 = Moment of Surrender = 
 
 " Moment of Surrender " is a song by rock band U2 and the third track on their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon . During the initial recording sessions for the album in 2007 in Fez , Morocco , the band wrote the song with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois within a few hours . Together , they recorded the song in a single take ; Eno called the song 's recording " the most amazing studio experience [ he 's ] ever had " . According to him and Lanois , the track is the closest the band came to realising their original concept for the album of writing " future hymns " . The seven @-@ minute song features gospel @-@ like vocals in the chorus , along with a predominantly organ- and piano @-@ based musical accompaniment . Lyrically , the song is about a drug addict who is undergoing a crisis of faith . 
 " Moment of Surrender " was praised by critics , many of whom called it one of the album 's stand @-@ out tracks . The song was compared to the group 's earlier ballads " With or Without You " and " One " . It was performed at all but two of the band 's concerts on the U2 360 ° Tour , most often as the closing song . During performances , the stage lights were dimmed and fans were urged to hold up their mobile phones to create " a stadium full of tiny stars " . Although it was not released as a single , Rolling Stone named " Moment of Surrender " the best song of 2009 , and in 2010 , they ranked it 160th on their list of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time " . 
 
 = = Writing and recording = = 
 
 " Moment of Surrender " was written by U2 and No Line on the Horizon producers / co @-@ writers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois during a two @-@ week recording session in Fez , Morocco between May and June 2007 . The song was developed within a few hours , and then recorded in a single take in a riad of the hotel Riad El Yacout . Eno began by creating a percussion loop of a " rolling hand drum " so that the band would have something to improvise along with when they joined him for songwriting and recording . However , Eno had not arranged the loop properly and the result was a strange , uneven beat that he compared to " a wheeled carriage that had one of the wheels a bit cracked " or " the way a camel moves " . Although Eno was trying to fix the loop , drummer Larry Mullen , Jr. began playing along to it . Eno then asked guitarist the Edge to play some chords . After a quick discussion about the chord changes and the meter ( in which they decided to have a " funny layout " that was not based on " eighths or sixteenths " ) , the six of them improvised the entirety of the piece . 
 As they began to play , bassist Adam Clayton developed a bassline . The part was originally based on the Grandmaster Melle Mel song " White Lines ( Don 't Don 't Do It ) " before Clayton changed to a more trance @-@ like bassline . Vocalist Bono created some melodies and sang over the music . During the album 's recording , Bono had become tired of writing in the first @-@ person and he began writing lyrics and singing from the perspective of different characters . During the writing of " Moment of Surrender " , Bono assumed the character of a drug addict having a crisis of faith . The song title was borrowed from the Alcoholics Anonymous term for when an addict admits being " powerless over alcohol " and needs help . Bono had attempted to use the phrase " vision over visibility " in the lyrics of earlier songs ; however , " Moment of Surrender " was the first song where he felt it was appropriate to be used . Eno called Bono 's singing in this character as " so heartbreaking agonized and vulnerable " , creating a feeling like " a knife to the heart " . Lanois contributed by developing the gospel @-@ like chorus . The uneven hi @-@ hat from the drum part stems from Mullen 's electronic drum kit malfunctioning during the song 's recording . Eno was amazed by each performer 's ability to develop and play their part without any instructions or cues . After the song 's recording completed , everyone in the studio , including a gathering of production personnel and visitors , was completely silent , and Eno suggested it was as if they had gone on an " emotional adventure of some kind " . He called the song 's recording " the most amazing studio experience I 've ever had " , and he believes the " emotional crescendo " heard in the song properly captures how they felt as they improvised the piece . Bono stated " it was a spell and we were in it " . 
 The song was played only once and received minor treatments afterwards , with the addition of a cello part in the introduction and some editing , which included removing a verse to reduce the song 's length . Eno was outraged that U2 wanted to shorten the song , and he was adamant that the band not alter the original track too much , saying , " These fucking guys , they 're supposed to be so spiritual — they don 't spot a miracle when it hits them in the face . Nothing like that ever happened to me in the studio in my whole life . " The band 's original concept for No Line on the Horizon was to create an album of future hymns — songs that would be played forever . According to Eno and Lanois , " Moment of Surrender " is the closest the band came to reaching that concept . 
 
