The more you see the less you know
The less you find out as you go
I knew much more then than I do now
Neon heart dayglo eyes
A city lit by fireflies
They're advertising in the skies
For people like us
And I miss you when you're not around
I'm getting ready to leave the ground.
Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh
Oh you look so beautiful tonight
In the city of blinding lights
Don't look before you laugh
Look ugly in a photograph
Flash bulbs purple irises
The camera can't see
I've seen you walk unafraid
I've seen you in the clothes you made
Can you see the beauty inside of me?
What happened to the beauty I had inside of me
And I miss you when you're not around
I'm getting ready to leave the ground
Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh
Oh you look so beautiful tonight
In the city of blinding lights
Time
Composed by U2 / lyrics by Bono and The Edge
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About "City Of Blinding Lights"
From the original U2 Album "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" (22 November 2004)
"City of Blinding Lights" is the third single from U2's 2004 album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. The song was released as a single in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2005 debuting at #2 and reaching #1 in Spain and Portugal. "City of Blinding Lights" was inspired by the band's first visit to New York City in 1980. Frequently used as a concert opener during the band's Vertigo Tour, the song won a Grammy Award for "Best Rock Song".
History
During an impromptu promo concert in New York underneath the Brooklyn Bridge, Bono talked about the band's first arrival in New York City in 1980, saying it was an "amazing, magical time in our life, when we didn't know how powerful it was not to know." "A song about innocence, naivety". He then introduced "City of Blinding Lights", saying "the chorus is set in New York City, looking at Brooklyn."
Bono has also remarked he was inspired by a concert the band played in New York City on their Elevation Tour following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It was the band's first time back in the city since the attacks occurred. When the lights went up during one of the songs, he could see tears streaming down the faces of fans. It was this passion and emotion of the city's fans that partially inspired the song.
The song is reminiscent of another U2 single, "Where the Streets Have No Name." The style of both songs is uplifting and both have a similar crescendo. Both songs start quietly, but build up quickly, using a combination of keyboards (or organ, in the case of "Streets") and The Edge's signature ringing guitar.
This song was the most frequently used to open concerts during the Vertigo Tour, with Adam Clayton playing the keyboards in the song's introduction.
The song received considerable airplay on US alternative rock radio since mid-February 2005, especially on WBCN (Boston) and WOCL (Orlando). A promo single was issued in early June 2005, and the track was added to the playlists of about 15 alternative rock stations. However, it failed to gain sufficient momentum to enter the Modern Rock Tracks chart in July. Nevertheless, the song was able to debut on the Adult Top 40 chart on September 24, 2005. It reached #40. The song entered the Mega Top 100 in The Netherlands at #2, in the week starting at June 20, 2005.
In the UK, the single spent nine weeks in the top 75 and also reached #16 on the download chart.
The song won "Best Rock Song" at the 2006 Grammy Awards.
"City of Blinding Lights" was used as the background theme of President Barack Obama's presidential candidacy announcement in Springfield, Illinois on February 10, 2007 and was also played right before his acceptance speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. It was also frequently used as a lead-in for Obama's campaign events during the 2008 presidential election. U2 sang the song at the "We Are One" concert for Barack Obama on January 18, 2009, at the Lincoln Memorial. The song featured in the film "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006). [From Wikipedia]
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