"Ordinary Love"
Cover art designed by Oliver Jeffers
Single by U2
from the album Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
B-side"Breathe" (Mandela version)
Released29 November 2013
StudioElectric Lady Studios (New York)
GenreRock
Length3:39 (single version)
3:47 (Extraordinary Mix)
LabelInterscope[1]
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Bono[2]
Producer(s)
  • Danger Mouse
  • Declan Gaffney (add.)
U2 singles chronology
""I Will Follow" (live from Glastonbury)"
(2011)		 "Ordinary Love"
(2013)		 "Invisible"
(2014)
Music video
"Ordinary Love" lyric video on YouTube

"Ordinary Love" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It was written to honour Nelson Mandela and is included in the biography film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. The song received a limited 10-inch vinyl release on Record Store Day[3] on 29 November 2013, less than a week before Mandela died.

"Ordinary Love" peaked at number one on the Top Digital Download chart in Italy, where it was certified platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry. U2 won the 2014 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and in January 2014 the song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, but it lost to "Let It Go" from Frozen.

An alternate version of the song, titled the "Extraordinary Mix", was included on deluxe edition of the band's 2017 studio album, Songs of Experience.

Writing and recording

U2 had been friends with Nelson Mandela for several years, having played concerts in South Africa. When movie producer Harvey Weinstein invited the band to write a song for the soundtrack of the Mandela biography film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, they responded with a quick "yes" according to Weinstein.[4] After seeing early cuts of the film, the group were inspired to write a song reflecting upon Mandela.[4] The song was mixed at Electric Lady Studios, New York City.[2]

Release and reception

It was revealed on 17 October 2013, the band had written a song specifically for the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom entitled "Ordinary Love", after receiving an invitation from movie producer Harvey Weinstein.[5] Subscribers of the band's official website were able to hear it first on the same day.[6] It was reported that the song was to get a full preview on U2.com on 30 October but instead a news bulletin was released stating the song was to be released on a 10-inch vinyl.[3][5] On 21 November 2013, U2 made the previously announced lyric video available for paying subscribers via their official website. The video was directed by Mac Premo and Oliver Jeffers. On 30 November, the song was made available as a free download on the band's website to paid subscribers.[7]

"Ordinary Love" was released on 29 November 2013 as part of the Record Store Day's "Back to Black Friday". As a limited release, only 10,000 10" vinyl copies were made. During the recording of No Line on the Horizon, U2 worked on two sets of lyrics for "Breathe". The first version was about Nelson Mandela, and the second was "more surreal and personal".[8] Whereas the second version was included on No Line on the Horizon,[8] they decided to include the first version about Mandela on the vinyl as a B-side for "Ordinary Love", entitling it "Breathe (Mandela version)".[4] Weinstein has said that he believes U2 have done a "brilliant job honouring the man".[4] Rolling Stone said, "'Ordinary Love' is about the seeds of dreams, and U2 play it perfectly: down-to-earth, while looking up."[9] As of March 2014, the single has sold 115,000 copies in the United States.[10]

U2 posted a new mix of the song, "Ordinary Love (Paul Epworth mix)", on their official SoundCloud account on 14 December 2013.[11]

The song was performed by U2 with in-house band The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on 17 February 2014.

Awards

Award Category Result
86th Academy Awards Best Original Song Nominated
71st Golden Globe Awards[12] Best Original Song Won
19th Critics' Choice Awards[13] Best Song Nominated
2013 Denver Film Critics Society Awards[14] Best Original Song Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association[15] Best Original Song Nominated

Cover art

The cover art for the "Ordinary Love" single features a "striking painting of Nelson Mandela" by Oliver Jeffers.[3]

Personnel

Chart performance

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[53] Platinum 30,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[54] 2× Platinum 40,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "U2 – Ordinary Love". Record Store Day. 2013. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ordinary Love (Digital). U2. Interscope Records. 2013.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. 1 2 3 "Ordinary Love on Vinyl". U2.com. Live Nation. 30 October 2013. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Grow, Kory (30 October 2013). "U2 Ready Two New Songs for 'Back to Black Friday'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  5. 1 2 McGreevy, Ronan (22 October 2013). "Video: New U2 song 'Ordinary Love' part of Mandela biopic". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  6. ↑ "'Ordinary Love'". U2.com. Live Nation. 17 October 2013. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "Download Ordinary Love". U2.com. Live Nation. 30 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  8. 1 2 Hiatt, Brian (5 April 2009). "Taking care of business". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 14 July 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  9. ↑ "'U2, Ordinary Love'". Rolling Stone. 2 December 2013. Archived from the original on 7 December 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  10. ↑ "No U2 Album, Tour Until 2015 (Exclusive)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  11. ↑ "Ordinary Love (Paul Epworth Version)".
  12. ↑ "And Now The Winners! – Official Website of the Golden Globe Awards". Hfpa.org. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  13. ↑ Peter Gicas (16 December 2013). "Critics' Choice Awards 2014: Complete List of Nominations". E! Online. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  14. ↑ "Denver Film Critics Society Nominations". Awards Daily. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  15. ↑ "American Hustle, 12 Years A Slave Lead BFCA's Critics Choice Movie Awards Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  16. ↑ "The ARIA Report Week Commencing ~ 17 March 2014 ~ Issue #1255" (PDF). National Library of Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  17. ↑ "U2 – Ordinary Love" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  18. ↑ "U2 – Ordinary Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  19. ↑ "U2 – Ordinary Love" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  20. ↑ "U2 Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  21. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 20144 into search.
  22. ↑ "U2 – Ordinary Love". Tracklisten.
  23. ↑ "U2 – Ordinary Love" (in French). Les classement single.
  24. ↑ "U2 – Ordinary Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  25. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  26. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  27. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 50, 2013". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  28. ↑ "Media Forest Week 51, 2013". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  29. ↑ "U2 – Ordinary Love". Top Digital Download.
  30. ↑ "Luxembourg Digital Songs – December 21, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  31. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 52, 2013" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  32. ↑ "U2 – Ordinary Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  33. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  34. ↑ "Portugal Digital Songs – December 21, 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  35. ↑ "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  36. ↑ "U2 – Ordinary Love" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  37. ↑ "U2 – Ordinary Love". Swiss Singles Chart.
  38. ↑ "Official Singles Chart UK Top 100 – 14th December 2013". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 1 December 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  39. ↑ "U2 Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  40. ↑ "U2 Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  41. ↑ "U2 Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  42. ↑ "Jaarlijsten 2013" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  43. ↑ "Rapports Annuels 2014". Ultratop. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  44. ↑ "Top de l'année Top Singles 2014" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  45. ↑ "Rádiós Top 100 - hallgatottsági adatok alapján - 2014". Mahasz. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  46. ↑ "Single Top 100 - eladási darabszám alapján - 2014". Mahasz. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  47. ↑ "FIMI - Classifiche Annuali 2014 "TOP OF THE MUSIC" FIMI-GfK: un anno di musica italiana" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  48. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2014". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  49. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2014" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  50. ↑ "Utwory, których słuchaliśmy w radiu – Airplay 2014" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  51. ↑ "Adult Alternative Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  52. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  53. ↑ "Italian single certifications – U2 – Ordinary Love" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "2014" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Ordinary Love" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  54. ↑ "Dutch single certifications – U2 – Ordinary Love" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 21 October 2020. Enter Ordinary Love in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2015 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
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