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Window in the Skies

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"Window in the Skies"
Single by U2
from the album U218 Singles
B-side"Tower of Song"
Released1 January 2007
RecordedSeptember 2006
StudioAbbey Road (London, England)
GenreRock
Length
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)U2
Producer(s)Rick Rubin
U2 singles chronology
"The Saints Are Coming"
(2006) 		"Window in the Skies"
(2007) 		"The Ballad of Ronnie Drew"
(2008)

"Window in the Skies" is a song by Irish rock band U2 and is one of two new songs featured on their 2006 compilation album U218 Singles. It was released on 1 January 2007 as the album's second single. It was recorded in September 2006 at Abbey Road Studios in London and produced by Rick Rubin. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

As of 2024, it is the last U2 song to appear in the UK top 10 singles chart.

Music videos

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There are two different music videos for this song.

U2 released the first music video for "Window in the Skies" on 20 November 2006, after the completion of their Australian leg of the Vertigo tour. A second version of the video was released a few weeks later.

The first video, directed by Gary Koepke, is a montage that includes nearly 100 clips taken from footage from the previous 50 years of other famous musicians performing in concert.[1] The clips were selected and edited together so that either the lip movements or the finger movements of the musicians, who actually were performing other songs, match up with either the lyrics or the music of the U2 song. The musicians in order of appearance are: Frank Zappa, Billie Holiday, Simon & Garfunkel, Roy Orbison, Björk, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Marley, Talking Heads, Louis Armstrong, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Frank Sinatra, John Stirratt, Kanye West, Mick Jones, Nat King Cole, Paul Cook, Pete Townshend, The Rolling Stones, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Ozzy Osbourne, The Temptations, Sharleen Spiteri, Elvis Costello, The Ramones, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Joe Strummer, Johnny Cash, Iggy Pop, Radiohead, Mary J. Blige, Jane's Addiction, Elvis Presley, Al Green, Morrissey, Beck, Britney Spears, Elton John, The Police, Wu-Tang Clan, Arcade Fire, Joey Ramone, The Temptations, White Stripes, Funkadelic, Kurt Cobain, U2, Charles Mingus, John Paul Jones, Arcade Fire, Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Adam Clayton, Chrissie Hynde, Alicia Keys, Ray Charles, Little Richard, The Beatles, Sam Cooke, Keith Moon, David Bowie, The Beatles, Smokey Robinson, John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, Vladimir Horowitz, Ronnie Spector, John Bonham, Queen, Unidentified, Jackie Wilson, Beastie Boys, Fela Kuti, Talking Heads, Public Enemy, MC5, Flavor Flav, U2, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jay-Z, Larry Mullen Jr., Patti Smith, Apollo Sunshine, Stevie Wonder, Nirvana, U2 and Frank Sinatra.

The only confirmed location of the video is the Corner Hotel in Richmond in Melbourne, Australia. The band is featured only very briefly in the crowds as fans.[2]

The second video, directed by Jonas Odell, is another montage. The camera flies through a surreal landscape with floating buildings and still images, mostly of the band from their U2 By U2 autobiography, morphing into each other.

Live performances

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The song has only been performed on the fifth leg of U2's Vertigo Tour.[3] The Edge played the song on a Rickenbacker 330-12.

Track listings

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CD
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Window in the Skies" (Single version)U24:00
2."Tower of Song" (From Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man)Leonard Cohen5:43
Total length:9:43
Maxi-CD
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Window in the Skies" (Single version)U24:00
2."Zoo Station" (Live at River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina)U24:35
3."Kite" (Live at Telstra Stadium, Sydney, Australia)U28:05
Total length:16:40
DVD
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Window in the Skies" (Audio)U24:00
2."The Saints Are Coming" (Video; featuring Green Day)Richard Jobson, Stuart Adamson3:21
3."Tower of Song" (Video - from Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man)Leonard Cohen6:01
Total length:13:22

Charts

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ BBC Radio 1 Chart Blog, U2 - "Window in the Skies
  2. ^ U2.com, A Window on Rock'n'Roll
  3. ^ U2-Vertigo-Tour.com, All times "Window in the Skies" played live by U2
  4. ^ "U2 – Window in the Skies". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  5. ^ "U2 – Windows in the Skies" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  6. ^ "U2 – Window in the Skies" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  7. ^ "U2 – Window in the Skies" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  8. ^ "U2 Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard.
  9. ^ "U2 Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard.
  10. ^ "U2 Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "U2 – Window in the Skies". Tracklisten. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  12. ^ "The ARIA Report: European Top 20 Charts – Week Commencing 15th January 2007" (PDF). ARIA. 15 January 2007. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  13. ^ "U2 – Window in the Skies" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  14. ^ "Top 50 Singles: 18–24/2/2007" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 27 February 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  15. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Window in the Skies". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  16. ^ "U2 – Window in the Skies". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  17. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 3, 2007" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  18. ^ "U2 – Window in the Skies" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  19. ^ "U2 – Window in the Skies". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  20. ^ "U2 – Window in the Skies". VG-lista. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  21. ^ "U2 – Window in the Skies" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  22. ^ "U2 – Window in the Skies". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 23 November 2009.
  23. ^ "U2 – Window in the Skies". Swiss Singles Chart.
  24. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  25. ^ "U2 Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard.
  26. ^ "U2 Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  27. ^ "U2 Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  28. ^ "Top of the Music – Mix e singoli" (in Italian). FIMI. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  29. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2007". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  30. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2007" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
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