Released 21 October 2002 Genre Rock | Format CD, DVD Label Island / Interscope | |
Length 4:37 (William Orbit mix)
4:25 (Band version) Writer(s) U2 (music), Bono (lyrics) | ||
"Electrical Storm" is a song by Irish rock band U2 and the only single from their second compilation album, The Best of 1990–2000, and one of the two new songs recorded for that album (the other one being "The Hands That Built America"). The music video for the song prominently features drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., as well as actress Samantha Morton. The song was written by Bono and is about two lovers who are fighting and the tension between them; it relates this to a looming electrical storm.
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Although the song did not make a big impression in the U.S., reaching only to #77, the song did well elsewhere, peaking at #1 in Canada and many European countries. It also peaked at #5 on the UK Singles Chart and made #s 13 and 26 on the Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, respectively. It made #5 in Australia.
Composition
Two official versions of the song exist — the "Band Version" mixed by Carl Glanville, and the "William Orbit Mix" mixed by William Orbit and featuring a much quieter intro. The "William Orbit Mix" appeared on The Best of 1990-2000 and the "Band Version" was featured on the B-sides disc of the album. A third version was heard, briefly, on radio stations in the UK and Australia, shortly before official release of the single. Sometimes called the "Radio One Mix" (because it was originally played on Radio One in the UK, and in the middle of the song a Radio One station call sign is heard), this version is a very-mellow sounding mix, with different guitar lines during the chorus and traditional U2 "chiming" riff at the start of the guitar solo towards the end of the song. It is believed this was a demo version that was leaked to radio, and it now is thought to only exist as private fan off-air recordings.
Live performances
Though released in 2002, the song was not played live until the U2 360° Tour when it was played in the William Orbit style during the tour's second night in Barcelona, Spain on 2 July 2009. It was subsequently played twice more: on 8 July 2009 in Milan, Italy and on 1 August 2009 in Gothenburg, Sweden.