Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Encyclopedia
"Stay" is a song by the rock
band U2
. It is the fifth track on their 1993 album, Zooropa
and was released as the album's third single on 22 November 1993. The song was a top ten hit in the Ireland, Australia, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. The music video was shot in Berlin, Germany. The earliest incarnation of the song developed during sessions for the group's 1991 album Achtung Baby
. It was written for and inspired by Frank Sinatra
and bore his surname as the original working title. An alternate recording was used in the Wim Wenders
film Faraway, So Close!
.
"Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was well received by critics and nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song
. The song made its live debut on the Zoo TV Tour
but has only been performed intermittently in an acoustic version over subsequent tours. Members of U2 consider it to be one of their favourite songs; guitarist The Edge
named it the best track on the album, while lead singer Bono
stated that it was one of their best creations.
. While working in Hansa Ton Studios in Berlin
, guitarist The Edge
and lead singer Bono
created the verse. The track was given the working title "Sinatra
" in reference to the artist whose music inspired it. The group reworked it in preparation of Zooropa
. The Edge noted "it came to us in installments". Bassist Adam Clayton
said "it was hard to figure out how we would do it. I mean, no one is going to mistake us for Frank Sinatra's backing band. A very humble little combo sound is what we ended up with and that really worked." The Edge added "I was playing around on piano with some old-school chord progressions trying to summon up the spirit of Frank Sinatra. It's definitely not from a rock and roll tradition." He worked out a chord progression based on old Tin Pan Alley
songs.
As the recording sessions progressed, Wim Wenders
approached the band and asked them for a song for his next film, Faraway, So Close!
. The Edge said "we heard Wim Wenders was looking for a song... so I had a go at finishing it". U2 watched the film, Faraway, So Close!, for inspiration on how to craft the song. Bono said "the film was about angels who want to be human and who want to be on Earth. But to do so they have to become mortal. That was a great image to play with - the impossibility of wanting something like this, and then the cost of having it." Two versions of the song were crafted; the first was released on Zooropa, and the second, almost two minutes longer and featuring "an edgier guitar and drum performance", was included on the Faraway, So Close! soundtrack. Close to the completion of the recording, Bono changed the song's title to "Stay". Wanting to further reference the Wenders film he then changed it once more, to "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)".
's sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, it is played in common time
at a tempo
of 86 beats per minute in the key
of E major
. The vocals extend from a low note of B3 to a high of D7.
Third Way
contributor Graham Cray wrote that the song "[describes] more directly a culture which consists of a cacophony of voices and images but which has neither soul nor direction." Hot Press
editor Niall Stokes
noted that the lyrics were ambiguous in whether they took place in reality or fantasy, which he likened to the overarching theme of the album. Author David Kootnikoff believed that "the pop melody conceals the lyric's dark theme about a victim of physical abuse who reasons her pain away with the line 'When he hurts you, you feel alive'." Mark Brown of The Orange County Register
described it as "the desperate tale of an abused woman with nowhere to go but back to her home". He compared it to U2's 1987 song "Running to Stand Still
", saying "That same sort of descriptive but distanced narrative is what made [it] so powerful."
were released in the fall of 1993. The 12-inch vinyl
and CD
versions contained the album version of the song. The 7-inch vinyl promo also included a cover of "I've Got You Under My Skin
". "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was released internationally as the third single from Zooropa on 22 November 1993, following the releases of "Numb
" and "Lemon" earlier in the year. It was available in 7-inch vinyl, cassette
, and CD formats in four versions. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was included on U2's 2002 compilation album The Best of 1990–2000, and its accompanying video release. The alternate recording of the song was released on the soundtrack to Faraway, So Close!. Craig Armstrong covered it on his 2002 album As If to Nothing
; Bono recorded a new vocal take for the track.
song, recorded as a duet by Bono and Frank Sinatra. It was also released on Sinatra's 1993 album Duets
. "Lemon (Perfecto Mix)" was remixed by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne. "Lemon (Bad Yard Club Edit)" was mixed by David Morales, who added his own percussion to the track.
