously performed a capella lines from The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” during their acceptance speech. This event marks the first concrete evidence of material intended for a follow-up to their 2017 album, Songs of Experience, with no release date currently announced.
The woody Guthrie Prize recognizes artists who champion the less lucky and drive positive social change through their work. Past recipients include Pete seeger, Mavis Staples, Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen, and this year’s co-honoree, Tom Morello.
Bono emphasized the enduring power of song as a catalyst for change,stating,”Bob Dylan really did bring us to the place where the song was an instrument to open up worlds,” and adding,”America is the greatest song still yet to be written.” The Edge echoed this sentiment, asserting, “Our favorite protest songs always had a sense of vision, something to aim for. You don’t talk about the darkness – you make the light brighter.”
During a discussion with producer T Bone Burnett, Bono shared lyrics from the developing song about Awdah Hathaleen: “one father shot / three children crying / if there is no law / is there no crime / if there is no hope / what’s there to rhyme / history is written / one life at a time.” He also acknowledged the challenge of writing protest songs on demand,stating,”you can’t write a song to order.”
