Adele collaborator adds thumping beat to rockers' Mandela tribute
By Eric R. Danton, Rolling Stone
U2 contributed "Ordinary Love" to Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and last week walked away with a Golden Globe nomination for it, but Danger Mouse's film-ready mix is not the only version of the song the band has commissioned. Adele collaborator Paul Epworth underpins the tune with a thumping beat in his take on "Ordinary Love," which U2 posted on Soundcloud.
"We think Paul Epworth's mix is a very soulful, uplifting one and we hope our audience will agree," Bono said in a statement on Soundcloud. "Nelson Mandela's life and times meant more to me than I can ever tell you, I would need a hundred songs to do that. . . but this complicated little love song to Winnie and South Africa is the one that landed on our lap."
The band took a break from working with Danger Mouse on their new album to write "Ordinary Love" for the film at the request of Harvey Weinstein, the executive producer. "When I asked them to consider writing a song for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, it was the fastest 'yes' I have ever received," Weinstein said recently. "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 reportedly planning a spring release for their new album, the band's first since No Line on the Horizon in 2009. Bassist Adam Clayton said earlier this fall that the band expects to include 12 songs on the LP, which they hope to make available by April.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, starring Idris Elba, is due in theaters on Christmas day. The movie is based on a memoir by the former South Africa president, who was 95 when he died earlier this month.
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This is a fine version of the song. I still think, though, that U2 is trying to be too perfectionistic when it comes to these new singles.