 = = Composition = = 
 
 " Moment of Surrender " is played in common time at a tempo of 87 beats per minute in a key of A minor . The song makes use of the conventional verse @-@ chorus form . The song begins with an uneven percussion loop , before an ambient synthesiser fades in and the drums enter at 0 : 08 . A cello part joins and the synthesiser plays the chord progression C – Am – F – C – G – E – D7 . At the end of the progression , 47 seconds into the song , the intensity of the synthesier rises before an organ , bass guitar , and piano subsequently enter . At 1 : 16 , Bono 's vocals enter and the first verse begins , lasting three stanzas . After the first chorus concludes and the second verse begins at 2 : 59 , the Edge begins playing a guitar riff . The second verse lasts two stanzas . After the second chorus , a piano interlude begins , with Lanois contributing pedal steel . The Edge begins a slide guitar solo at 4 : 59 that many critics compared to the playing style of Pink Floyd 's David Gilmour . After the third chorus ends at 6 : 11 , " Oh @-@ oh @-@ ohhh " vocals and a guitar figure bring the song to its conclusion . 
 Lanois noted that the song had a very " Canadian sound " that was like a tribute to the Band , calling it the " Simcoe sound " . Rolling Stone said the song " merges a Joshua Tree @-@ style gospel feel with a hypnotically loping bass line and a syncopated beat " . The song makes prominent use of organ and piano . 
 
 = = Reception = = 
 
 " Moment of Surrender " was well received by critics after the release of No Line on the Horizon . David Fricke of Rolling Stone enjoyed the song , writing , " The rising @-@ falling effect of the harmony voices around Bono ... is a perfect picture of where he really wants to be , when he gets to the line about ' vision over visibility . ' " Blender considered it the high @-@ point of the album , comparing it to the band 's 1987 single " I Still Haven 't Found What I 'm Looking For " . Reviewer Rob Sheffield complimented the melding of bass , guitar , and vocals , calling it " the kind of gimme @-@ divinity anthem that U2 cut their teeth on , except it really does seem like they 've gotten better at these songs now that they 've picked up some bummed @-@ out adult grit . Bono actually sounds scared of something in this song , and whether his nightmares are religious or sexual , the fear gives his voice some heft . " NME felt that it was the " most impressive " song on the album , describing it as a " gorgeously sparse prayer built around Adam Clayton 's heartbeat bassline and Bono 's rough growl " , and noting that despite its seven @-@ minute length , it did not feel too long . Alexis Petridis of The Guardian was more critical of the song , saying it " doesn 't have enough of a tune to support the full seven @-@ minute gospel treatment " , a sentiment that The Times agreed with . 
 Spin reviewed the track favourably , calling it a " celebrity @-@ at @-@ the @-@ crossroads soul ballad " with an " ambient gospel sweep that 's both haunted and joyful " . Mojo praised the song 's musicianship , saying it was " graced by swaggering performances " and that the Edge 's " languid guitar solo " was reminiscent of David Gilmour . Q echoed these sentiments , commending Bono 's soulful singing and the Edge 's solo . The reviewer christened the song as " this album 's ' One ' or ' With or Without You ' , with added bonus points " . The Washington Post called the song one of the record 's highlights and enjoyed the track 's gospel qualities . The reviewer wrote , " The vocal harmonies on the choruses sound like something out of a church in some distant , dystopian world ; the woozy , slightly detuned piano adds to that impression ... " Hot Press gave the song a favourable review , calling it a " sweeping " track and suggesting it " conjure [ s ] the same spiritual vibe as Marvin Gaye 's ' Abraham , Martin & John ' " . Time gave No Line on the Horizon a negative review , but praised " Moment of Surrender " for its " heartbreaking melody " and Bono 's " Oh @-@ oh @-@ oh " vocals that reminded the critic of the end of " With or Without You " . Bono and Daniel Lanois both cited the song as their favourite track on the album , and Brian Eno thought the band should have chosen it as the album 's first single . Musician Gavin Friday described the song as " Al Green on Irish steroids " , and Hot Press editor Niall Stokes called it " a modern rock classic " that will " stand forever as one of U2 's most inspirational creations " . 
 Despite not being released as a single , " Moment of Surrender " charted in two countries . In the United States , the song appeared on the Mediabase Triple A chart at number 45 for the week of 17 November 2009 . In Belgium , the song appeared on the Ultratop 40 Singles Chart ( Wallonia ) for a week at number 35 . 
 
