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A Celebration

"A Celebration" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It was released as a non-album single in March 1982, between the records October (1981) and War (1983). The song's music video was filmed at the Kilmainham Gaol former prison in Dublin. The single reached number 47 on the UK Singles Chart and number 15 on the Irish Singles Chart. "Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl", commonly shortened to "Party Girl", was released on the single's B-side. It later became a live favourite with fans.

U2 have re-released "A Celebration" on a few occasions: in 2004 with the digital box set The Complete U2; in 2008 on a bonus disc with the remastered edition of October; and in 2022 on vinyl for Record Store Day.

"A Celebration" runs for 2:57. According to Universal Music Publishing Group's sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, it is played in common time at a tempo of 157 beats per minute in the key of B minor. The vocals extend from a low note of A4 to a high of B5.

In a 1983 interview, lead vocalist Bono indicated that the song was the source of controversy due to misinterpretation of the verse "I believe in a third World War / I believe in the atomic bomb / I believe in the powers that be / But they won't overpower me" by fans who questioned his motives. Bono explained, "all I was saying was that the realities of the bomb must be faced."

"A Celebration" was released on 22 March 1982 as a non-album single. The song "Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl" was featured on the B-side of the single, except in Japan, where the song "Fire" was included on the B-side instead.

"A Celebration" was absent from any of the group's compilations until the digital box set The Complete U2 in 2004. The song was also included on the remastered release of October in 2008.

"A Celebration" was reissued on Record Store Day on 22 April 2022 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of its original release. It was pressed on 12-inch, 180-gram vinyl and contained four tracks: two versions of "A Celebration" on the A-side (the original version and a studio outtake), and two versions of "Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl" on the B-side (the studio version and a live performance from 2015).

"Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl", commonly known as "Party Girl", was the B-side to "A Celebration". The song runs for 2:32 (2 minutes, 32 seconds). According to Universal Music Publishing Group's sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, it is played in common time at a tempo of 152 beats per minute in the key of D major. The vocals extend from a low note of A4 to a high of E6.

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