"The Live Format" included the first studio release of "Slow Dancing" and live versions of "Bullet the Blue Sky
" and "Love Is Blindness
" from the Zoo TV Tour
. "Slow Dancing" is an acoustic song by Bono and was written for Willie Nelson
. It debuted in concert on 1 December 1989 in Osaka, Japan, on the Lovetown Tour
, almost four years before it was released, and has been performed infrequently since then. While recording elements of "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)", Bono picked up a guitar and began to play the song. When finished he asked Flood if he wanted to record it; unbeknownst to him, the microphone was on and the take had been recorded. A second take was then done. It was considered for inclusion on Zooropa; although producer Brian Eno
liked it, the song was not selected for the album. A second version, recorded with Nelson, was later released as a B-side on U2's 1997 single "If God Will Send His Angels
". "Bullet the Blue Sky" was recorded on 28 August 1993 in Dublin. "Love Is Blindness" was taken from U2's concert on 30 August 1992 in New York City.
but with some sequences in colour. It contains cameos of some of the actors who appeared in Faraway, So Close!, including Otto Sander
, as well as Wenders' nephew. Several scenes are taken directly from Faraway, So Close! and Wenders' 1987 film Wings of Desire
, which also served as the principal inspiration for the video's premise. Wenders noted that "making a video is really a very different ballgame. You have the script, so to speak, because you have the song, and everything you do is in order to help the song shine... You want to make that song look as good as possible and sound as good as possible and as interesting as possible." Several shots depict the band members standing on the statue of Victoria
, a monument at the top of the Berlin Victory Column
; a model of the angel was created for those scenes. Leftover military equipment from the Cold War
, including the Russian MiG
, were included in the background.
The video depicts a band playing "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)". U2 were cast in the role of the band's guardian angels, watching over the position that corresponds to their instrument in U2. Meret Becker
is the lead actress of the video, cast as the band's lead singer. Wenders stated that they "liked the idea that Bono's voice would be sung by a girl in this video." Throughout the video U2 help the musicians play the track; drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. is shown assisting in the beat, while The Edge tunes the guitar, which Wenders noted is "what you'd do if you were guardian angel to a lead guitarist." The video alternates between the band playing, the members of U2 standing on Victoria, and scenes from both Wenders films. At the conclusion of the video, Bono leaves the band on their own. The final shot shows him falling to earth, personifying the final lyric "Just the bang and the clatter as an angel hits the ground."
. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" returned to the live setting on 20 April 2001 in San Jose, California, on the first leg of the Elevation Tour
, making it the first song from Zooropa to be played in North America. It was performed as an acoustic duet by Bono and The Edge. The rendition was impromptu and not on the setlist, with Bono reading the lyrics from a sheet. The song continued to be performed sporadically through the rest of the tour, appearing at 48 of 113 concerts. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was not played during the Vertigo Tour
, but U2 revived it on the U2 360° Tour
. It was played sporadically on the first and second leg of the tour, and was a mainstay feature of the fifth leg. It was the only song from Zooropa performed by U2 at the Glastonbury Festival
in 2011.
Live performances of the song appear on Zoo TV: Live from Sydney
(1994), Elevation 2001: Live from Boston (2001), the "Walk On" and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
" singles (2001), and Zoo TV Live
(2006). The Zoo TV Live performance is an audio rip of the performance from Zoo TV: Live from Sydney. The version on the "Walk On" and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" singles was recorded in Toronto, Ontario, on 25 May 2001.
