Desire U2 25 years on...

Today is the 25th anniversary of U2 first number single in the UK and the band are still going strong although there has been a hiatus of a few years.

At the time U2 were one of the hottest tickets in town and they were coming of a very successful Joshua Tree tour after the success of the 1987 release. The band decided to do a warts and all rockumentary following the band across America and they released an album mixed with new songs and live material.

A film followed with a book and the band were pretty much in everyone's radar. 1988 saw the release of Rattle and Hum and the first offering was in late September 1988 when Desire was released. The song went to number one in the UK and number three in America. The song was a shift away from previous material where the influence of Blues, folk and gospel.

There obsession with America was finally rewarded with this classic song and album that followed suit. The song was composed by the band and was produced by Jimmy Iovine who previously had worked with Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Patti Smith. The song b side was Hallelujah (here she comes) and was released on the Island record label.