| Wide Awake in America | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| EP by | ||||
| Released | 20 May 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1984–1985 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 20:40 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | U2, Tony Visconti, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois | |||
| U2 chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B[2] |
| Rolling Stone | mixed[3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
Wide Awake in America is a four-track extended play by Irish rock band U2. It was released on 20 May 1985 through Island Records. It combines two live performances of songs from the group's 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire with two B-sides from the era, which had previously been available only in the United Kingdom. Wide Awake in America was originally released only in North America and Japan but it charted in the UK as an import. It was re-released internationally in 1990.
The EP's centerpiece, "Bad", a song about heroin addiction, would become a staple of their live set, particularly after an extended performance at Live Aid in which lead vocalist Bono danced with a woman in the audience. Radio programmers often chose this Wide Awake in America version over the original studio recording for airplay. The EP's title is inspired by the chorus of "Bad", with its refrain, "Wide awake / I'm wide awake / I'm not sleeping."
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Wide Awake in America – U2". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "U2 – Consumer Guide Reviews". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
- ^ Henke, James (18 July 1985). "Music Review: Wide Awake in America". Rolling Stone. No. 452–453. Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ^ "U2: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 18 June 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2012.