Bono Posts His First New Song in Three Years

U2’s Bono has written and posted a new song on social media, and as can be expected from the socially conscious singer, it’s for a good cause.

The Irish singer has dedicated the song to the Italian people during one of their nation’s worst crises. They, in their tragic moment, have inspired him to do so.

Italy in the first three weeks of March

Earlier this month, on March 10 to be specific, Italy was the first democratic country since the Second World War to implement a nationwide lockdown. Tragically, their obedience to medical authorities’ call to stay indoors was slow to start.

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@kahanbumaldives #italia ⠀ #Buongiorno ragazzi, questa mattina apriamo una lettera di Daniela Accadia che ripercorre questi interminabili giorni di quarantena. Prima della lettura vi invitiamo e ribadiamo ciò che di vitale importanza per tutti: RESTATE A CASA. ⠀ Un mese in quarantena. Da non credere. In queste quattro settimane siamo rimasti chiusi in casa per sfuggire al Coronavirus: abbiamo messo in pausa le nostre vite, che però sono cambiate irrimediabilmente. Subito il panico, il 21 febbraio scorso: un ragazzo (molto conosciuto) in gravissime condizioni per il Coronavirus, positivi anche i suoi conoscenti più stretti, il contagio si è diffuso in luoghi che un po’ tutti frequentiamo. Contemporaneamente le scuole chiamano i genitori per andare a prendere in anticipo i propri figli e i supermercati chiudono. Nelle chat di WhatsApp circolano dei vocali di perfetti sconosciuti che danno notizie a metà, pseudo-consigli che non fanno che generare ancora più confusione. E i sindaci chiedono ai cittadini di chiudersi in casa. Tutto questo nell’arco di 24 ore. Il caos nelle nostre teste. All’inizio abbiamo creduto (e ci hanno fatto credere) che questa faccenda riguardasse solo noi del Basso Lodigiano. E ci siamo persino illusi che il “sacrificio” potesse durare un paio di settimane. Poi abbiamo voluto credere alla favola che si trattasse di un virus che colpiva persone già praticamente in punto di morte: per poterci tranquillizzare, perché tanto “io sto bene”, è una cosa che riguarda gli altri. E invece… Tanti anziani ma anche i giovani, tante persone con patologie pregresse, ma anche gente in buona salute. Che poi, se ci pensate un attimo: superata una certa età, la stragrande maggioranza delle persone ha qualche problemino di salute; ma tutto sommato si riesce a fare una vita normalissima, perché grazie al cielo viviamo in un paese dove ci sono medicine e controlli sanitari avanzati. continua nella nostra pagina Facebook #ig_italia #andratuttobene

A post shared by ITALIA (@ig_italia) on Mar 21, 2020 at 1:46am PDT

As of this week, their numbers of infected citizens are now 47,021 and they count 4,032 dead, the latter number astonishingly higher than China’s, whose population is much greater.

Italian citizens know now, they have to stay inside and can venture out solely for food or medicine, and in some cases, work, if the person has a certified note.

Italy’s response to tragedy

Bloomberg BusinessWeek writer Vernon Silver is stationed in Rome and reports that the Italians, at least in his neighborhood, have taken to singing out their windows each evening. It’s their steam valve and quite possibly what reminds them of life and of hope.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NySV_U_voc?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

“As you may have seen on TV, Italians have been singing anthems . . .  from their windows and balconies. It’s real, beautiful, and heartbreaking. The sacrifice right now isn’t fun and borders on tragic: Weddings and funerals are banned, birthday parties postponed, educations derailed, businesses pushed to failure.”

“But the harmonic flash mobs have been a voice for a people who are kept apart. One day at noon, there was a nationwide round of applause for the health-care workers on the front lines, who are getting infected and dying.”

The daily singing, Silver notes, is scheduled at the same time each day.

“Whether by coincidence or design, the daily singing appointment is at 6 p.m.,” he writes, “the exact time of the nightly reading of the death toll.”

The Italians’ response to tragedy has inspired Bono

Italy’s reaction of singing in the wake of tragedy has inspired Bono to write a new song dedicated to them. It’s called “Let Your Love Be Known.”

He posted on Instagram on March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day – “For the Italians who inspired it,” he wrote, “for the Irish… for ANYONE who this St. Patrick’s day is in a tight spot and still singing. For the doctors, nurses, carers on the frontline, it’s you we’re singing to.”

The song’s lyrics allude to the Italian citizens’ daily singing from their windows and to their courage in the face of devastation.

“I walk through the streets of Dublin and no one was near,” Bono sings. “Yes, I don’t know you/No I didn’t think I didn’t care/You live so very far away/Just across the square/You can’t touch, but you can sing across rooftops/Sing on the phone/Sing and promise me you won’t stop/Sing your love be known.”

Hopefully, this new song from Bono means there will be even more new music from U2, and soon.

Read more: What is U2 Singer Bono’s Net Worth and Why Does He Always Wear Tinted Glasses?

Written by: CheatSheet