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When U2’s Larry Mullen Jr. and pop rock singer GAYLE collaborated on the end title song “Between the Lines” for Left Behind, an inspiring documentary about several mothers’ fight to open the first New York City public school dedicated to children with dyslexia, it was personal.
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Mullen’s oldest son has dyslexia, as does GAYLE. Mullen approached GAYLE about working together, who says it was a “no brainer.”
“I have been pretty public about the fact that I have dyslexia, and that is something that has been a part of my whole entire life,” GAYLE tells Billboard over a Zoom with Mullen. “Larry reached out to me about trying to collaborate for this documentary. He was talking about how passionate he was about the project, especially the fact that he has a child that has been affected with dyslexia. He had a view as a parent seeing how it’s affected his child. He didn’t have to sell me in any way.”
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The catchy, propulsive song, which premieres below, is spiky and defiant, driven by Mullen’s drumming and the GAYLE’s refrain, “special and weird is hard to come by,” and her lyrics that explain what it feels like from her experience to be dyslexic. A dramatic bridge heightens the emotional appeal.
Mullen was familiar with GAYLE’s breakthrough hit “abcedefu” because it had been a big hit in his native Ireland and he was also aware that she had dyslexia, which was of critical importance to him in a writing partner. “I was really anxious that when I agreed to do [the song] that somebody who actually had dyslexia was involved and they would do the lyrics,” he says. “It was just completely fortuitous and luck that myself and GAYLE kind of fell into each other.”
Mullen and his co-writers, Reed Berlin and David Baron, had ideas for the track, as did GAYLE, and “we found a compromise” through their generational divide and diverse styles, Mullen says. “It was a collide of cultures, two different eras coming together. And the collision is kind of a beautiful one despite the musical differences.”
GAYLE and Mullen talked on the phone about the tenacious spirit of the documentary and how to capture that attitude. GAYLE admits that without the prompting of the film, she likely would not have written a song about having dyslexia, but “because of my experience of being dyslexic and experiencing that my whole entire life, it was not a hard subject for me to write about. It was beautiful opportunity for me to talk about something that I struggle with on a daily basis.”
Within two days, GAYLE sent Mullen her lyrical ideas. “He’s such a legend, obviously. I was extremely intimidated,” she says, even telling him, “‘If you hate this, that’s completely fine.’” Mullen more than liked the direction and took the lyrics and finished the musical track.
Though Mullen had been involved as one of the film’s producers with his production partner Chris Farrell, he says it was GAYLE’s involvement that gave him “the kick we needed” to finish the music because her lyrics were so strong. “It’s not about being angry. For GAYLE, it’s about the frustration and being able to articulate that which is what makes it just so such a powerful idea. GAYLE is relatable as a powerful young woman out there doing stuff that us old guys can’t do,” Mullen says with a laugh.
The two still haven’t met in person — and it’s clear over Zoom that GAYLE is still a little awed by Mullen. “I haven’t even told Larry this, but I used to cover [U2] songs when I was a little kid, and I used to play at farmer’s markets and I’d have a little hat out, just begging for dollar bills, and I would buy an ice cream sandwich with the money,” she says. “So obviously, it just means so much to have somebody that I think is just so talented and such a legend in music to collaborate on a song. It’s just such an honor. And then for him to speak so kindly about me and my musicality and my music sensibilities, it really means a lot.”
Left Behind
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Though the film deals specifically with mothers in New York City, whose activism led to the opening of the South Bronx Literacy Academy in 2023 with more schools on the way, the universality of the story appealed to Mullen. His son, now 29, “fell through the cracks,” he says, in terms of getting diagnosed. “It’s only in the last 10 years that he’s kind of turning it around and starting to understand dyslexia and what it has meant to him. And through that discovery, I’ve learned something about my own reaction to it… so it was in that spirit that I got involved in the film.”
“A lot of people can see dyslexia as a disadvantage, and it definitely is extremely difficult, especially when you’re in the education system,” says GAYLE, whose eye doctor diagnosed her dyslexia when she was in elementary school. “I was in a family full of readers, and it was so frustrating to not understand why it was so much easier for my brother and my mother to read. I’ve learned so much about myself while having this be such a deep part of my life. But I think there’s a lot of frustrating parts about it as well. I think that’s why I wanted to put ‘special and weird is a thinning line,’ because while it’s something that’s really difficult, it’s also a superpower at the same time.”
