Oh you look so beautiful tonight...

[photo courtesy of solarcrash.com]

In my recent reobsession with U2's How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb album, I was enlightened that the song City of Blinding Lights is (in part) about New York City.

This made me happier than most anything in the world.

Actually doubly happy because, unbeknownst to me, U2 put on a surprise concert under the Brooklyn Bridge - i.e. five minutes from where I lived this spring (see video below) - on the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb album tour.

City of Blinding Lights one of those songs that transcends boundaries, as U2 songs can. It was used in World Cup commercials this year that still give me chills.

That first line of the chorus came from U2's first concert in New York City after 9/11. When the stage lights scanned a crowd of people who had tears streaming down their faces, Bono said, "Oh, you look so beautiful tonight." This line was written into the lyrics. Later, Bono went on to say: "It is such a naïve and innocent line. That's what this song is about, remembering those times ... It's not necessarily a curse, it's that part of us is missing. It's about recapturing a sense of wonder, being in a city and reminding yourself that you don't have to lose your soul to gain the world."