"Angel of Harlem" Bono / U2
"Angel of Harlem" Bono / U2
About: A Portrait of Paul Hewson aka Bono of U2, inspired by their classic track “Angel of Harlem”which was from their 1988 hybrid (live/studio) album “Rattle and Hum”. It was recorded at Sun Studio Memphis - the same studio where Elvis recorded his early material and it was released as a single in December 1988. The portrait features Bono from around the same time period and the various elements of the artwork reference the the lyrical content of the song, which is about the jazz history of New York, in particular the Birdland Jazz club and Billy Holiday.
Medium: Sketch / print
Materials: Brushed aluminium with a high gloss finish
Size: 70x70cm, 80x80cm, 95x95cm
Edition: 5 each size signed and numbered by artist
Frame: Float mounted in black Oak
U2: “Angel of Harlem” music video
U2: “Angel of Harlem” lyrics:
It was a cold and wet December day
When we touched the ground at JFK
Snow was melting on the ground
On BLS I heard the sound
Of an angel
New York, like a Christmas tree
Tonight this city belongs to me
Angel
Soul love, this love won't let me go
So long, angel of Harlem
Birdland on fifty-three
The street sounds like a symphony
We got John Coltrane and a love supreme
Miles, and she's got to be an angel
Lady Day got diamond eyes
She sees the truth behind the lies
Angel
Soul love, this love won't let me go
So long, angel of Harlem
Angel of Harlem
She says it's heart, heart and soul
Yeah, yeah (yeah)
Yeah, yeah (right now)
Blue light on the avenue
God knows they got to you
An empty glass, the lady sings
Eyes swollen like a bee sting
Blinded you lost your way
Through the side streets and the alleyway
Like a star exploding in the night
Falling to the city in broad daylight
An angel in Devil's shoes
Salvation in the blues
You never looked like an angel
Yeah, yeah, angel of Harlem
Angel, angel of Harlem
Angel, angel of Harlem
Angel, angel of Harlem
Angel, angel of Harlem
Written by: Paul David Hewson, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen, Dave Evans
Album: Rattle And Hum
Released: 1988