Mullen, along with Baron, also wrote “One of Us,” which is heard briefly at the beginning of the documentary and then again at the end of the film after “Between the Lines” plays. Donna Lewis, best known for her ‘90s hit “I Love You Always Forever” sings the tune. Unlike “Between the Lines,” Mullen co-wrote “One of Us” to work with the images at the beginning of the film and as he watched his son watch the documentary. “I could feel his stress and this real discomfort, so I actually just translated that into a pair of drumsticks, and I started to feel what he was feeling. It was me trying to let the sticks dictate what was going on through his eyes.”
For Mullen to be able to play on the film’s songs was a major victory given that he has been in recovery from neck surgery that prevented him from playing with U2 during the band’s Sphere run earlier this year. “I’ve been out of action for quite a while. I’m just back a couple of months,” he says. “It was great to be able to do this track because I could play on it, whereas six months ago, I couldn’t because I had a neck surgery. So, I’m just getting back in and it’s slow, methodical. This project was a lot of fun.”
Both Mullen and GAYLE are aware that their involvement can help bring awareness to the film and to dyslexia. “I’m personally trying to sit in the middle, advocating for [those with dyslexia] to not be underestimated, while also still acknowledging the difficulties that come with dyslexia,” GAYLE says.
Similarly, Mullen hopes the film can make people think. “I just think this is a really pertinent question for people to ask about an education system that’s essentially screwed up, and that demonizes and persecutes children for thinking differently,” he says. “If we can just change the conversation, even for a minute, I think that that’s a good thing.”
Left Behind, directed by Emmy Award winner Anna Toomey, premiered at the Woodstock (N.Y.) Film Festival in October and will run as part of DOC NYC Nov. 20-21. Abramorama has acquired the North American theatrical rights to the documentary and will kick off a theatrical release Jan. 17 at New York’s QUAD Cinema.
Never let it be said that Timothée Chalamet doesn’t do his homework. In his first extensive interview about his role as Bob Dylan in the upcoming biopic A Complete Unknown, the Willy Wonka star told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that he learned how to play 13 classic Dylan songs for the movie, in addition to working with a harmonica coach for five years to nail the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s signature style.
In addition to tapping a movement coach to help him embody the enigmatic icon’s physical stance, Chalemet also told Lowe that he took a “spirit-gathering” road trip mimicking the Minnesota native’s early years as a budding folk singer, starting off in Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing, MN, before traveling to neighboring Duluth, then on to Chicago and Madison, WI.
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“It was the best experience I’ve had as an actor or the most rewarding experience I’ve had doesn’t really necessarily translate to the effect of it, not only on people, but maybe in the finished product because I’ve also had more challenging experiences that come out great,” Chalamet said of the long journey to bring the singer to life on screen. “I’m happy it took five, six years because I am now deep in that Church of Bob. I feel like that’s my mission is the next three months, until the movie comes out, I feel like I’m in the Church of Bob, I’m a humble disciple, and I feel like I got this opportunity to kind of be a bridge to this music or this period, this time period.”
Despite his deep-dive, Chalamet said he wasn’t trying to do an imitation of the singer’s voice, explaining, “This is interpretive. This is not definitive. This is not fact. This is not how it happened. This is a fable.” In fact, he said none of his fellow actors were there to perform impersonations.
“This is about not only myself interpreting Bob, but Edward Norton interpreting Pete Seeger, Monica [Barbaro] interpreting Joan Baez and Boyd Holbrook interpreting Johnny Cash in this moment in the ’60s where American culture was a kaleidoscope and Greenwich Village was a kaleidoscope,” he said. “The way culture still is now too, but without being a history teacher, that was the beginning, personalized music, stuff with intention, stuff with poetry, it all started there in the movie.”
The journey was, as expected, arduous, given Dylan’s unique vocal style and quixotic public persona. Though he said he didn’t play guitar on the pre-records of the songs, Chalamet said he worried the guitar on the songs was too “friendly,” given that in the early 1960s Dylan was playing an instrument was “basically falling apart.” Similarly, the actor said he found that his voice had a baritone range, but that too sounded too “clean” too him.
