Song for Someone

This article is about the song by U2. For the album by Kenny Wheeler, see Song for Someone (album).
"Song for Someone"
Single by U2
from the album Songs of Innocence
Released11 May 2015 (2015-05-11)
Recorded2010–2014 in California and New York
GenrePop rock
Length3:46
LabelIsland
Composer(s)U2
Lyricist(s)Bono and the Edge
Producer(s)Ryan Tedder and Flood
U2 singles chronology
"Every Breaking Wave"
(2014) 		"Song for Someone"
(2015) 		"You're the Best Thing About Me"
(2017)

"Song for Someone" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fourth track from their thirteenth studio album, Songs of Innocence, and was released as its third single on 11 May 2015. It was produced by Ryan Tedder and Flood. Lyrically, "Song for Someone" is a love song dedicated by lead vocalist Bono to his wife Ali.

Composition

Lead vocalist Bono described it as a love song dedicated to his wife, Ali. He told Rolling Stone, "Before I even knew what commitment was, I ended up as a young man in the arms of this young woman, in a world somewhat hostile to the concept of the childhood sweetheart and a first love."[1] Rolling Stone compared the track to the band's single "Walk On", stating that the song "begins with gentle acoustic guitars before gradually building up to a "Walk On"-style crescendo."[2]

The song "13 (There Is a Light)" on the group's subsequent album, Songs of Experience, features a reprise of the chorus from "Song for Someone".

Music video

The music video for the song is a short film featuring Woody Harrelson and his daughter Zoe. A second video was released 27 August 2015 and premiered exclusively on Facebook for 24 hours. The clip quickly amassed close to a million views. The video was directed by Matt Mahurin, who had worked with the band on previous videos such as "Love Is Blindness" and "With Or Without You".

Release and promotion

To promote the single, the band performed "Song for Someone" on The Graham Norton Show.

Chris Milk and his company Vrse produced a 360-degree virtual reality video for "Song for Someone" that was released in October 2015.[3] Presented by Apple Music, the video was promoted in an Apple-branded bus, dubbed "The Experience Bus",[4] that was located outside The O2 Arena prior to the band's London concerts on the Innocence + Experience Tour.[3] The bus was equipped with Oculus Rift headsets and Beats Solos headphones for fans to use to view the video. It was also released through Vrse's mobile app.[4] The video combines footage of U2 performing "Song for Someone" inside an empty Toronto venue with clips of fans worldwide also playing the song. Production on the project began two months before Apple Music's launch and saw filming take place in 11 countries.[3]

The song has peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart, number 13 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart, number 19 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and number 30 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs Chart.

Reception

Consequence of Sound cited "Song For Someone" as one of the "essential tracks" of Songs of Innocence.

Live performances

The song was performed in every show during the Innocence + Experience Tour. During performances, the video screens displayed a recreation of Bono's childhood home, with his son portraying a childhood version of him trying to write a song.[5] The song was also played on opening night of the Experience + Innocence Tour in Tulsa, in 2018.[6]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Slovenia (SloTop50)[7] 44
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[8] 13
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[9] 19
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[10] 21

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[11] 2× Diamond 500,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[12] Gold 25,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "See Bono Grab a Star in U2's New 'Song for Someone' Video". Rolling Stone. 27 August 2015.
  2. ^ "U2's 'Songs of Innocence': A Track-by-Track Guide". [[Rolling Stone (magazine)|]]. September 9, 2014. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Watercutter, Angela (27 October 2015). "Apple Showcases Its VR Dreams—With a U2 Video". Wired. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b Matney, Lucas (28 October 2015). "Apple Shows Off Its First-Ever Piece Of Virtual Reality Content With U2 Music Video". TechCrunch. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  5. ^ Lederman, Marsha (15 May 2015). "After almost 40 years, U2 still brings the magic to tour opener in Vancouver". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  6. ^ "U2 Experience + Innocence Tour - U2 on tour".
  7. ^ "SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart". slotop50.si. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  8. ^ "U2 Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  9. ^ "U2 Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  10. ^ "U2 Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – U2 – Song For Someone" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  12. ^ "Italian single certifications – U2 – Song For Someone" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved November 26, 2020. Select "2016" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Song For Someone" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".