Sunday Bloody Sunday - Composition

Composition

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is played at a tempo of 103 beats per minute in a 4/4 time signature. The song opens with a militaristic drumbeat and electric violin part; the aggressive snare drum rhythm closely resembles a beat used to keep a military band in step. The distinctive drum sound was achieved by recording Mullen's drumwork at the base of a staircase, producing a more natural reverb. It is followed by The Edge's repeating arpeggios (see notation at left). The riff, which follows a Bbm–D–G₆ chord progression, establishes the minor chord territory of the piece. As the song progresses, the lyrics and guitar become more furious. The guitar riff has been described as the "bone-crushing arena-rock riff of the decade" by Rolling Stone. A bass drum kick on every beat provides the musical foundation until the first chorus, when Adam Clayton's bass guitar enters.

In contrast to the violent nature of the verses, the emergence of major chords creates a feeling of hope during Bono's "How long, how long must we sing this song?" refrain. During the chorus, The Edge's backing vocals further develop this tread, using a harmonic imitative echo. The snare drum is absent from this section, and the guitar parts are muted. This part of the song deviates musically from the raw aggression seen in the song's verses and gives the song a more uplifting structure. Bono once commented that "love is...a central theme" of "Sunday Bloody Sunday"

The band have said the lyrics refer to the events of both Bloody Sunday (1972) and Bloody Sunday (1920), but are not specifically about either event. The song takes the standpoint of someone horrified by the cycle of violence in the province. Bono rewrote The Edge's initial lyrics, attempting to contrast the two events with Easter Sunday, but he has said that the band were too inexperienced at the time to fully realise that goal, noting that "it was a song whose eloquence lay in its harmonic power rather than its verbal strength."

Early versions opened with the line "Don't talk to me about the rights of the IRA, UDA". U2's bassist, Adam Clayton, recalls that better judgment led to the removal of such a politically charged line, and that the song's "viewpoint became very humane and non-sectarian...which, is the only responsible position." The chosen opening line, "I can't believe the news today" crystallises the prevailing response, especially among young people, to the violence in Northern Ireland during the 1970s and 1980s. In successive stanzas, however, the lyrics appear to disown that anger and place the song in a religious context, paraphrasing text from Matthew 10:35 ("mother's children; brothers, sisters torn apart") and bringing a twist to 1 Corinthians 15:32 ("we eat and drink while tomorrow they die", instead of "let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die"). The song finishes with a call for the Irish to stop fighting each other, and "claim the victory Jesus won...on Sunday bloody Sunday."