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The question, when considering a greatest hits album by a band as ingenious as U2, is why? Why,
after a career of stretching creative and musical limits, would they drop back and release a greatest hits album, something they've been reported as saying they wouldn't do?

In The Best of 1980-1990, all the standby singles are present. And
while the songs have the same primal emotional impact, nothing
new is presented. Except for a re-mix of "Sweetest Thing" which
was originally supposed to be on The Joshua Tree, but wasn't
finished in time. It later appeared as a B-side. I prefer the original.
True, it's not as polished, and doesn't include the new mix's ironic harmonies. It's rougher, but more genuine in it's intensity and gives the song a poignancy which is lost in the re-mix.

The release would have more variety if some of U2's lesser-known hits were included. Songs like "One Tree Hill", "Redhill Mining Town", "Gloria" and "40" are painfully not present.

Regardless, the epic scope of U2's music from that era creates its own world. Compiling it like this with time's generous perspective allows us entrance into that world and our memories in a different way.

© 1999 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved.

One man come in the name of love,
One man come and go.
One come here to justify,
One man to overthrow,
In the name of love,
What more in the name of love.

One man crawled on a barb wire fence,
One man he resist.
One man washed on an empty beach.
One man betrayed with a kiss.
In the name of love,
What more in the name of love.

Early morning, April 4.
A shot rings out in the Memphis sky.
Free at last, they took your life,
But they could not take your pride.
In the name of love,
What more in the name of love.

All is quiet on New Year's Day,
A world in white gets underway,
And I want to be with you,
Be with you night and day.
Nothing changes on New Year's Day.
I will be with you again.
I will be with you again.

Under a blood-red sky
A crowd has gathered in black and white.
Arms entwined, the chosen few,
Newspapers say, it says it's true.
And we can break through,
though torn in two we can be one.
I will begin again, I will begin again.
Oh and maybe the time is right,
Oh maybe tonight.
I will be with you again.
I will be with you again.

And so we are told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage.
Though I want to be with you,
To be with you night and day.
Nothing changes on New Year's day.

See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I wait for you
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait....without you

With or without you
With or without you

Through the storm we reach the shore
You give it all but I want more
And I'm waiting for you

With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you

And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away

My hands are tied
My body bruised, she's got me with
Nothing left to win
And nothing else to lose

With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you

I have climbed the highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you

I have run I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
Only to be with you
But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for
But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for

I have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing in her fingertips
It burned like fire
This burning desire
I have spoke with the tongue of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone
But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for
But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for

I believe in the Kingdom Come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
But yes I'm still running.
You broke the bonds
You loosened the chains
You carried the cross
And my shame
And my shame
You know I believed it
But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for
But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for

I can't believe the news today,
I can't close my eyes and make it go away.
How long, how long must we sing this song?
How long? Tonight we can be as one.
Broken bottles under children's feet,
Bodies strewn across a dead end street,
But I won't heed the battle call,
It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.

And the battle's just begun,
There's many lost, but tell me who has won?
The trenches dug within our hearts,
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.

How long, how long must we sing this song?
How long, Tonight we can be as one.
Tonight, tonight.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.

Wipe the tears from your eyes,
Wipe your tears away,
Wipe your blood shot eyes.

Sunday, bloody Sunday.
Sunday, bloody Sunday.

And it's true we are immune.
When fact is fiction and T.V. is reality,
And today the millions cry,
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die.
The real battle just begun.
To claim the victory Jesus won,
On a Sunday bloody Sunday,
Sunday bloody Sunday.

If you twist and turn away.
If you tear yourself in two again.
If I could, yes I would
If I could, I would let it go.

Surrender, dislocate.
If I could throw this lifeless
Lifeline to the wind.
Leave this heart of clay,
See you walk, walk away,
Into the night.
And through the rain.
Into the half-light,
And through the flame.
If I could throw myself,
set your spirit free.
I'd lead your heart away,
See you break, break away
Into the light.
And to the day.

To let it go,
And so to fade away.
To let it go,

And so fade away.
I'm wide awake.
I'm wide awake.
I'm not sleeping.
Oh, no, no.

If you should ask then maybe
They tell you what I would say.
True colors fly in blue and black,
through silken skies and burning flak
Colors crash, collide in blood shot eyes.

If I could, you know I would.
If I could, I would let it go.
This desparation.
Dislocation.
Separation.
Condemnation.
Revelation.
Temptation.
Isolation.
Desolation.

Let it go,
And so to fade away.
To let it go,
And so fade away.
Oh, no
I'm wide awake.
I'm wide awake.
I'm not sleeping.
Oh, no no

I want to run
I want to hide
I want to tear down the walls
That hold me inside
I want to reach out
And touch the flame
Where the streets have no name

I want to feel, sunlight on my face
See that dust cloud disappear without a trace
I want to take shelter from the poison rain
Where the streets have no name

Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name
We're still building
Then burning down love, burning down love
And when I go there
I go there with you...
(It's all I can do)

The cities a flood
And our love turns to rust
We're beaten and blown by the wind
Trampled into dust
I'll show you a place
High on ta desert plain
Where the streets have no name

Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name
Still building
Then burning down love
Burning down love
And when I go there
I go there with you
(It's all I can do)

I was on the outside, when you said
You said you needed me.
I was looking at myself, I was blind
I could not see.

