B-side "Ave Maria" Format CD, DVD | Released 7 February 2005 Genre Rock | |
Recorded HQ in Dublin, Ireland, and South of France Length 5:08 (Album version)
4:51 (Edited version)
5:30 (Alternate version) | ||
"Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" is a song by rock band U2 and the third track from their 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. The song was released as the album's second single in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2005 and it debuted at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. Originally titled "Tough," the song is about lead singer Bono's relationship with his dying father. The song won awards for "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" and "Song of the Year" at the 2006 Grammy Awards.
Contents
Background and writing
The lyrics were written by lead singer Bono as a tribute to his father, Bob Hewson, who died of cancer in 2001; Bono sang the song at his funeral. The video to the song begins with a note from Bono about his father, saying "I wish I'd known him better."
Release
"Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" was released worldwide on 7 February 2005. The song was added to BBC Radio 1's C-list playlist on 29 December 2004. It moved to the B-list a week later and to the A-list a week after that. The song was also playlisted by XFM.
Chart performance
The song debuted at number one in the UK, marking the first time that a U2 album has produced two UK number 1 hits (following "Vertigo" in November 2004).
The single was also the third release in the United States. It reached number 15 on the Adult Top 40 chart, and number 29 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in April 2005. It also reached number 97 on the Billboard Hot 100.