"Angel of Harlem", a homage to Billie Holiday, was the second single from U2's Rattle And Hum album. One of the b-sides was an original U2 song called "A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel", while the other was a live version of Rattle And Hum's "Love Rescue Me". It should be observed that the version of "A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel" on the Best Of 1980-1990 B-Sides disc is actually an edit of the original. Live performances of "Angel Of Harlem" appear on Zoo TV: Live From Sydney and U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle.
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"Angel Of Harlem" was created during 1987's Joshua Tree Tour and the in-studio performance on the Rattle And Hum movie dates from a recording session at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee during the later stages of the third leg of the Joshua Tree Tour. The song was a regular on 1989's Lovetown Tour and was played with B.B. King's band. A stripped-down acoustic rendition was performed on the Zoo TV Tour in 1992 and 1993 on a b-stage positioned in the midst of the crowd and reached from the main stage via a catwalk. It was then not played again until 2001's Elevation Tour, when it was sometimes performed acoustically and sometimes in its original electric style. The only performance on 2005's Vertigo Tour came when a fan was pulled on stage in Dallas in late October to play guitar. The fan asked to play "Angel Of Harlem" and although Bono's knowledge of the lyrics was poor, the band agreed to the request and the fan played the song along with them.
"A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel" has never been played live.
Track Listing
Version 1
- "Angel of Harlem" (Single Version) (3:47)
- "A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel" (5:29)
- "Love Rescue Me" (Live from London, October 16, 1988) (5:24)
This is the most common (CD and 12") release. The cassette and 7" versions did not contain "Love Rescue Me".
External Links
- Discography entry at U2 Wanderer--Comprehensive details on various editions, cover scans, lyrics, and more.
- Angel Of Harlem's performance history at U2-Vertigo-Tour.com--Lists all concerts at which "Angel Of Harlem" has been performed.