| "Cedars of Lebanon" | |
|---|---|
| Song byU2 | |
| from the albumNo Line on the Horizon | |
| Released | 27 February 2009 |
| Genre | Soft rock |
| Length | 4:13 |
| Label | Island |
| Composers | U2,Brian Eno, andDaniel Lanois |
| Lyricist | Bono |
| Producers | Lanois, Eno |
"Cedars of Lebanon" is a song by Irish rock bandU2, featured as the eleventh and final track on their 2009 album,No Line on the Horizon. The song is sung from the perspective of a war correspondent who is "squeezing complicated lives into a simple headline"[1] and who "observes "this shitty world" where the aroma of a rose "lingers and then it just goes".[2] Additionally, the song samples "Against the Sky," a collaboration between producerBrian Eno andHarold Budd, originally featured on the 1984 albumThe Pearl.
In a review of the album,Jon Pareles ofThe New York Times characterized the song as "a somber meditation on war, separation, and enmity".[3] Comparing the song with "Moment of Surrender" on the same album,NME reviewer Ben Patashnik described "Cedars of Lebanon" as "similarly downbeat but no-less-enthralling", and said that the song "is buoyed by Larry Mullen Jr's martial drumming and a twinkling guitar".[4] TheSydney Morning Herald called the song a "masterful closer", and said that the "backing vocals, ambient noises and restraint seal a deal alongside the atmosphere of philosophical weariness."[5]
U2[6]
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