The Song That Saved Andy Rowen's Life
From RTE:
Bad: The Song That Saved My Life explores Rowen’s life, from his childhood on Dublin’s northside to his struggles with trauma and heroin addiction, and the friendship that connected him with Bono and other figures from Dublin’s 1980s music scene.
Bad: The Song That Saved My Life airs on Monday 15 June at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. Hopefully it finds it's way to the rest of the world somehow so I can watch it.
Bad is a song that speaks to drug addiction in Ireland during the '80's, but like many great songs, transcends it's original meaning and purpose to take on whatever a listener might need it to be for them. It's also a song that got Bono—perhaps rightfully so—mocked on SNL for the repeating use of "'tion" in his lyrics that might make it hard to not hear.
But for me the live version of the song, in particular the version from the early 2000's that they played that transition from Bad to a snippet from 40 into Where the Streets Have No Name is among the best they've done. You can hear it on the 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition of All That You Can't Leave Behind or a sample on YouTube:
If I could, you know I would
If I could, I would let it go.
This desperation, dislocation
Separation, condemnation
Revelation, in temptation
Isolation, desolation
Let it go and so to find a way
To let it go and so to find a way
To let it go and so to find a way
I'm wide awake,
I'm wide awake,
wide awake
I'm not sleeping
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