Legendary Grateful Dead lyricist, Robert Hunter, was asked by Simon Carmody, formerly of Golden Horde, to contribute to “The Ballad of Ronnie Drew,” a tribute song that honors one of the founding fathers of modern Irish music.
The song became a collaborative composition between Hunter, Edge, Carmody and Bono. And when they approached other singers about getting together to record the track the response was uniformly positive. “Every musician we asked has said ‘Yes’,” said Bono. “Kila agreed to be involved as a band, so it’ll be Kila and U2.”
Hot Press Editor Niall Stokes says the song is a fitting tribute to the performer who first became famous with The Dubliners, and was the singer on their 60s chart hit ‘Seven Drunken Nights’ among other classic recordings.
‘The song is powerful and poetic, with a number of brilliantly crafted standout lines. But with Bono, Shane MacGowan, Christy Moore and Damien Dempsey all taking verses, the performances are amazing. And Sinead, Andrea and Moya are wonderful on the chorus. It’s a certain Number 1.”
[via U2.com]