U2 Turn 'Minority' Pre-Cog Into Mermaid For New Video
Posted on Tuesday, August 27 @ 15:08:50 CEST by Macphisto
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(MTV.com) -- Members of U2 have chilled with Robert De Niro, partied with Destiny's Child and negotiated with world leaders. Now they've also romanced a mythological creature from the deep.
Last week, drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., embraced a mermaid as director Anton Corbijn (Depeche Mode, Nirvana, Metallica) rolled the camera in Eze-Sur-Mer, a seaside community in France. The band was there to film the video for the single "Electrical Storm," a new song from its upcoming disc Greatest Hits 1990-2000, which will be released November 5.
Actress Samantha Morton, who played the lead "pre-cognitive" in the film "Minority Report," played the mermaid, who was also filmed on a garden swing. The video for "Electrical Storm" will come out next month.
The song is sweet and plangent, but simpler than most of the tunes on the band's last album, All That You Can't Leave Behind. It begins with chiming bells, gentle strumming and soft, seductive vocals. After the first verse, the drums kick in, giving the track a slightly more upbeat feel.
Like many U2 songs, "Electrical Storm" builds with subtle dynamics, including strings over the bridge and a hiccuping guitar solo. The lyrical content addresses couples struggling, laughing and loving. It's familiar territory for sure, though lines like "It's hot as hell, honey in this room/ Sure hope the weather will break soon" and "The air is heavy, heavy as a truck/ Hope the rain will wash away our bad luck" are perhaps not examples Bono's most insightful verse to date.
In addition to recording "Electrical Storm," U2 recently covered the Ramones song 'Beat On The Brat' for the tribute album We're A Happy Family. Mullen signed on to be a judge for the Shortlist Music Prize alongside other The Strokes, Mos Def, Alanis Morissette, The Neptunes, Iggy Pop, Beck, India.Arie, Sonic Youth and Paul Oakenfold.
—Jon Wiederhorn
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