U2 (with or without you)

Band / Gave permission for (an instrumental version of) their hit song With or Without You (1987) to be used for the film Inside, produced for the Born HIV Free campaign (September 2010).

Released in March 1987, With or Without You was the first single from U2′s fifth album, The Joshua Tree. Recorded once again by production duo Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, already behind the album The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree would become the Irish rock band’s definitive album. It was also the record that established the group’s political commitment, after a memorable participation in the Live Aid concert and a tour with Amnesty International. The term ‘heroic rock’ was coined at the time to describe precisely such rock star commitment, and the term which certainly applies to the famous Dublin quartet. Featuring With or Without You, their biggest hit to date, then the song I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For and finally Where the Streets Have No Name, The Joshua Tree album earned the group a Time Magazine cover as well as seven consecutive weeks at the top of the U.S. charts. To our knowledge, With or Without You has never previously been used as a soundtrack (e.g as part of an advertisement or a promotional campaign), although the number of requests can be easily imagined. Bono’s group, deeply committed to the fight against AIDS, has given permission for the use of an instrumental version for the film Inside which accompanies the Born HIV Free campaign for the Global Fund against AIDS.