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Tracklist
4 tracks · 21 min
About
Wide Awake in America is a four-track EP by the Irish rock band U2, released in 1985. It combines two live performances of songs from the group's 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire with two B-sides from the era, which had previously been available only in the United Kingdom. It was originally released only in North America and Japan but sold so well that it charted in the UK as an import. It was re-released internationally in 1990. The EP's centerpiece, "Bad" – a song about heroin addiction whose lyric inspired the collection's title – would become a staple of their live set, particularly after a remarkable extended performance at Live Aid in which Bono danced with a girl in the audience. Radio programmers often chose this Wide Awake in America version over the original studio recording for airplay. The EP's title is inspired by the chorus of "Bad", with its refrain, "I'm wide awake / wide awake / I'm not sleeping".