 = = Live performances = = 
 
 " Moment of Surrender " made its live debut on the opening night of the U2 360 ° Tour in Barcelona , Spain during the encore , as the show 's final song . It was played at nearly every subsequent concert on the tour as the closing song , being excluded from the setlist for only two of the tour 's 110 shows : the 9 December 2010 concert in Brisbane , Australia and the 29 May 2011 concert in Winnipeg . Prior to performances of " Moment of Surrender " , a disco ball was lowered and the stage lights turned off , and Bono encouraged fans to take out their mobile phones and create " a stadium full of tiny stars " . The National Post commented that despite being a " big @-@ concert cliché " , the move was effective and created a feeling of intimacy amongst the audience . Rolling Stone enjoyed the visual effect in context of the tour 's space theme , saying it " truly made it seem like the stadium had reached outerspace , with thousands of cellphone lights turning into stars " . The Daily Telegraph praised the " galaxy of mobile phones " , saying that despite the tour 's impressive stage and visual effects , " the most beautiful sight came when we couldn 't see [ the stage ] " . In reviewing a Paris show from July 2009 , the Sunday Times called " Moment of Surrender " the only track from No Line on the Horizon performed that evening that was strong enough to deserve inclusion with the rest of the show 's set list . NME was not as receptive to the song in a live setting , questioning the decision to end concerts with the song . A U2 360 ° Tour performance of " Moment of Surrender " appears on the group 's 2010 concert video U2 360 ° at the Rose Bowl . In a review of the film , Andrew Mueller of Uncut called " Moment of Surrender " an " [ i ] ll @-@ chosen closer " , as well as " overlong and under @-@ realised " . In 2009 , the song was performed by the band on the 35th season premiere of Saturday Night Live , and at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall . On 18 June 2011 , Bono closed the song with lyrics from " Jungleland " to honor the recently deceased E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons . The song was also one of only three non @-@ single tracks to be played by the band in their headline set at the Glastonbury Festival 2011 . 
 
 = = Legacy = = 
 
 " Moment of Surrender " appeared on several music publications ' " best of " lists for 2009 and the 2000s decade . Esquire called " Moment of Surrender " one of " The 10 Best Songs You ( Probably ) Didn 't Hear in 2009 " . Rolling Stone ranked it the best song of 2009 and the 36th @-@ best song of the decade , calling it " The most devastating ballad U2 — or anyone — has delivered since ' One . ' " In Rolling Stone 's voting for the decade 's best song , Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich placed " Moment of Surrender " in the number @-@ one spot on his ballot . Rolling Stone updated its list of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time " in 2010 and placed " Moment of Surrender " at number 160 — just one year after the song 's release — marking the fourth @-@ best position of any U2 song on the list . 
 " Moment of Surrender " is the tenth track in the Anton Corbijn film Linear , based on a story by Corbijn and Bono where a Parisian traffic cop travels across France and the Mediterranean Sea to visit his girlfriend in Tripoli . During the sequence , the cop ( played by Saïd Taghmaoui ) , leaves the bar and begins to wander the streets of Cádiz at night , eventually making his way down to the beach where he falls asleep on the sand . In the morning he wakes up and the next track , " Cedars of Lebanon " , begins . 
 A live performance of " Moment of Surrender " taken from an 18 September 2010 concert in Paris appeared on the group 's 2010 live EP Wide Awake in Europe . 
 
 = = Charts = = 
 
 
 = = Personnel = = 
 
 Additional keyboards – Terry Lawless 
 Cello – Caroline Dale 
 Production – Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois 
 Engineering – Richard Rainey 
 Engineering assistance – Chris Heaney 
 Additional engineering – Declan Gaffney , and Carl Glanville 
 Mixing – Daniel Lanois and Declan Gaffney 
 Mixing assistance – Tom Hough , Dave Clauss , and Dave Emery 
 
 