Electrical Storm (song)

"Electrical Storm" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fourth track on their second greatest hits compilation album, The Best of 1990–2000, and was released as a single on 21 October 2002. "Electrical Storm" is one of two new songs that were recorded for the compilation (the other one being "The Hands That Built America"). Two versions of the song were released: the "Band Version", produced by William Orbit and mixed by Carl Glanville and the "William Orbit Mix," both produced and mixed by Orbit. The music video for the song prominently features drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and actress Samantha Morton. The lyrics were written by the band's lead vocalist Bono about two quarreling lovers and the tension between them; he relates this to a looming electrical storm.[2] U2 did not perform the song live until 2 July 2009, on the second concert of their U2 360° Tour in Barcelona, Spain.

"Electrical Storm"
Single by U2
from the album The Best of 1990–2000
B-side
  • "New York" (Nice mix)
  • "Electrical Storm" (band version)
Released21 October 2002 (2002-10-21)
GenreRock[1]
Length
Label
Composer(s)U2
Lyricist(s)Bono
Producer(s)William Orbit
U2 singles chronology
"Walk On"
(2001)		 "Electrical Storm"
(2002)		 "Take Me to the Clouds Above"
(2004)
Music video
"Electrical Storm" on YouTube

Although the song did not chart well in the United States, reaching only number 77 on the US Billboard Hot 100, it performed well elsewhere; it reached number one in Canada, Italy, and Spain, as well as the top ten in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, and Switzerland. It also peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart, and at number 14 and 26 on the US Alternative Songs and Mainstream Rock charts, respectively.

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.

Shortly before the official release of the single, a third version of the song[3] was broadcast on radio stations in the United Kingdom, Australia and Latin America. Unofficially called the "Radio One Mix" (because it was originally played on BBC Radio 1, and in the middle of the song said station's 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.

Live performances

The song was rehearsed during the Vertigo Tour, but did not make it to a full show 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.[4]

Formats and track listings
CD 1 (063 909-2)
No.TitleMixed byLength
1."Electrical Storm" (William Orbit mix)William Orbit4:37
2."New York" (Nice mix)Jimmy "KLF" Cauty5:43
3."New York" (Nasty mix)Jimmy "KLF" Cauty5:00
CD 2 (063 910-2)
No.TitleMixed byLength
1."Electrical Storm" (band version)Carl Glanville4:26
2."Bad/"40"/Where the Streets Have No Name" (live at the Fleet Center, Boston, Massachusetts, June 2001)John Harris and Steve Lillywhite12:28
CD 3 (603 886-2)
No.TitleMixed byLength
1."Electrical Storm" (William Orbit mix)William Orbit4:37
2."Electrical Storm" (band version)Carl Glanville4:26
Japan CD (UICI-5009)
No.TitleMixed byLength
1."Electrical Storm" (William Orbit mix)William Orbit4:37
2."New York" (Nice mix)Jimmy "KLF" Cauty5:43
3."New York" (Nasty mix)Jimmy "KLF" Cauty5:00
4."Electrical Storm" (band version)Carl Glanville4:26
5."Bad/"40"/Where the Streets Have No Name" (live at the Fleet Center, Boston, June 2001)John Harris and Steve Lillywhite12:28
DVD (063 857-9)
No.TitleLength
1."Electrical Storm" (William Orbit mix)4:37
2."Electrical Storm" (director's cut video)4:25
3."Video Interview with Larry" 
4."Photo Gallery" (Anton Corbijn photographs) 

Personnel

Charts

Release history
Release dates and formats for "Electrical Storm"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Australia 21 October 2002 CD Island [46]
United Kingdom
  • CD
  • DVD
 [47]
Canada 22 October 2002 [48]
Japan 23 October 2002 CD [49]

See also

References
  1. MusicOMH.com, Electrical Storm Archived 19 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  2. U2.com Discography, Electrical Storm Archived 15 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. U2- Electrical Storm (Radio One Mix). YouTube. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  4. "Electrical Storm". U2Gigs.com.
  5. "U2 – Electrical Storm". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  6. "U2 – Electrical Storm" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  7. "U2 – Electrical Storm" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  8. "U2 – Electrical Storm" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  9. "U2 Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  10. "Top Lista Hrvatskog Radija". Croatian Radiotelevision. Archived from the original on 3 December 2002. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  11. "U2 – Electrical Storm". Tracklisten. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  12. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 46. 9 November 2002. p. 21. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  13. "U2: Electrical Storm" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  14. "U2 – Electrical Storm" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  15. "U2 – Electrical Storm" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  16. "Top 50 Singles" (in Greek). IFPI. Archived from the original on 1 December 2002. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  17. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  18. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Electrical Storm". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  19. "U2 – Electrical Storm". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  20. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 2002" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  21. "U2 – Electrical Storm" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  22. "U2 – Electrical Storm". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  23. "U2 – Electrical Storm". VG-lista. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  24. "Hits of the World". Billboard. 30 November 2002. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  25. "Romanian peak". Archived from the original on 17 February 2005. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  26. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  27. "U2 – Electrical Storm" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  28. "U2 – Electrical Storm". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  29. "U2 – Electrical Storm". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  30. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  31. "U2 Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  32. "U2 Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  33. "U2 Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  34. "U2 Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  35. "U2 Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  36. "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2002". Jam!. 14 January 2003. Archived from the original on 6 September 2004. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  37. "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2002". Jam!. 14 January 2003. Archived from the original on 6 September 2004. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  38. "Top 100 top played radio tracks in Canada in 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on 12 August 2004. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  39. "Top 100 Songs of 2002". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2002. Archived from the original on 2 June 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  40. "Top of the Music – Mix e Singoli" (PDF) (in Italian). FIMI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  41. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2002". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  42. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2002" (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  43. "Tabla 17 Lista de CD Singles/Maxi más vendidos en el año 2002" [Table 17 List of Best-Selling Singles / Maxi CDs in 2002] (in Spanish). AFYVE. p. 281. Retrieved 11 November 2021. Click on Música grabada.
  44. "Swiss Year-End Charts 2002" (in German). Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  45. "The Official UK Singles Chart 2002" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  46. "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 21st October 2002" (PDF). ARIA. 21 October 2002. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 November 2002. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  47. "New Releases – For Week Starting 21 October 2002: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 19 October 2002. p. 27. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  48. "'Electrical Storm' – U2". u2songs.com. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  49. "新譜発売日一覧 2002年 10月分" [New Release Date List for October 2002] (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 2 December 2002. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
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