's "High and Dry
" and Smashing Pumpkins' "1979
" - that just about manages to keep a lid on its impulse to seek out the nearest clifftop." Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said "the performance is full of languorous beauty, a gentle understated kind of emotion that seems at odds with the disorientation in the lyrics." Billboard
contributor Fred Bronson joked that it was an example of how songs named "Stay" reach the Hot 100
, following similarly-named hits by Big Mountain
, The Four Seasons, Shakespears Sister
, and Jodeci
. Robert Levine of Spin
called it one of their best songs, saying "They're still obsessed with transcendence, whether it's the kind you find on a Joshua Tree bluff or a "Miami" dance floor. And ["Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"] framed that search in the most intimate of terms, even when they were too jaded to crawl out from under their lemon
and look us in the eye."
Writing for Time
, Josh Tyrangiel compared it to U2's earlier hits "Where the Streets Have No Name
" and "One
", saying "'Stay (Faraway, So Close!)'... [achieves] the impossible — becoming meaningful to millions of people — precisely because [it is] beautifully vague." David Bauder of the Associated Press
called it "the album's most beautiful song." Peter Howell of the Toronto Star
said that it was "the most conventional U2 song on the album." The Orange County Registers Mark Brown noted "The casual guitar lines on 'Stay' infuse the song with a tension that perfectly suits the subject". The Bergen Record
reviewer Barbara Jaeger called it an "achingly beautiful ballad". Writing for The Dallas Morning News
, Manuel Mendoza said it was "absolutely gorgeous, with Bono's husky moaning evoking a warm yearning."
"Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was nominated in the category Best Original Song
at the 51st Golden Globe Awards
. In 2005, Bono said "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was "perhaps the greatest U2 song", saying it has the "most extraordinary contour of a melody. It's really quite sophisticated. The lyric never misses", and noting that they had "never turned 'Stay' into the single it deserved to be." He named it as one of his two favourite U2 songs, along with "Please
". The Edge called it "the stand-out track on the record." Wenders described it as one of his favourite U2 songs.
Technical
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
. It is the fifth track on their 1993 album, Zooropa
Zooropa
Zooropa Based on the pronunciations of "zoo" and "Europa". is the eighth studio album by rock band U2. Produced by Flood, Brian Eno, and The Edge, it was released on 5 July 1993 on Island Records. Inspired by the band's experiences on the Zoo TV Tour, Zooropa expanded on many of the tour's themes...
and was released as the album's third single on 22 November 1993. The song was a top ten hit in the Ireland, Australia, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. The music video was shot in Berlin, Germany. The earliest incarnation of the song developed during sessions for the group's 1991 album Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 19 November 1991 on Island Records. Stung by the criticism of their 1988 release Rattle and Hum, U2 shifted their musical direction to incorporate alternative...
. It was written for and inspired by Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and bore his surname as the original working title. An alternate recording was used in the Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer.-Early life:Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. He graduated from high school in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area. He then studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and Düsseldorf...
film Faraway, So Close!
Faraway, So Close!
Faraway, So Close! is a 1993 film by German director Wim Wenders. The screenplay is by Wenders, Richard Reitinger and Ulrich Zieger. The film is a sequel to Wenders' 1987 film Wings of Desire. Actors Otto Sander and Bruno Ganz reprise their roles as angels visiting earth. The film also stars...
.
"Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was well received by critics and nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:...
. The song made its live debut on the Zoo TV Tour
Zoo TV Tour
The Zoo TV Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of their 1991 album Achtung Baby, the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1992 through 1993...
but has only been performed intermittently in an acoustic version over subsequent tours. Members of U2 consider it to be one of their favourite songs; guitarist The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
named it the best track on the album, while lead singer Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
stated that it was one of their best creations.
Writing and inspiration
The earliest incarnation of "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was developed during the recording sessions for Achtung BabyAchtung Baby
Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 19 November 1991 on Island Records. Stung by the criticism of their 1988 release Rattle and Hum, U2 shifted their musical direction to incorporate alternative...
