U2 has released its first new song in four years: “Ordinary Love” is from the soundtrack for “Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom.”
The tune, which the band released Thursday on its Facebook page, is instantly recognizable due to Bono”s vocals, but unlike so much of U2″s material, it”s keyboard driven. In fact, The Edge”s guitar work isn”t really prominent until around the 2:30 mark.
Thematically, the song covers familiar terrain for U2: love, respect, community -all of which are certainly shared by Mandela.
Bono”s the only band member whose face is scene in the lyric video and that”s only very briefly. There”s no movie footage, though a paintings of Mandela crop up occasionally.
It”s a good song, but it doesn”t have U2″s trademark anthemic feel.
“Ordinary Love” will be released as a 10” on Record Store Day, Nov. 29, with a new version of “Breathe,” a song originally released on U2″s 2009 album, “No Line On the Horizon.”
U2″s new album is tentatively slated to come out in April, as previously reported. The majority of the set was produced and mixed by Danger Mouse.