U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" has been named among the 100 best protest songs of all time by Rolling Stone.
The song, the opening track of the Irish band's 1983 album "War," landed in 30th place - right between #31 "You Haven't Done Nothin'" by Stevie Wonder and #29 "Feels Blind" by Bikini Kills -among the 100 protest songs.
Of "Sunday Bloody Sunday," Rolling Stone said: "Though this stomping anthem was named after the deadly 1972 turning point in the Northern Ireland conflict, U2 eschewed speaking to specific events, even trashing an early draft that alluded too closely to the struggle’s major figures.
"Instead, the band opted for a universal and non-sectarian song about how the specter of war haunted, and continued to haunt, us all.
"A nonpartisan plea for peace ('How long must we sing this song?'), 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' became one of the most iconic pushbacks of the music-video era.
"The band became the pop world’s heirs to the Clash when MTV gave major attention to Larry Mullen Jr.’s military snare-drum cadence, Bono’s white-flag-waving march, and a soggy Denver crowd screaming back, 'No more!'"
Discussing the iconic song in 2016, U2 frontman Bono said "Sunday Bloody Sunday" has "one original thought," which is it contrasts Ireland's Easter Rising of 1916 and Derry's Bloody Sunday in 1972 with the Resurrection of Christ.
"That was that was a bit of a trip," he said at the time, "I think that was audacious at the very least to do that."
He went on to note that it was with great irony that Irish Republicans, including Gerry Adams, the head of Sinn Féin, embraced U2's album "War" and its song "Sunday Bloody Sunday."
Bono said Adams thought "Sunday Bloody Sunday" was "reminding everyone of the injustice the British did to us, and then he found out, you know, that we're nonviolent and we were taking a very different approach."
He continued: "Things changed for us a little bit with that community. Indeed, we then campaigned in the United States against NORAID and NORAID was an organization that raised money in the United States to send home to buy guns and bombs.
"There was a very romantic view in America at the time of the Irish Freedom Fighters - 'we have to support them' - and not realizing they were blowing up kids in supermarkets.
"So, that song, as I say, was very misunderstood.
"Then it had me at some live show that we put out called 'Under Blood Red Sky' declaring it is not a rebel song, this is not a rebel song, which is which was quite rebellious."
Lyrics to U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
I can't believe the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes and make it go away
[Refrain]
How long? How long must we sing this song?
How long? How long?
'Cause tonight
We can be as one, tonight
[Verse 2]
Broken bottles under children's feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won't heed the battle call
It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall
[Chorus]
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Oh, let's go
[Verse 3]
And the battle's just begun
There's many lost, but tell me, who has won?
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart
[Chorus]
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
[Refrain]
How long? How long must we sing this song?
How long? How long?
'Cause tonight
We can be as one, tonight
[Chorus]
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Tonight, tonight)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Tonight, tonight)
Come get some
[Bridge]
Wipe the tears from your eyes
Wipe your tears away
I'll wipe your tears away
I'll wipe your tears away
[Chorus]
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (I'll wipe your bloodshot eyes)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday, oh
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday, oh
Yeah, let's go
[Verse 4]
And it's true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
The real battle just begun (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
To claim the victory Jesus won (Sunday, Bloody Sunday) on
[Chorus]
Sunday, Bloody Sunday, yeah, yeah
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
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