. While working in Hansa Ton Studios in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, guitarist The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
and lead singer Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
created the verse. The track was given the working title "Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
" in reference to the artist whose music inspired it. The group reworked it in preparation of Zooropa
Zooropa
Zooropa Based on the pronunciations of "zoo" and "Europa". is the eighth studio album by rock band U2. Produced by Flood, Brian Eno, and The Edge, it was released on 5 July 1993 on Island Records. Inspired by the band's experiences on the Zoo TV Tour, Zooropa expanded on many of the tour's themes...
. The Edge noted "it came to us in installments". Bassist Adam Clayton
Adam Clayton
Adam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...
said "it was hard to figure out how we would do it. I mean, no one is going to mistake us for Frank Sinatra's backing band. A very humble little combo sound is what we ended up with and that really worked." The Edge added "I was playing around on piano with some old-school chord progressions trying to summon up the spirit of Frank Sinatra. It's definitely not from a rock and roll tradition." He worked out a chord progression based on old Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
songs.
As the recording sessions progressed, Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer.-Early life:Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. He graduated from high school in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area. He then studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and Düsseldorf...
approached the band and asked them for a song for his next film, Faraway, So Close!
Faraway, So Close!
Faraway, So Close! is a 1993 film by German director Wim Wenders. The screenplay is by Wenders, Richard Reitinger and Ulrich Zieger. The film is a sequel to Wenders' 1987 film Wings of Desire. Actors Otto Sander and Bruno Ganz reprise their roles as angels visiting earth. The film also stars...
. The Edge said "we heard Wim Wenders was looking for a song... so I had a go at finishing it". U2 watched the film, Faraway, So Close!, for inspiration on how to craft the song. Bono said "the film was about angels who want to be human and who want to be on Earth. But to do so they have to become mortal. That was a great image to play with - the impossibility of wanting something like this, and then the cost of having it." Two versions of the song were crafted; the first was released on Zooropa, and the second, almost two minutes longer and featuring "an edgier guitar and drum performance", was included on the Faraway, So Close! soundtrack. Close to the completion of the recording, Bono changed the song's title to "Stay". Wanting to further reference the Wenders film he then changed it once more, to "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)".
Composition and theme
"Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" runs for 4:58 (4 minutes, 58 seconds). According to Universal Music Publishing GroupUniversal Music Publishing Group
Universal Music Publishing Group is a music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group.UMPG owns or administers more than 1 million copyrights. They are one of the largest music publishing businesses in the world with more than 47 offices in 41 countries...
's sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, it is played in common time
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
at a tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 86 beats per minute in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of E major
E major
E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....
. The vocals extend from a low note of B3 to a high of D7.
Third Way
Third Way Magazine
Third Way Magazine is a UK current-affairs magazine written from a Christian perspective. It is distinctively biblical, fairly highbrow and culturally aware...
contributor Graham Cray wrote that the song "[describes] more directly a culture which consists of a cacophony of voices and images but which has neither soul nor direction." Hot Press
Hot Press
Hot Press is a fortnightly music and political magazine based in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it had a circulation of 19,215 during 2007...
editor Niall Stokes
Niall Stokes
Niall Stokes is the award-winning editor of the long-running fortnightly Ireland music and political magazine Hot Press based in Dublin. He has edited the magazine since 1977. He has been a longstanding champion of Irish music, most famously U2 in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s...
noted that the lyrics were ambiguous in whether they took place in reality or fantasy, which he likened to the overarching theme of the album. Author David Kootnikoff believed that "the pop melody conceals the lyric's dark theme about a victim of physical abuse who reasons her pain away with the line 'When he hurts you, you feel alive'." Mark Brown of The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register is a daily newspaper published in Santa Ana, California. The Register is the flagship publication of Freedom Communications, Inc., which publishes 28 daily newspapers, 23 weekly newspapers, Coast magazine, and several related Internet sites.The Register is notable for its...
described it as "the desperate tale of an abused woman with nowhere to go but back to her home". He compared it to U2's 1987 song "Running to Stand Still
Running to Stand Still
"Running to Stand Still" is a song by rock band U2, and it is the fifth track from their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. A slow ballad based on piano and guitar, it describes a heroin-addicted couple living in Dublin's Ballymun flats; the towers have since become associated with the song...
