Feature Song: “One”
U2 are an Irish rock band that formed in Dublin in 1976. The group’s members are Bono (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), the Edge (lead guitar, keyboards and backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums and percussion). As will come as no surprise to most, the band’s musical style has evolved throughout their career, however, the authentic quality of Bono’s expressive vocals and Edge’s effect-based guitar sounds have remained constant through their evolution. Bono’s lyrics are often laced with spiritual imagery and focus on personal and/or sociopolitical themes. They are known for their staging of elaborate live performances over the years.
The band was formed while the members were still teenagers attending Mount Temple Comprehensive School, when their musical proficiency was limited at best. That changed rather quickly. Four years after forming, they signed with Island Records and recorded their debut album, Boy. Their first UK number one album, War (1983), which included the single “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” as well as the single “Pride (in the Name of Love)” from their 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire, helped establish U2’s reputation as a politically and socially conscious group. The 1984 album, their fourth, was their first collaboration with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, resulting in their first sound evolution, with a more abstract and ambient sound. Their fifth album, Joshua Tree (1987), made them international stars and was their greatest critical and commercial success.
The featured song, “One,” is from their seventh studio album, Achtung Baby (1991) and was released as the record’s third single in 1992. It was a critical moment for the band recording this album, as there was a great deal of conflict between the band members over the direction of the band’s sound and the quality of their material. The tensions got to a point where they thought of disbanding, that is until they achieved a breakthrough with the improvisation of the song “One.” The song was composed after the band members were inspired by a chord progression that the Edge was playing in the studio. The lyrics, written by Bono, were inspired by the band members’ fractured relationships and German reunification, as they recorded the album at Hansa Studios in Berlin. It was released as a benefit single, with the proceeds going to AIDS research.
I have featured the music collective Playing for Change (PFC) several times, but this is the first time where there are only two artists, although both of them have been featured in previous covers. Their cover of “One” had me spellbound right from the start, and I feel they do an incredible job interpreting the song. Luti’s guitar work is sublime and Bekker’s vocals are soulfully evocative. Roberto Luti (1977) was born in Livorno, Italy where he grew up listening to blues and rock & roll records his father, a big time music lover, played in the house. He picked up the guitar at the age of eight, with his dad teaching him the basics. He continued to learn on his own and, as a teenager, he played in a few bands before embracing his “national steel guitar” and heading to New Orleans in 1999. He has claimed that he learned quite a bit while in the US, before returning to Italy in 2008. He first met Mark from Playing for Change in 2002 in New Orleans. At that time, Luti was a full-fledged street musician, and Mark was there to film street musicians and needed advice about that scene in the city. He got a number from a contact for a New Orleans musician (Anders Osborne), and when he phoned, just by chance Luti happened to be staying there and answered the phone. What one would call being in the right place at the right time! These days, he still plays in the streets and tours with PFC Band, a rock/blues trio called TRES.
CB Milton, aka Clarence Bekker (born Clarence Bekker Milton, 1968) in Suriname, is a Dutch electronic music vocalist who became known in the early 1990s. He is best known for the singles, “It’s a Loving Thing,” “Send Me an Angel,” and “Open Your Heart.” He has recorded fifteen albums, the best known being, It’s My Loving Thing (1994), The Way to Wonderland (1996) and From Here to There (1998) for the Byte Records label in Antwerp, Belgium. He was identified as Clarence Bekker of the Netherlands on the disc and DVD created by PFC that was released in 2009. He participated with various other artists on the songs, “Stand by Me” (Ben E. King), and “Don’t Worry” (Pierre Minetti), on the album. He is also part of the PFC band, brought together to promote the disc. His collaboration with Luti is his latest contribution to the PFC presentations, as it was recorded in Tokyo, Japan in August of 2024.
Enjoy!
U2. “One” from Achtung Baby 1991.
PFC featuring Roberto Luti and Clarence Bekker. “One” cover, live outside in Tokyo, Japan, August 2024.
And now for the bonus videos. I felt it was necessary to include a live version of the song by U2, as well as a selection from one of Luti’s albums for those unfamiliar with his work.
U2. “One” live in Chicago 2005.
Roberto Luti. Tú Me Amas from the album Sencillamente, August 2016.
Los Angeles 2024
While I haven’t liked every song of theirs, there is no denying U2’s incredibly artistry and rich discography, and “One” ranks among their greatest and most compelling songs. The Roberto Luti and Clarence Bekker cover is marvelous; Bekker’s vocals are so resounding and filled with emotion that, accompanied only by Luti’s beautiful acoustic guitar, their performance still sounds quite impactful.
While I generally tend to prefer U2 prior to “Achtung Baby” and feel their albums over the past 10 years have been a bit underwhelming, “One” is among the songs after the “Rattle and Hum” album I’ve always liked. I have to agree with you the cover by Roberto Luti and Clarence Bekker is incredible!
While not a huge U2 fan, “One is undeniably a hauntingly beautiful song. I was moved even more by Roberto Luti and Clarence Bekker’s cover. So simple and stripped down, and yet so much there. Thanks
Yeah, they do a great job on a great song!