Where did the idea for “The Unforgettable Fire” come from ?
“The Unforgettable Fire” is the name of a collection of drawings and pictures made by the survivors of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb blast at the end of World War II. Although simplistic in depiction, they are considered national treasures by the Japanese. U2 saw the exhibit on a tour stop in Chicago. Touched by the exhibit, it inspired the song and album title, as well as some of the paintings used as stage backdrops on the Fire tour. [JC] The album title also refers to the “unforgettable fire” for equality and peace which burned inside people like Martin Luther King, Jr. The songs themselves speak to this, juxtaposing images of nuclear devastation and human triumph in and between the various tracks on the album.
