With numerous political conflicts occurring in our country and around the world, there has been an increase in wanting to keep politics out of sports, music, literature, visual and performing arts. Whether it's the recent criticism over Bad Bunny’s halftime performance at Super Bowl LX or former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the National Anthem a decade ago, many people feel the need to keep political activism out of the entertainment industry.
For centuries, many artists have used art to speak up against conflict. One band in particular, U2, is known for its outspoken lyrics and popular political songs, like “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” The 22-time Grammy award-winning band released “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” on March 21, 1983, 11 years after the eponymous massacre that took place in Derry, Northern Ireland.
At the time of its release, Northern Ireland was going through a sectarian conflict, The Troubles, which lasted from the late 1960s to 1998. Rooted in centuries-long tensions over British involvement in Ireland, The Troubles transpired from discrimination endured by Catholic nationalists in Northern Ireland. Following the 1921 partition of Ireland, six counties in northeastern Ireland—Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone—remained part of the United Kingdom (UK).
Throughout the 20th century, Catholic nationalists, who wanted a united Ireland, were the minority population in Northern Ireland. With a government powered by Protestant loyalists, who wanted to remain part of the UK, Catholics in Northern Ireland were denied employment, public housing accommodations and voting rights. Inspired by the concurrent Civil Rights Movement in the US, Catholic nationalists sought equality and, in the late 1960s, began mirroring the peaceful protests seen in the US.
Their peaceful protests were often shut down by police brutality. As violence increased, so did guerrilla warfare, spurred by the nationalist Irish Republican Army (IRA) and loyalist paramilitary groups. In an effort to decrease violence and republican protesting, the British Army launched Operation Demetrius in August 1971. This law allowed authorities to impose internment on those suspected of being IRA members. Instead of decreasing violence, this law only created more, eventually leading to the Bloody Sunday massacre around six months later.
On Jan. 30, 1972, catholic nationalists marched in Derry, Northern Ireland, in protest of the internment law. In response to the march, British authorities sent soldiers to stop the protest. Those soldiers ended up firing at the crowd, killing 13 and injuring at least 15 others.
Just over a decade later, U2 wrote and released “War,” their third album, which focused on political conflict like The Troubles, and its emotional impacts. The album starts with the sound of martial drums in their opening track “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” The anti-violence song was written in response to the Bloody Sunday massacre and the violence that occurred that day and throughout the entirety of The Troubles up until that point.
On numerous occasions, U2's lead singer, Bono, has stated that “this song is not a rebel song.” Instead, the song emphasizes the writer's desire for peace and an end to violence, with lyrics like, “There's many lost, but tell me, who has won?” And “How long? How long must we sing this song?”
Regarding “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” U2 drummer, Larry Mullen, said, “You know people are dying every single day through bitterness and hate, and we’re saying why? What’s the point?…The real battle is people dying, that’s the real battle.”
While many today argue that politics should be kept outside of entertainment and the arts, U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is the perfect example of why it's sometimes necessary to address these conflicts through art. Their song doesn’t promote political division, but rather calls for unification and an end to violence. In a time where it seems that politics continues to divide our country and the world, songs like “Sunday Bloody Sunday” show that music should not only serve as entertainment through its artists and instruments, but also as a plea for peace during turbulent times.
The arts desk can be reached at arts@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
