Cedars of Lebanon (song)

"Cedars of Lebanon"
"Cedars of Lebanon"
Song by U2
from the album No Line on the Horizon
Released	27 February 2009
Genre	Soft rock
Length	4:13
Label	Island
Composer(s)	U2, Brian Eno, and Daniel Lanois
Lyricist(s)	Bono
Producer(s)	Lanois, Eno

"Cedars of Lebanon" is a song by Irish rock band U2, featured as the eleventh and final track on their 2009 album, No Line on the Horizon. The song is sung from the perspective of a war correspondent who is "squeezing complicated lives into a simple headline"^[1] and who "observes "this shitty world" where the aroma of a rose "lingers and then it just goes".^[2] Additionally, the song samples "Against the Sky," a collaboration between producer Brian Eno and Harold Budd, originally featured on the 1984 album The Pearl.

Reception

In a review of the album, Jon Pareles of The New York Times characterized the song as "a somber meditation on war, separation, and enmity".^[3] Comparing the song with "Moment of Surrender" on the same album, NME reviewer Ben Patashnik described "Cedars of Lebanon" as "similarly downbeat but no-less-enthralling", and said that the song "is buoyed by Larry Mullen Jr's martial drumming and a twinkling guitar".^[4] The Sydney Morning Herald called the song a "masterful closer", and said that the "backing vocals, ambient noises and restraint seal a deal alongside the atmosphere of philosophical weariness."^[5]

Personnel

U2^[6]

Bono – lead vocals, guitar
The Edge – guitar, backing vocals, piano
Adam Clayton – bass guitar
Larry Mullen Jr. – drums, percussion

Technical^[6]

Production – Daniel Lanois
Engineering – Tony Mangurian
Additional engineering – Declan Gaffney, Richard Rainey
Mixing – Lanois, Gaffney

References

Footnotes

^ Donovan, Patrick (27 February 2009). "No Line on the Horizon". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
^ Kootnikoff (2010), p. 139
^ Pareles, Jon (2 March 2009). "Last Gang in Town". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
^ Patashnik, Ben (26 February 2009). "No Line on the Horizon". NME. Archived from the original on 29 May 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
^ Zuel, Bernard (28 February 2009). "U2: No Line on the Horizon (Universal)". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
^ ^a ^b Owens, Catherine (2009). No Line on the Horizon (Box format hardback book). U2. Interscope Records. B0012638-00.

Bibliography

Kootnikoff, David (2010). U2: A Musical Biography. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-36523-2.

External links

Lyrics at U2.com

[1] Donovan, Patrick (27 February 2009). "No Line on the Horizon". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 19 May 2013.

[2] Kootnikoff (2010), p. 139

[nytimes-3] Pareles, Jon (2 March 2009). "Last Gang in Town". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2012.

[NME_review-4] Patashnik, Ben (26 February 2009). "No Line on the Horizon". NME. Archived from the original on 29 May 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2013.

[5] Zuel, Bernard (28 February 2009). "U2: No Line on the Horizon (Universal)". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 May 2013.

[NLOTH_book-6] Owens, Catherine (2009). No Line on the Horizon (Box format hardback book). U2. Interscope Records. B0012638-00.

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v t e U2 songs
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2010s	"Ordinary Love" "Invisible" "The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)" "Every Breaking Wave" "Song for Someone" "You're the Best Thing About Me" "Get Out of Your Own Way" "Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way" "XXX"
2020s	"Your Song Saved My Life" "Atomic City"
Category

"Cedars of Lebanon"
Song by U2
from the album No Line on the Horizon
Released	27 February 2009
Genre	Soft rock
Length	4:13
Label	Island
Composer(s)	U2, Brian Eno, and Daniel Lanois
Lyricist(s)	Bono
Producer(s)	Lanois, Eno

v t e No Line on the Horizon track listing
"No Line on the Horizon" "Magnificent" "Moment of Surrender" "Unknown Caller" "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" "Get On Your Boots" "Stand Up Comedy" "Fez – Being Born" "White as Snow" "Breathe" "Cedars of Lebanon"
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