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While it's an animated movie, Sing 2 features one of U2 singer Bono's most vulnerable performances.
Of course, most fans are no strangers to Bono's vulnerability. Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience were all about the singer. He also wrote a memoir in 2022 titled Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.
In Sing 2, Bono voices an out-of-his-prime rockstar named Clay Calloway. On the nose, I know, but bear with me. Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) needs Calloway to get his production off the ground. But Calloway has gone into hiding since the passing of his wife.
Ultimately, it takes Ash (Scarlett Johansson) to get him out of his funk. They sing U2 hits like “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For” to close the movie.
Bono's Sing 2 performance's parallels to U2
You may or may not know that Bono's mother died when he was a teenager (that is what “Iris (Hold Me Close”) is about). While his mother's status is never discussed in Sing 2, his wife could be a mixture of both Iris and his wife, Ali Hewson.
I cannot tell you what Bono was thinking about while recording lines for Sing 2, but I'd have to imagine part of his performance was a love letter to his wife. She is still with us, and the U2 frontman usually dedicates a song or two to her every concert. But something elicited an emotional performance from Bono that even I couldn't see coming.
Initially, Ash is confused by Calloway's aggressiveness. As the movie unfolds, it becomes clear that he is grieving. He hasn't played since his wife died. In turn, has put his life on hold.
Bono and Ali have been married for years. They also met when they were in high school. Through thick and thin, Ali has been there for Bono, even before he was singing to sold-out stadiums.
Half of U2's songs wouldn't exist without Ali, and Bono seems aware of that. His muse's presence is felt in the animated children's movie.
While Ash is trying to convince Clay to take part in the production, she sings “Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of.” The U2 song was originally written about Michael Hutchence's passing. On a macro level, it is about any situation that you are stuck in.
It could be a romantic relationship, a job, or a situationship. In Clay's case, he is still mourning the loss of his wife. He
Sing 2 ends with Clay singing “I Still Haven't Found. What I'm Looking For” with Ash.
“Your Song Saved My Life” is underrated
U2's contribution to the soundtrack is “Your Song Saved My Life.” I've spoken about it in the past, but the same could be said of U2's music with me.
I'm not lying when I say that I was hoping for the song to receive an Oscar nomination. The band would then have had to perform it live at the Oscars, which would have been cool to hear.
“Your Song Save My Life” begins with a piano riff from The Edge as his angelic backing vocals come in. It opens with a seeming reference to “The Little Things That Give You Away” from Songs of Experience.
Bono sings, “Was a Monday morning / about a quarter past four.” Some may remember him singing, “Sometimes, I wake at four in the morning.”
Either the singer is always up in the early morning, or it is a coincidence. I'd like to think that the line is a reference to the Songs of Experience track.
While “Your Song Saved My Life” is not a U2 classic, per se, it is a great song that works as a theme song for Sing 2 as well as a standalone ballad.
How U2's music saves lives
There is a universality to U2's music that makes it accessible to all. Hearing stories from other U2 fans proves how much their music means to them. There seems to be a connection that the band formed with their audience that no other band has.
Sure, Swifties are crazy for Taylor Swift. They loudly sang her songs during the Eras Tour. She probably has had a similar effect on her fans, but U2 did it first.
Speaking from personal experience, Achtung Baby got me through hard times in college. The album features with dark songs about heartbreak, such as “So Cruel” and “Love Is Blindness.”
Every day, I'd make the same walk to my classes while listening to those songs. It helped give me a light at the end of the tunnel I desperately needed.
Even before that, I had suffered a very personal loss in my teenage years. Seeing U2's Innocence + Experience Tour in 2015 introduced me to their Songs of Innocence album, one I still hold near and dear.
While I did not grow up in Ireland during the Troubles, Songs of Innocence resonated. From the sappy adoration heard in “Song for Someone” to the grieving heard in “Iris (Hold Me Close).”
What Sing 2 did for Bono, U2
Sing 2 gave Bono an opportunity he never had. He is a performer, and yet, he has never gotten to show off his acting chops. And to be honest, he does a great job voice acting in the movie.
His Clay Calloway is only an extension of his work as a rock star. There is a lot in his performance that no amount of crowd work can prepare you for.
Bono manages the intensity and tenderness required of the role. For someone who hasn't done a lot of acting before, he does a pretty good job in his debut.
Shortly after Sing 2, Bono released his memoir and embarked on a solo tour. I feel like the role only helped enhance his storytelling skills as he grips your attention in the audiobook version of his memoir. He was similarly engaging on his Stories of Surrender Tour.
Who knows if Bono will ever act again after Sing 2 — I imagine that it will get another sequel, especially after making $400 million at the box office. It would be great to see Clay's arc continue after Ash got him out of his funk.
But if not, expect the same emotion from Bono and U2's next album. He has been especially introspective lately, and it has led to some of his best work.
