Seconds by U2

A great deal of the fans of U2 have most likely never heard this song. I was in college when U2 was breaking from a college band across the pop divide in the mid eighties. When the album War was released the foundation of rock and roll might well have shifted.

The album War was one of the great albums in rock and roll history, not only for the incredible music it featured but because it was the beginning of the widespread acclaim of U2. The early albums Boy and October had made them the quintessential college band but they were still far from the mainstream success that would happen in 1987 with The Joshua Tree.

With songs like Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Years Day War is usually the place that new or next generation U2 fans start. Still more often than not that is where they stop. Two Hearts and traditional concert closer " 40" might be the choices for those who want to go one step further.

This morning listening to First Wave on the satellite when Seconds came on I was floored at what am amazing song this is. With it's constant beat, it's fade out and fade in the song owes as much to Pink Floyd as it does to the Beatles but when one considers that this is an album track. An album track that features the sing song " Airborne ranger" marching song as background noise no less but still an album track. Taken along with " Refugee" these two songs sealed the deal on what might be one of the most thematically true rock and roll albums in history.

Coming from Ireland and witness to the troubles as the grew up no one could speak with more authority than U2 on the perils of war, declared or not and speak they did. This was an incredible album, something I was jarringly reminded of this morning. Sometimes it is easy to forget how meaningful music is to you when you are 19 years old. This morning I got a glimpse into my past and remembered. It only took a " Second"