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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_unforgettable_fire.png]]
2 [[caption-width-right:300:''If I could through myself set your spirit free\
3I'd lead your heart away']]
4->''Nothing like love\
5There's nothing like love\
6\
7Nobody like you\
8There's nobody like you\
9\
10Early morning, April 4\
11Shot rings out in the Memphis sky\
12Free at last, they took your life\
13They could not take your pride''
14-->--'''"Pride (In the Name of Love)"'''
15
16''The Unforgettable Fire'' is the fourth studio album recorded by Irish rock band Music/{{U2}}. It was released through Island Records on 1 October 1984.
17
18Not wanting to be written off as another ArenaRock band and seeking to find a more artistic sound, the band sought producers Music/BrianEno and Daniel Lanois. But just because they wanted something more artistic didn't mean they sought to mute their social messaging: for one, the title is inspired by an art exhibit about [[UsefulNotes/AtomicBombingsOfHiroshimaAndNagasaki the bombing of Hiroshima]].
19
20What was intended to be a month-long recording session at Slane Castle in County Meath dragged on into the summer, and moved to Windmill Lane, Dublin.
21
22Although the album hit a roadblock in their native Ireland, only reaching #53 on the album chart there, it roughly matched the numbers for ''[[Music/WarU2Album War]]'' in the United Kingdom (double-Platinum, #1 on the OCC album chart) and the United States (triple-Platinum, #12 on the Billboard 200 album chart).
23
24The album spawned two singles: "Pride (In the Name of Love)", and the TitleTrack. The title track would be U2's first #1 single in Ireland, while both singles would go well into the Top 10 in the United Kingdom (#3 and #6, respectively). And "Pride", a song that saluted American civil rights legend [[UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.]], would be their first pop hit there, reaching #33 on the Billboard Hot 100.
25
26The album was remastered for its 25th anniversary, released through Creator/MercuryRecords on 27 October 2009. Four different versions were released, including a new vinyl album; the remastered CD release; a deluxe CD collection with a bonus CD of B-sides and live tracks; and a limited edition that added a DVD and a hardback book.
27
28!!Tracklist
29[[AC:Side One]]
30# "A Sort of Homecoming" (5:28)
31# "Pride (In the Name of Love)" (3:48)
32# "Wire" (4:19)
33# "[[TitleTrack The Unforgettable Fire]]" (4:55)
34# "Promenade" (2:35)
35
36[[AC:Side Two]]
37[numlist:6]
38# "4th of July" (2:12)
39# "Bad" (6:09)
40# "Indian Summer Sky" (4:17)
41# "Elvis Presley and America" (6:23)
42# "MLK" (2:31)
43[/numlist]
44
45!!''Sleep. Sleep tonight. And may your tropes be realized:''
46* AlternateAlbumCover: Cassette editions used a different shot of the band in front of Slane Castle.
47* DrugsAreBad: "Bad" is about a childhood friend of Bono who had died of a heroin overdose. "Wire" also seems to reference drug addiction.
48* EpicRocking: "Bad" and "Elvis Presley and America" both breach six minutes.
49* {{Instrumentals}}: "4th of July" is an ambient instrumental that was improvised by The Edge and Adam Clayton in the studio.
50* LighterAndSofter: The album is this to ''Music/{{War|U2Album}}'', featuring a less aggressive sound, glossier production, and elements of ambient music, all courtesy of Brian Eno.
51* NewSoundAlbum: The band's sound shifts to the denser, more atmospheric arrangements that would become a hallmark of their work going forward, owed to the fact that this was their first album with {{ambient}} pioneer Music/BrianEno as producer.
52* ShoutOut: "Pride" and "MLK" both contain allusions to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
53* TitleTrack: "The Unforgettable Fire"'
54* WordSaladLyrics: "Elvis Presley and America" is a particularly notable example, as all of the lyrics and the melody were improvised on the first take by Bono as he listened to the backing track for the first time.

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