", saying "That same sort of descriptive but distanced narrative is what made [it] so powerful."
Release
Promotional singlesPromotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
were released in the fall of 1993. The 12-inch vinyl
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
and CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
versions contained the album version of the song. The 7-inch vinyl promo also included a cover of "I've Got You Under My Skin
I've Got You Under My Skin (song)
"I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song written by Cole Porter. It became a signature song for Frank Sinatra and, in 1966, became a top 10 hit for The Four Seasons...
". "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was released internationally as the third single from Zooropa on 22 November 1993, following the releases of "Numb
Numb (U2 song)
"Numb" is a song by rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1993 album Zooropa and was released in June 1993 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...
" and "Lemon" earlier in the year. It was available in 7-inch vinyl, cassette
Cassette single
A cassette single is a music single in the form of a Compact Cassette.- History :...
, and CD formats in four versions. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was included on U2's 2002 compilation album The Best of 1990–2000, and its accompanying video release. The alternate recording of the song was released on the soundtrack to Faraway, So Close!. Craig Armstrong covered it on his 2002 album As If to Nothing
As If to Nothing
As If to Nothing is the second independent album by Scottish composer Craig Armstrong, featuring collaborations with Bono of U2, Mogwai, Photek, Evan Dando, King Crimson, and former Big Dish vocalist Steven Lindsay...
; Bono recorded a new vocal take for the track.
B-sides
Six B-sides were included on across the four versions. "I've Got You Under My Skin (song)|I've Got You Under My Skin" was the sole B-side on the 7" and cassette formats. It was also available on the version dubbed "The Swing Format", which contained two remixes of "Lemon". "I've Got You Under My Skin" is a cover of the 1936 Cole PorterCole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
song, recorded as a duet by Bono and Frank Sinatra. It was also released on Sinatra's 1993 album Duets
Duets (Frank Sinatra album)
Duets is an album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released in 1993.Recorded near the end of Sinatra's career, it consists of duets between Sinatra and other guest star singers from various genres; Sinatra personally chose the performers...
. "Lemon (Perfecto Mix)" was remixed by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne. "Lemon (Bad Yard Club Edit)" was mixed by David Morales, who added his own percussion to the track.
"The Live Format" included the first studio release of "Slow Dancing" and live versions of "Bullet the Blue Sky
Bullet the Blue Sky
"Bullet the Blue Sky" is the fourth track from U2's 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. The song is one of the band's most overtly politically toned songs, with live performances often being heavily critical of political conflicts and violence....
" and "Love Is Blindness
Love Is Blindness
"Love Is Blindness" is a song by rock band U2. It is the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album Achtung Baby. The song was written on a piano by lead singer Bono during the recording sessions for U2's 1988 album Rattle and Hum. Intended for singer Nina Simone, the band elected to keep it for...
" from the Zoo TV Tour
Zoo TV Tour
The Zoo TV Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of their 1991 album Achtung Baby, the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1992 through 1993...
. "Slow Dancing" is an acoustic song by Bono and was written for Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
. It debuted in concert on 1 December 1989 in Osaka, Japan, on the Lovetown Tour
Lovetown Tour
The Lovetown Tour was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place in late 1989 and early 1990.-Itinerary:It was limited in scope, but did try to reach places that their 1987 Joshua Tree Tour had missed, all the while avoiding the United States entirely.The tour's opening night was on...
