Green Day & U2- The Saints Are Coming
Green Day and U2 have collaborated on a single in aid of “Music Rising�, a charity set up by The Edge to help New Orleans Musicians in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. “The Saints Are Coming� is a rousing anthemic song produced by Rick Rubin, best known for his work with the Beastie Boys and R.H.C.P.
The song’s lyrics are about storms, drowning and waiting for rescue, and so fit the situation perfectly. One line is “Drowning sorrow floods the deepest grief� which to me is a perfect poetic eulogy on Hurricane Katrina and the resulting chaos. Even though not written in response to the crisis, U2 and Green Day’s choice of song to fit the bill is pretty much spot on. Watch the video and see what you think…
The video, produced by Chris Milk partly shows the two super groups performing live and in a studio. The more interesting and thought provoking elements though, are the news footage of the aftermath of the New Orleans disaster with a kind of alternative history filtered in. Instead of the inaction that actually happened, it shows George W Bush bringing home the troops from Iraq and instead deploying them on a mercy mission to help the victims of Katrina. The “Saints� from the title of the song, then help American citizens in trouble rather than waging war in a remote part of the world.
It’s a great look at not only the Government’s response to Katrina but also the media response. The song meanwhile, is actually a cover version of a 1978 release by Scottish punk rock band “The Skids�. Here for your delectation is a recording of the original from now defunct British music show “Top of the Pops�.
The song was released last week in the UK and is currently at number 2 in the charts. Although I don’t always agree with bands being political and wish they would stick to what they are good at, this is a triumph and will raise money for a good cause and send a message to the right people. Buy it!
U2, Green Day, The Saints Are Coming, Katrina, New Orleans, Skids
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