Songs of Surrender

This article is about the U2 album. For the film, see Song of Surrender.

Songs of Surrender
Studio album of re-recorded songs by
U2
Released17 March 2023 (2023-03-17)
Studio
GenreAcoustic[1][2]
Length165:50
LabelIsland, Interscope
ProducerThe Edge
U2 chronology
Songs of Experience
(2017) 		Songs of Surrender
(2023) 		Zoo TV Live in Dublin 1993
(2024)
Singles from Songs of Surrender
  1. "Pride (In the Name of Love)"
    Released: 11 January 2023[3]
  2. "With or Without You"
    Released: 27 January 2023
  3. "One"
    Released: 12 February 2023
  4. "Beautiful Day"
    Released: 3 March 2023
  5. "Invisible"
    Released: 17 March 2023[4]

Songs of Surrender is an album of re-recorded songs by Irish rock band U2. Produced by guitarist the Edge, it was released on 17 March 2023 on Island Records and Interscope Records.[5] Largely the effort of the Edge and lead vocalist Bono, the album comprises re-recorded and reinterpreted versions of 40 songs from the group's back catalogue, many in stripped-down and acoustic arrangements. The album is a companion to Bono's memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story (2022), which was structured into 40 chapters titled after U2 songs. Rearranged versions of the songs were first included in the audiobook edition of the memoir, and were performed by Bono during the book's promotional tour.

Recording on Songs of Surrender began in 2021 and spanned a two-year period during lockdowns for the COVID-19 pandemic. The Edge and Bono worked on the album informally at the Edge's home and in France, as well as at recording studios in London and Los Angeles. During the sessions, the band members collaborated with numerous producers and musicians, including Bob Ezrin, Duncan Stewart, Declan Gaffney, and Stjepan Hauser.

Songs of Surrender was released on numerous formats in 16-track, 20-track, and 40-track editions, and a dozen coloured variants of the double-LP vinyl edition were produced. The album garnered mixed reception from critics. It debuted at number one on 11 charts in Europe, including in the United Kingdom for U2's 11th number one there and first since 2009. However, sales quickly tapered off; the album charted for only three weeks in the UK, and one week in the United States after debuting at number five. The album's release was accompanied by a television documentary film, Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman, which premiered on Disney+.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference guardian-rev was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference rs-rev was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Qureshi, Arusa (11 January 2023). "Listen to 'reimagined and re-recorded' version of U2's 'Pride (In The Name Of Love)'". NME. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  4. ^ Seminara, Ali (17 March 2023). "U2 - Invisible (Radio Date: 17-03-2023)" (in Italian). EarOne. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  5. ^ Blistein, Jon (10 January 2023). "U2 Reimagined 40 of Their Own Songs for New Album 'Songs of Surrender'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 January 2023.