A boy tries hard to be a man,
His mother takes him by his hand,
If he stops to think he starts to cry.
Oh why?

If you walkaway, walkaway
I walkaway, walkaway - I will follow.

I was on the inside
when they pulled the four walls down.
I was looking through the window.
I was lost, I am found.

Walkaway, Walkaway.
I walkaway, walkaway - I will follow.
If you walkaway, walkaway,
I walkaway, walkaway - I will follow.

(Your eyes make a circle,
I see you when I go in there)
Your eyes, your eyes.

If you walkaway, walkaway
I walkaway, walkaway - I will follow

I will follow
I will follow...

Ice.
Your only rivers run cold,
These city lights,
They shine as silver and gold,
Dug from the night.
Your eyes as black as coal.

Walk on by, Walk on through,
Walk till you run.
And don't look back.
For here, I am.
Carnival, the wheels fly and the colors spin
through alcohol.
Red wine that punctures the skin.
Face to face in a dry and waterless place.
Walk on by, Walk on through
So sad to beseige your love so,
Head on, stay this time.
Stay tonight, in a lie.
I'm only asking but I think that you know.
Come on take me away.
Come on take me away.
Come on take me home.
Home again.

And if the mountain should crumble,
or disappear into the sea.
Not a tear, no not I stay in this time.
Stay tonight in a light.
Ever after, this love in time.
And if you save it all, save you love.
Don't push me too far tonight.

My love she throws me like a rubber ball
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
But she won't catch me or break my fall
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
Baby's got blue skies up ahead
But in this I'm a rain cloud
You know she wants a dry kind of love
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing

I'm losing you
I'm losing you
Ain't love the sweetest thing

I wanted to run but she made me crawl
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
Eternal fire, she turned me to straw
Oh oh, the sweetest thing
I know I got black eyes
But they burn so brightly for her
I guess it's a blind kind of love
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing

I'm losing you
I'm losing you
Ain't love the sweetest thing
(Ain't love the sweetest thing)
Ain't love the sweetest thing
(Ain't love the sweetest thing)

Blue-eyed boy meets a brown-eyed girl
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
You can sew it up but you still see the tear
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing
Baby's got blue skies up ahead
And in this I'm a rain cloud
Ours is a stormy kind of love
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing

Yeah, lover I'm on the streets
Gonna go where the bright lights and the big city meet
With a red guitar, on fire
Desire

She's the candle burning in my room
I'm like the needle - needle and spoon
Over the counter with a shotgun
Pretty soon, everybody got one
And the fever when I'm beside her
Desire, desire

(Burning, burning)

She's the dollars
She's my protection
She's a promise
In the year of election
Sister, I can't let you go
I'm like a preacher
Stealing hearts at a traveling show
For love or money, money, money
Desire

I was a sailor, I was lost at sea
I was under the waves before love rescued me
I was a fighter, I could turn on a thread
But I stand accused of the things I've said

Chorus:
When love comes to town
I want to jump that train
When love comes to town
I want to catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did, before love came to town

I used to make love under a red sunset
I was making promises I was soon to forget
She was pale as the lace of her wedding gown
But I left her standing before love came to town

I ran into a juke joint when I heard a guitar scream
The notes were turning blue
When I fell into a dream
As the music played I saw my life turn around
That was the day before love came to town

Chorus twice

I was there when they crucified my Lord
I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword
I threw the dice when they pierced his side
But I've seen love conquer the great divide

It was a cold and wet December day
When we touched down at JFK
Snow was melting on the ground
On BLS I heard the sound (of an Angel)

New York like a Christmas tree
I said tonight this city belongs to me (Angel)

Soul love this love won't let me go
So long...Angel of Harlem

Birdland on 53
The street sounds like a symphony
We got John Coltrane and a love supreme
Miles and she has to be an Angel

Lady Day got diamond eyes
She sees the truth behind the lies (Angel)

Soul love this love won't let me go
So long...Angel of Harlem

Blue light on the avenue
God knows they got to you
An empty glass, the lady sings
Eyes swollen like a bee sting
Blinded you lost your way
On the side streets and the alleyways
Like a star exploding in the night
Filling up the city with broad daylight
An Angel in Devil's shoes
Salvation in the blues
You never looked like an Angel
So long...Angel of Harlem

Angel, Angel of Harlem

You say you want a diamond
On a ring of gold
You say you want your story
To remain untold

All the promises we made
From the cradle to the grave
When all I want is you

You say you'll give me a highway
With no one on it
Treasure just to look upon it
All the riches in the night
You say you'll give me riches
On a moon of blindness
A river in a time of dryness
A harbour in the tempest

All the promises we make
From the cradle to the grave
When all I want is you

You say you want your love to work out right
To stay with me through the night
You say you want a diamond
On a ring of gold
You say you want your story
To remain untold

All the promises we break
From the cradle to the grave
When all I want is you
All I want is you