Synopsis

U2 perform their dark, electronically reworked version of Cole Porter's "Night and Day" inside filmmaker Wim Wenders' Berlin apartment. Shot in stark black and white, the video favors close-ups, shadows, reflections, and fragmented views of the musicians over a conventional storyline. Bono delivers the song with theatrical intensity while The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. perform in the confined interior. The intimate setting and moody imagery give the romantic standard a tense, nocturnal atmosphere.

Factoids & Trivia

• U2 recorded "Night and Day" for the 1990 AIDS benefit compilation *Red Hot + Blue*, which brought together artists covering songs by Cole Porter.

• The video was filmed in Berlin in October 1990, during the period when U2 were beginning work on the album that became *Achtung Baby*.

• Rather than building a narrative around the lyrics, the film uses the band's performance, stark lighting, and tight interior framing to create an uneasy, cinematic mood.

• The released video exists in more than one edit. One version includes a brief shot of Bono moving a razor close to his thumb, without drawing blood; another version removes the moment.

• The version included on the 2006 *Red Hot + Blue* DVD uses the edit containing the razor shot.

• The video was first shown as part of the television presentation of *Red Hot + Blue* around World AIDS Day in December 1990.