| "Numb" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:U2numb.jpg) VHS single cover | ||||
| Single by U2 | ||||
| from the album Zooropa | ||||
| Released | June 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1990–1993[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:22 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Composer(s) | U2 | |||
| Lyricist(s) | The Edge | |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| U2 singles chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Numb_promo_U2.jpg) Promo CD version of "Numb" | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Numb" on YouTube | ||||
"Numb" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their eighth album, Zooropa (1993), and was released in June 1993 by Island Records and PolyGram as the album's first single. The song features a monotonous mantra of "don't" commands spoken by guitarist the Edge amidst a backdrop of various sound effects and samples. The noisy composition and lyrical concept for "Numb" were inspired by the theme of sensory overload, which had prominently been incorporated into the Zoo TV Tour. Lead singer Bono and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. provided backing vocals on the track.
"Numb" originated as a discarded song from the Achtung Baby recording sessions called "Down All the Days". While recording Zooropa, the band transformed the song with mixing assistance from co-producer Flood, the addition of keyboards and samples by co-producer Brian Eno, and the addition of the Edge's monotone vocals. The song was released as a VHS single, featuring music videos directed by Kevin Godley and Emergency Broadcast Network, respectively, but it did not attain widespread commercial success. U2 added "Numb" to their live set lists after resuming their Zoo TV Tour in May 1993, but like most songs on Zooropa it has never been performed live since the end of that tour.[2]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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