Window in the Skies

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“Window in the Skies”
Single by U2 from the album U218 Singles
B-side	"Tower of Song"
Released	January 1, 2007
Format	CD, Maxi-CD, DVD
Recorded	Abbey Road Studios, September 2006
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	3:59
Label	Mercury
Producer	Rick Rubin
U2 singles chronology
"The Saints Are Coming" (with Green Day) (2006) "Window in the Skies" (2007)
U218 Singles track listing
"The Saints Are Coming" (17) "Window in the Skies" (18)
Alternate cover
Maxi-CD cover

"Window in the Skies" is a song by rock band U2 and is one of two new songs featured on their 2006 compilation album, U218 Singles. It was released January 1, 2007 as the second single from that album. It was recorded in September 2006 at Abbey Road Studios in London and produced by Rick Rubin.

On November 7, 2006 the Los Angeles based radio station KROQ debuted the song on US radio. This song was circulated in poor audio quality months before its release,^{[citation needed]} along with four other songs (dubbed "The Beach Clips"), which were recordings by U2 fans from studio rehearsals at their house on Èze Beach, France. The words "Window in the Skies" occur only towards the end of the song.^[1]

The song reached number one on the Canadian Singles Chart and Dutch Top 40, replacing U2's previous single "The Saints Are Coming" (with Green Day) at the top in both charts.

Track listings

• CD

1. "Window in the Skies" (Single Version) – 4:00
2. "Tower of Song" (from Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man) – 5:43

• Maxi-CD

1. "Window in the Skies" (Single Version) – 4:00
2. "Zoo Station" (Live from River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires) – 4:33
3. "Kite" (Live from Telstra Stadium, Sydney) – 8:05

• DVD

1. "Window in the Skies" (Single Version) – 4:00
2. "The Saints are Coming" (Video — Directed by Chris Milk) – 3:21
3. "Tower of Song" (Video clip from Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man) – 6:01

Videos

U2 released the first music video for "Window in the Skies" on 20 November 2006, after the completion of their Australian leg of the Vertigo tour. A second version of the video was released a few weeks later.

The first video, directed by Gary Koepke, is a montage that includes nearly 100 clips taken from footage from the previous 50 years of other famous musicians performing in concert.^[2] The clips were selected and edited together so that either the lip movements or the finger movements of the musicians, who actually were performing other songs, match up with either the lyrics or the music of the U2 song.

The only confirmed location of the video is the Corner Hotel in Richmond in Melbourne, Australia. The band is featured only very briefly in the crowds as fans ^[3].

The second video, directed by Jonas Odell, is another montage. The camera flies through a surreal landscape with floating buildings and still images, mostly of the band from their U2 By U2 autobiography, morphing into each other.

Live

The song has only been performed on the fifth leg of U2's Vertigo Tour.^[4] The Edge played the song on a Rickenbacker 330-12.

Chart performance

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007)

The song was hit single, notably in Canada, where it made it to the top of the charts, knocking their previous hit "The Saints Are Coming" (which featured Green Day) from the top. The song also reached #4 on the UK singles charts and made the top spot in Italy and the Netherlands.

References

1. ^ U2.com, Lyrics to "Window In The Skies"
2. ^ BBC Radio 1 Chart Blog, U2 - "Window in the Skies
3. ^ U2.com, A Window on Rock'n'Roll
4. ^ U2-Vertigo-Tour.com, All times "Window in the Skies" played live by U2