This hymnal tune is the last track on The Unforgettable Fire, and like another track on the set, "Pride (In The Name Of Love)," the song is about Martin Luther King, Jr. After learning about the civil rights leader during a stop in Chicago in 1983, the band felt that his message of peaceful protest was more important than ever, and they wanted to honor that message on the album.
As in "Pride," Martin Luther King is not mentioned by name in the lyrics. Using his initials as the title of this song made it clear that the song was about him and his ideals.
This became a live favorite for U2, getting played on most stops of both their Unforgettable Fire and Joshua Tree tours, and getting revived in 2009 for their 360° tour. Lights in the venues were typically dimmed for the song.
See your Spotify stats (with number of plays and minutes listened) and discover new music.
Music data, artist images, album covers, and song previews are provided by Spotify. Spotify is a trademark of Spotify AB.