"Zooropa" | ||||
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Mexico promotional release
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Promotional single by U2 | ||||
from the album Zooropa | ||||
Released | 5 July 1993 | |||
Recorded | Dublin, March–May 1993 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 6:30 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Songwriter(s) | U2 (music), Bono (lyrics) | |||
Producer(s) | Flood, Brian Eno and The Edge | |||
Zooropa track listing | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
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"Zooropa" /zuːˈroʊpɑː/ is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the opening track from their 1993 album Zooropa. The song was the result of combining two pieces of music, the first of which was conceived in the studio, and the second of which was discovered by guitarist The Edge while listening to soundchecks the band had done while on tour. The lyrics were written by vocalist Bono, describing two characters in a brightly lit city in a futuristic version of European society. Lyrics in the song were based on advertising slogans, and also featured the phrase "dream out loud", which has appeared in other U2 media. The song touched on several themes, including moral confusion and the future of European society.
Promotional recordings of the song were released in the United States and Mexico, and the song appeared on two record charts shortly after its release in 1993. The song was briefly performed at three shows on U2's Zoo TV Tour in 1993. The band had difficulties performing it in 1993, and it was not played again until the U2 360° Tour in 2011.
The recording of the song received mostly positive reception from critics, who praised it as the album's opening track.
During the Zoo TV Tour in 1992, U2 were trying to create a vision of an attractive future for Europe, as opposed to a negative, dystopian image that would be found in science fiction. With recent and ongoing events in Europe, such as the Revolutions of 1989, the enlargement of the European Union, and the Bosnian War, lead vocalist Bono created a surreal vision of a European location called "Zooropa". Bono has referred to Zooropa as being a concept album, with a main theme of the exploration of interpellation within the European Union.