, almost four years before it was released, and has been performed infrequently since then. While recording elements of "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)", Bono picked up a guitar and began to play the song. When finished he asked Flood if he wanted to record it; unbeknownst to him, the microphone was on and the take had been recorded. A second take was then done. It was considered for inclusion on Zooropa; although producer Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
liked it, the song was not selected for the album. A second version, recorded with Nelson, was later released as a B-side on U2's 1997 single "If God Will Send His Angels
If God Will Send His Angels
"If God Will Send His Angels" is the fifth single from U2's 1997 album, Pop, released on 8 December 1997. It was also featured on the City of Angels soundtrack.-Track listings:...
". "Bullet the Blue Sky" was recorded on 28 August 1993 in Dublin. "Love Is Blindness" was taken from U2's concert on 30 August 1992 in New York City.
Music video
The music video for "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was directed by Wim Wenders, produced by Debbie Mason, and edited by Jerry Chater. The video was filmed in Berlin over the course of three days, primarily in black-and-whiteBlack-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
but with some sequences in colour. It contains cameos of some of the actors who appeared in Faraway, So Close!, including Otto Sander
Otto Sander
Otto Sander is a German film, theater, and voice actor.Sander grew up in Kassel, where he graduated in 1961 from the Friedrichgymnasium. After leaving school he spent his military service as a navy reserve officer and then studied theatre science, history of art and philosophy. In 1965 he made his...
, as well as Wenders' nephew. Several scenes are taken directly from Faraway, So Close! and Wenders' 1987 film Wings of Desire
Wings of Desire
Wings of Desire is a 1987 Franco-German romantic fantasy film directed by Wim Wenders. The film is about invisible, immortal angels who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of the human inhabitants and comfort those who are in distress...
, which also served as the principal inspiration for the video's premise. Wenders noted that "making a video is really a very different ballgame. You have the script, so to speak, because you have the song, and everything you do is in order to help the song shine... You want to make that song look as good as possible and sound as good as possible and as interesting as possible." Several shots depict the band members standing on the statue of Victoria
Victoria (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion, Victoria was the personified goddess of victory. She is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Nike, and was associated with Bellona. She was adapted from the Sabine agricultural goddess Vacuna and had a temple on the Palatine Hill...
, a monument at the top of the Berlin Victory Column
Berlin Victory Column
The Victory Column is a monument in Berlin, Germany. Designed by Heinrich Strack after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War, by the time it was inaugurated on 2 September 1873, Prussia had also defeated Austria in the Austro-Prussian War and France in the...
; a model of the angel was created for those scenes. Leftover military equipment from the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, including the Russian MiG
Mikoyan
Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG , or RSK MiG, is a Russian joint stock company. Formerly Mikoyan-and-Gurevich Design Bureau , then simply Mikoyan, it is a military aircraft design bureau, primarily designing fighter aircraft...
, were included in the background.
The video depicts a band playing "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)". U2 were cast in the role of the band's guardian angels, watching over the position that corresponds to their instrument in U2. Meret Becker
Meret Becker
- Life and career :Becker was born in Bremen, the daughter of the actors Monika Hansen and Rolf Becker. She is the sister of Ben Becker, stepdaughter of Otto Sander and granddaughter of Claire Schlichting....
is the lead actress of the video, cast as the band's lead singer. Wenders stated that they "liked the idea that Bono's voice would be sung by a girl in this video." Throughout the video U2 help the musicians play the track; drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. is shown assisting in the beat, while The Edge tunes the guitar, which Wenders noted is "what you'd do if you were guardian angel to a lead guitarist." The video alternates between the band playing, the members of U2 standing on Victoria, and scenes from both Wenders films. At the conclusion of the video, Bono leaves the band on their own. The final shot shows him falling to earth, personifying the final lyric "Just the bang and the clatter as an angel hits the ground."
Live performances
"Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" debuted on 31 July 1993 in Stockholm, Sweden, on the fourth leg of the Zoo TV Tour. It was performed at all remaining concerts on the tour. It was not played on the PopMart TourPopmart Tour
The PopMart Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 1997 album, Pop, the tour's concerts were performed in stadiums and parks from 1997 through 1998...
. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" returned to the live setting on 20 April 2001 in San Jose, California, on the first leg of the Elevation Tour
Elevation Tour
The Elevation Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2000 album All That You Can't Leave Behind, the tour visited arenas in 2001. After the band's previous two extravagant stadium tours, Zoo TV and PopMart, the Elevation Tour returned the...
, making it the first song from Zooropa to be played in North America. It was performed as an acoustic duet by Bono and The Edge. The rendition was impromptu and not on the setlist, with Bono reading the lyrics from a sheet. The song continued to be performed sporadically through the rest of the tour, appearing at 48 of 113 concerts. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was not played during the Vertigo Tour
Vertigo Tour
The Vertigo Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the Irish rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the band visited arenas and stadiums from 2005 through 2006. The Vertigo Tour consisted of five legs that alternated between indoor arena shows in...
, but U2 revived it on the U2 360° Tour
U2 360° Tour
The U2 360° Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour visited stadiums from 2009 through 2011. It was named for a stage configuration that allowed the audience to almost completely surround the stage...
. It was played sporadically on the first and second leg of the tour, and was a mainstay feature of the fifth leg. It was the only song from Zooropa performed by U2 at the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
in 2011.
Live performances of the song appear on Zoo TV: Live from Sydney
Zoo TV: Live From Sydney
Zoo TV: Live from Sydney is a concert video release by rock band U2 from the "Zoomerang" leg of their Zoo TV Tour. Recorded on Saturday, November 27, 1993 at Sydney Football Stadium on the band's featured stop in Sydney, Australia, it was released in May 1994 on VHS and Laserdisc, and re-released...
(1994), Elevation 2001: Live from Boston (2001), the "Walk On" and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of
"Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" is the second single from U2's 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind. The song, characterised by gospel-tinged melodies and saccharine lead guitar part, won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 2002...
" singles (2001), and Zoo TV Live
Zoo TV Live
Zoo TV Live is a live album by the Irish rock band U2. It was released exclusively to subscribing members of , replacing U2.COMmunication on 20 November 2006...
(2006). The Zoo TV Live performance is an audio rip of the performance from Zoo TV: Live from Sydney. The version on the "Walk On" and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" singles was recorded in Toronto, Ontario, on 25 May 2001.
Reception
"Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was critically acclaimed. Music journalist Sam Richards rated the song four stars out of five, calling it "a twinkling '90s alt. rock ballad - a cousin of RadioheadRadiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
's "High and Dry
High and Dry
"High and Dry" is a song by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, and was the first single released from their second album, The Bends . It was as a double A-side with album opener "Planet Telex"...
" and Smashing Pumpkins' "1979
1979 (song)
"1979" is a song by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Released in 1996 as the second single from their third studio album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, "1979" was written by frontman Billy Corgan, and features loops and samples that were uncharacteristic of previous...
" - that just about manages to keep a lid on its impulse to seek out the nearest clifftop." Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said "the performance is full of languorous beauty, a gentle understated kind of emotion that seems at odds with the disorientation in the lyrics." Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
contributor Fred Bronson joked that it was an example of how songs named "Stay" reach the Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, following similarly-named hits by Big Mountain
Big Mountain (Band)
Big Mountain is an American reggae/pop band, most famous for their cover version of Peter Frampton's "Baby, I Love Your Way," which became a Top 10 hit single in the U.S...
, The Four Seasons, Shakespears Sister
Shakespears Sister
Shakespears Sister/Shakespear's Sister is a British-based synth-pop-rock band formed by Irish-born singer–songwriter Siobhan Fahey in 1988, with plaudits including a BRIT Award and Ivor Novello Award. It was Fahey's first musical outing since leaving Bananarama, and initially a solo project...
, and Jodeci
Jodeci
Jodeci is an American band, whose repertoire includes R&B, soul music, and new jack swing. The group consists of two pairs of brothers from Hampton, Virginia and Charlotte, North Carolina: Cedric & Joel Hailey and Donald & Dalvin DeGrate, all respectively known by their stage names: K-Ci & Jojo,...
