Bloody Sunday

The Mayors massacre the Grenadiers

WATSON, AL - From Bono's introduction, "There's been a lot of talk about this next song, maybe too much talk. This song is not a rebel song. This song is 'Sunday, Bloody Sunday'", you knew there had been way too much talk about the song and you knew it was definitely a rebel song. Written and recorded in 1982 and released in 1983, "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" is the first track on U2’s War album. U2 recorded the song at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland with producer Steve Lillywhite who encouraged drummer Larry Mullen Jr. to use a click track which gave the song it's distinguished militaristic hook. It is the quintessential U2 song. The song was instrumental in breaking the band into the United States' pop culture thanks to the heavy rotation the video received on Music Television (MTV). Although a music video had not been produced for the song's original release, the band used footage from their June 5, 1983 live performance filmed at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Morrison, Colorado for their concert film U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky to help promote the song. The song and video conveyed the band’s true substance, grit and their stance against violence in Northern Ireland and everywhere else. The song's roots are buried in the ongoing Nationalists vs. Unionists conflict in Northern Ireland and in particular “Bloody Sunday” when on January 30, 1972, British soldiers opened fire on a peaceful protest in Derry, killing 14 unarmed civil rights protesters. On Sunday, November 2, 1997, a scheduled U2 concert at Montreal's Olympic Stadium conflicted with an unexpected home playoff game between the Canadian Football League's (CFL) Montreal Alouettes and British Columbia Lions. As a result, the team opted to move the game to Percival Molson Stadium at McGill University. The Alouettes, who struggled with attendance issues at Olympic Stadium upon returning in 1996, were on the verge of contraction. When the team announced they were playing this playoff game at McGill, interest in the team soared and the game sold out. The Larks defeated the Lions 45-35 to advance in the Grey Cup playoffs and the success of the move prompted the team to relocate permanently to the smaller venue the following season. In honor of the unintended role U2 played in saving the franchise, the Alouettes still play "Sunday Bloody Sunday" prior to every Sunday home game. In Week 2 of the BDFL, the Magic City Mayors showed their might as they blasted the Grenadiers 58-39 in what the locals are now calling the "Mineral Springs Massacre", and if you listen real closely, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" can still be heard echoing up from Jew Hollow.

Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2 (Live 1983)

Final Scores

Agony of Defeat