Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 19, 2010

"City of Blinding Lights" is a song by rock band U2. It is the fifth track on their 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and was released as the album's fourth single on 6 June 2005. The song was a top-ten hit in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. The music video was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia. The earliest incarnation of the song was developed during sessions for the band's 1997 album Pop. The lyrics were partially inspired by lead singer Bono's memory of his first trip to London, and by the band's experience of playing New York City in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Other lyrics refer to Bono's relationship with his wife. The song's underlying theme reflects lost innocence and was inspired by an image Bono saw of himself from the early 1980s. The track's sound has been compared to the tone of U2's 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire and their 1987 single "Where the Streets Have No Name". "City of Blinding Lights" was well-received by critics and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 2006. The song made its live debut on the group's 2005 Vertigo Tour and has been performed at every U2 concert since. It has been used in episodes of The Simpsons and Entourage, and in the film The Devil Wears Prada. Barack Obama used it at campaign events during the 2008 US presidential election and listed it as one of his favourite songs. (more...)

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