Today (4/4) is the anniversary of a tragic event that took place in 1968. The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. was taken from us in a horrible act of violence. Pierre Robert remembered Dr. King during the Workforce Blocks with two poignant songs by U2.
The band’s fourth studio album The Unforgettable Fire was released several years after MLK passed, in 1984. “Pride (In the Name of Love)” is the standout single from the LP, which references Dr. King’s death in the line “Early morning, April four / A shot rings out in the Memphis sky.” Since those lyrics were originally penned, Bono has acknowledged the error in them; the assassination took place at 6pm, and when the song is performed live, it’s now sung as “Early evening, April four.”
Pierre played live version of “Pride” from the famed Amnesty International concert, but he led into it with a lesser known piece by U2. “MLK” is the closer on The Unforgettable Fire, a quiet tribute that’s only two minutes long but bears a hopeful message: “Sleep tonight / And may your dreams / Be realized.”
Over the years, Bono and the band have worked closely with the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, founded by Martin Luther King’s widow, Coretta Scott King. You can learn more about that organization here. Today we remember Dr. King’s powerful message, and continue to work towards the realization of the dream of equality for all.