Wisdom from a man who was coming to terms with his own mortality.
Take the 2 minutes and 50 seconds to watch this.
Incredible. What a great human being.
MLK & U2
Martin Luther King Jr.’s influence on U2 began in 1984 with The Unforgettable Fire album, featuring:
“Pride (In the Name of Love)” — U2’s iconic hit honoring King’s advocacy for love over violence, calling him “one man come in the name of love.”
“MLK” — U2’s ethereal closer, a quiet prayer: “And may your dreams be realized.”
U2 has played “Pride” at nearly every show since, often with King’s words or images projected onstage as Bono shares what King’s dream means to him.
In 2015, Bono described it as “a dream big enough to fit the whole world... a dream where everyone is created equal under God... everyone.”
In a 2022 SiriusXM U2 X-Radio tribute, Bono said: “Dr. King’s voice is louder today than it has ever been. He is one of the true fathers of our American dream.”
Bono thus links King to the Founding Fathers, who declared in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights...”
The Founding Fathers too were inspired by the Judeo-Christian belief that equality comes from God, for every human being is made in God’s image (Imago Dei, Genesis 1:26-27).
📽️U2 performing “Pride” over the years / Bono explaining King’s dream
U2 began playing “Peace on Earth” as an intro to “Walk On” during the third leg of their Elevation Tour in 2001 (North America, post-9/11 shows).
“Peace of Earth” directly calls to “Jesus” and contains allusions to the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and “Glory to God in the highest, and on EARTH PEACE, good will toward men (Luke 2:14 KJV) — as announced by the angels to the shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth.
You may hear it every Christmas time. But what’s it worth?
📽️ Where it all began: 10 days after 9/11 on the benefit concert/telethon “America: A Tribute to Heroes”