Band will release 'Ordinary' and 'Breathe' on 10-inch vinyl
by Kory Grow, Rolling Stone
U2 will release two new songs, "Ordinary Love" and a new version of "Breathe," on 10-inch vinyl as part of Record Store Day's "Back to Black Friday" event on November 29th, according to Billboard. The cover of the 10-inch features a painting of Nelson Mandela because the group wrote and recorded "Ordinary Love" for the biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which is based on the South African president's autobiography and comes out the same day. "Breathe," which originally came out on U2's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, is listed on the Record Store Day website as the "Mandela Version." The vinyl is limited to 10,000 copies.
The band members befriended Mandela years ago and, according to their website, they were inspired to write the songs after seeing early cuts of the film. The movie stars Idris Elba (The Wire, Luther) and Naomie Harris (Skyfall, 28 Days Later . . .) and was directed by Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl). The song appears in the trailer for the film.
"When I asked them to consider writing a song for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, it was the fastest 'yes' I have ever received," producer Harvey Weinstein is quoted as saying on the band's website. "The band saw various cuts of the film over the summer and worked diligently to write a song that truly reflects Nelson Mandela. I think they did a brilliant job honoring the man and the leader they have known for over 20 years."
U2 are also working on the follow-up to No Line on the Horizon. "I think it's a bit of a return to U2 of old, but with the maturity, if you like, of the U2 of the last 10 years," bassist Adam Clayton recently recently said. "It's a combination of those two things and it's a really interesting hybrid." He added, "We're in the studio. We're trying to get these 12 songs absolutely right and get them finished by the end of November, and then we can kind of enjoy Christmas."
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