The iconic Irish rock band have more talents than they let on. The U2 song could be the track to take out if you’re looking to get your children to sleep.
Tired of trying to get the kids to sleep? Grab your old U2 CD; it might be exactly what you need.
Studies at Durham University have shown that the U2 song ‘One‘ is the perfect song to play to get young children to sleep.
An old classic – making a comeback with the kids
It may not be the first track you think of when you think of U2’s classic anthems. However, it’s certainly a hit with young kids looking to have a snooze.
With this news, we’re pretty sure that it’ll be a hit with exhausted parents too.
U2 are hailed as one of the best Irish bands of all time. And now it seems that there’s another reason to love the rock band.
Released back in February 1992, their song ‘One’ topped the singles chart in Ireland. Even nearly 30 years later, the song still proves to be a popular choice to stick on.
There’s a lot more to it than you think – the formula for the perfect lullaby
The research, conducted by kid’s bed specialist Cuckooland, analysed around 4,500 songs on Spotify. They searched the top song choices that featured on lullaby playlists on the music streaming service.
From this, the team were able to decipher the perfect lullaby through several features. They based it on songs with the most common key and time signatures.
As well as this, they studied the average beats per minute (BPM) of the songs. Following this, they discovered that U2’s ‘One’ contains all the features that make the “perfect lullaby.”
Speaking to the Irish Post, researcher at the Music and Science Lab at Durham University Annaliese Grimaud said, “The function of a lullaby is to soothe a baby and put them to sleep.
“Common features we would expect to see in lullabies would be a slow(ish) tempo, relatively quiet dynamics, simple rhythm pattern – potentially one that imitates a rocking movement.”
Interestingly, Grimaud further explained that a high-pitched song is preferable to children as it matches the “connotations that mothers/females usually sing lullabies.”
A simple melody that’s easy to memorise and sing is also on the list to check off, U2’s ‘One‘ has clearly made the cut.
So apparently, the U2 song is perfect for getting children off to sleep.
Look a little deeper – the meaning of the song is not the stuff of dreams
However, it should be noted that an in-depth analyse of the Irish song reveals that it is a lot darker than we thought.
U2 member the Edge has described the song as a “bitter, twisted, vitriolic conversation between two people who’ve been through some nasty, heavy stuff.”
Yikes. It seems that U2 have a lot to improve upon on the lullaby front.
Not only this, but frontman Bono has previously stated that One is essentially “a song about coming together, but it’s not the old hippie idea of ‘Let’s all live together.’
“It is, in fact, the opposite. It’s saying, We are one, but we’re not the same. It’s not saying we even want to get along, but that we have to get along together in this world if it is to survive.
“It’s a reminder that we have no choice.”
Hopefully the kids won’t look too much into the lyrics as they’re trying to get to sleep.
You can listen to the song here, and try it out for yourself!