. Robert Levine of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
called it one of their best songs, saying "They're still obsessed with transcendence, whether it's the kind you find on a Joshua Tree bluff or a "Miami" dance floor. And ["Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"] framed that search in the most intimate of terms, even when they were too jaded to crawl out from under their lemon
Popmart Tour
The PopMart Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 1997 album, Pop, the tour's concerts were performed in stadiums and parks from 1997 through 1998...
and look us in the eye."
Writing for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Josh Tyrangiel compared it to U2's earlier hits "Where the Streets Have No Name
Where the Streets Have No Name
"Where the Streets Have No Name" is a song by rock band U2. It is the opening track from their 1987 album The Joshua Tree and was released as the album's third single in August 1987. The song's hook is a repeating guitar arpeggio using a delay effect, played during the song's introduction and...
" and "One
One (U2 song)
"One" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby, and it was released as the record's third single in March 1992. It was recorded at three recording studios, Hansa Ton Studios, Elsinore, and Windmill Lane Studios...
", saying "'Stay (Faraway, So Close!)'... [achieves] the impossible — becoming meaningful to millions of people — precisely because [it is] beautifully vague." David Bauder of the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
called it "the album's most beautiful song." Peter Howell of the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
said that it was "the most conventional U2 song on the album." The Orange County Registers Mark Brown noted "The casual guitar lines on 'Stay' infuse the song with a tension that perfectly suits the subject". The Bergen Record
The Record (Bergen County)
The Record is a newspaper in northern New Jersey. It has the second largest circulation of New Jersey's daily newspapers, behind The Star-Ledger. Owned by the Borg family since 1930, it is the flagship publication of the North Jersey Media Group. Stephen Borg is the publisher of The Record...
reviewer Barbara Jaeger called it an "achingly beautiful ballad". Writing for The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
, Manuel Mendoza said it was "absolutely gorgeous, with Bono's husky moaning evoking a warm yearning."
"Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was nominated in the category Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:...
at the 51st Golden Globe Awards
51st Golden Globe Awards
The 51st Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 1993, were held on January 22, 1994 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.-Best Actor - Drama: Tom Hanks - Philadelphia...
. In 2005, Bono said "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was "perhaps the greatest U2 song", saying it has the "most extraordinary contour of a melody. It's really quite sophisticated. The lyric never misses", and noting that they had "never turned 'Stay' into the single it deserved to be." He named it as one of his two favourite U2 songs, along with "Please
Please (U2 song)
"Please" is the eleventh song from U2's 1997 album, Pop. It was released as the album's fourth single on 20 October 1997.As with "Sunday Bloody Sunday", the song is about The Troubles in Northern Ireland. The single cover for this song features the pictures of four Northern Irish politicians —...
". The Edge called it "the stand-out track on the record." Wenders described it as one of his favourite U2 songs.
Track listings
All tracks written by Bono and performed by U2 except "I've Got You Under My Skin", written by Cole Porter and performed by Frank Sinatra with Bono.Charts
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
5 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 22 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
18 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
6 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
13 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 20 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
4 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
61 |
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
| Canada RPM Top 100 RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
14 |
Personnel
U2- BonoBonoPaul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - The EdgeThe EdgeDavid Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
– guitar, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Adam ClaytonAdam ClaytonAdam Charles Clayton is a musician, best known as the bassist of the Irish rock band U2. Clayton has resided in County Dublin since the time his family moved to Malahide when he was five years old in 1965...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Larry Mullen, Jr. – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Technical
- ProductionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
– Flood - Production assistance - Rob Kirwan
- EngineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
– Flood and Robbie Adams - Engineering assistance – Willie Mannion and Rob Kirwin
See also
- List of covers of U2 songs - Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
External links
- Lyrics at U2.com