STARING AT THE SUN

Cd I

Cd II
Commercial Release April, 1997
Record Label Island Records
Top Chart Position US: 26, Canada: 2, UK: 3
Album Pop (1997)
TRACKLISTING
Cd I:
  • Staring at the Sun (Album Version) (4:37)
  • North and South of the River (4:38)
  • Your Blue Room (5:28)

Cd II:

  • Staring at the Sun (Monster Truck Mix) (5:06)
  • Staring at the Sun (Sad Bastards Mix) (6:19)
  • North and South of the River (4:38)
  • Staring at the Sun (Lab Rat Mix) (5:05)
LINER NOTES
Staring at the Sun (Album Version): Music by U2. Lyrics by Bono & The Edge. Produced by Flood. Additional production by Steve Osborne. Recorded by Mark 'Spike' Stent and Howie B. Assisted by Rob Kirwan. Mixed by Mark 'Spike' Stent and Steve Osborne. Assisted by Conal Markey and Richard Rainey. Programming: Ben Hillier. Loops: Larry Mullen. Keyboards: Steve Osborne.
North and South of the River: Music by U2. Lyrics by Christy Moore, Bono and the Edge. Produced by Flood. Recorded by Mark 'Spike' Stent and Rob Kirwan. Mixed by Rob Kirwan.
Your Blue Room: Music and lyrics by U2 and Brian Eno (Passengers). Produced by U2 and Brian Eno. Recorded by Danton Supple. Assisted by Rob Kirwan.
Staring at the Sun (Monster Truck Mix): Music by U2. Lyrics by Bono & The Edge. Original recording produced by Flood. Additional production by Steve Osborne. Recorded by Mark 'Spike' Stent and Howie B. Assisted by Rob Kirwan. Mixed by Mark 'Spike' Stent and Steve Osborne. Assisted by Conal Markey and Richard Rainey. Programming: Ben Hillier. Loops: Larry Mullen. Keyboards: Steve Osborne. Remixed by the Sonic Morticians. Produced by Butch 'The Embalmer' Vig and Danny 'Necrophiliac' Saber. Engineered by John 'Carcass Humper' X. Second engineers: Wes 'Grave Robber' Johnson & Jonathan 'Grave Digger' Burtner. Remixed at Westlake Studios, Los Angeles.
Staring at the Sun (Sad Bastards Mix): Music by U2. Lyrics by Bono & The Edge. Original recording produced by Flood. Additional production by Steve Osborne. Recorded by Mark 'Spike' Stent and Howie B. Assisted by Rob Kirwan. Mixed by Mark 'Spike' Stent and Steve Osborne. Assisted by Conal Markey and Richard Rainey. Programming: Ben Hillier. Loops: Larry Mullen. Keyboards: Steve Osborne. Remixed by the Sonic Morticians. Remixed by Flood and Rob Kirwan. Mixed by Rob Kirwan.
Staring at the Sun (Lab Rat Mix): Music by U2. Lyrics by Bono & The Edge. Original recording produced by Flood. Additional production by Steve Osborne. Recorded by Mark 'Spike' Stent and Howie B. Assisted by Rob Kirwan. Mixed by Mark 'Spike' Stent and Steve Osborne. Assisted by Conal Markey and Richard Rainey. Programming: Ben Hillier. Loops: Larry Mullen. Keyboards: Steve Osborne. Remixed by the Sonic Morticians. Remixed by the Sonic Morticians. Produced by Butch 'The Embalmer' Vig and Danny 'Necrophiliac' Saber. Engineered by John 'Carcass Humper' X. Second engineers: Wes 'Grave Robber' Johnson & Jonathan 'Grave Digger' Burtner. Remixed at Westlake Studios, Los Angeles.

Photography by Stephane Sednaoui. Design and computer treatments by ABA, Dublin.
OTHER NOTES
The second release from 1997's Pop album found the band releasing the same version of the song that was on the album. The release was in conjunction with the kick off of 1997's PopMart tour, and the band would soon find themselves struggling to play this song live. Had this single release been a bit later in the year, we might have seen a more acoustic version released. We would get one of those at the end of 1997 on the PopHeart / Please EP. It was an acoustic version of the song recorded live in concert in Rotterdam in July of that year.  Another live recording would also appear on the fanclub only Hasta La Vista Baby compilation recorded live in Mexico in December, 1997.

The single itself featured a couple of remixes of the track remixed by Butch Vig. For those unaware, Vig is a member of the band Garbage. Garbage shares U2's recording label in the US, and opened for U2 on some stops of the Elevation 2001 tour.

Finally the b-side track, North and South of the River, was written by Christy Moore and Bono and the Edge. To many U2 fans it was a new song.  But Christy Moore got around to that song before U2 did and recorded it for his own solo album, Graffiti Tongue. It was a solo recording without Bono and the Edge.  He also later recorded it for a single release, and this time Bono and Edge contribute to the backing vocals on the track. This version appeared on Moore's North and South of the River single, as well as the Celtic Heartbeat 2 Collection.
Previous Single:  Discothèque (1997)
Next Single:  Last Night on Earth (1997)