“I was doing vocal warmups with Eric Vetro, who was this vocal coach who helped me on Wonka and helped me sing ‘Grand’ on Wonka. And then, here, I would listen to it back and I’m like, ‘Man, this sounds too clean,’” he said, calling the role the “most dignified work” he’s ever done.
In a nod to Dylan’s often unpredictable nature, Chalamet recalled that the singer’s manager secretly came to set one day and after watching the actor he praised him for capturing the “spirit” of his client. In fact, the text he got was so effusive and positive, that Chalamet said he and Norton were “jumping up and down and went, ‘man, Bob’s manager loves it’ and then we were like, ‘oh no, the real Bob’s such a contrarian that Jeff’s gonna go to him and say this movie looks good and then Bob’s gonna say well, it must be a piece of s–t.’”
Now that he’s been fully immersed in the “Church of Bob,” Chalamet said he feels like he can be a “bridge” to bring the the voice of a generation to a whole new generation. In a pair of trailers to date, Chalamet appears to fully transform his voice and physical manner to tell the story of Dylan’s early 1960s rise to fame and the controversial moment he switched to electric guitar at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.
A Complete Unknown opens in theaters on Dec. 25.
Watch the full interview below.
Paul Weller, Kneecap, Primal Scream, and Liam Bailey will be among the performers at a benefit event in support of humanitarian charities in Palestine at London’s O2 Academy Brixton on Dec. 13.
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The show curated by Weller, which is titled Gig For Gaza, will also feature guest speakers and short films. All proceeds from the night will go to MAP (Medical Aid For Palestine) and Gaza Forever. Tickets will be available on Friday (Nov. 15) at 9 a.m. GMT via Ticketmaster. The official artwork was designed by Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack.
During recent performances, Weller discussed the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Speaking on stage at a gig in Glasgow, Scotland last month, the songwriter explained that he didn’t want to subject audience members to “a political rant,” but felt as though it was important to speak his mind.
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“I would like to dedicate that last song to all the tens of thousands of women, children, babies, men, civilians in Palestine and Gaza,” Weller told the crowd at the city’s Barrowlands venue. “I would ask you one question. It’s really simple. There is no grey area. Are you for genocide, or are you against it? It’s a f–-king yes or no question…”
The war was sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, during which more than 1,200 Israeli civilians were killed by Hamas fighters who also took more than 250 hostages. In the year that has followed, Israeli forces have reportedly killed more than 42,000 Palestinians according to Palestinian authorities, as well as launching recent airstrikes in Iran and Lebanon.
Having previously fronted and supported left-wing movements (including organizing the pro-Labour party Red Wedge collective in the 1980s), Weller has a storied history of activism. He recently wrapped up a headline tour across the U.K. in support of his latest LP 66, which reached No.4 in the Official U.K. Albums Chart in June.
Irish rappers Kneecap, meanwhile, unveiled their debut album Fine Art earlier this year, which was supported by the release of their eponymous biopic starring the trio themselves alongside actor Michael Fassbender. Following Gig For Gaza, they will play their biggest headline show to date at Belfast’s 11,000-capacity SSE Arena on Dec. 21.
In March, Kneecap withdrew from performing at this year’s SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, after it was revealed that the U.S. Army was a “super sponsor” of the event as well as defense contractor RTX Corporation. “It is done in solidarity with the people of Palestine and to highlight the unacceptable deep links the festival has to weapons companies,” the group explained of their decision via Instagram. “This will have a significant financial impact on Kneecap… but it isn’t an iota of hardship when compared with the suffering being inflicted on the people of Gaza.”
Two election-related tracks head up Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart dated Nov. 16, as Tom MacDonald and Nova Rockafeller’s “Goodbye Joe” debuts at No. 1 and a new version of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” with Drew Jacobs opens at No. 2.
In the week ending Nov. 7, “Goodbye Joe” sold 12,000 downloads in the U.S., according to Luminate. “God Bless the U.S.A.” sold 11,000.
“Goodbye Joe” is MacDonald’s fourth Digital Song Sales No. 1, following “Fake Woke” in 2021, “Ghost” in 2023 and “You Missed” this July. Rockafeller’s previous best was alongside MacDonald and Brandon Hart on “No Good Bastards,” which peaked at No. 15 in 2021.
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“Goodbye Joe,” which also debuts at No. 1 on the Country Digital Song Sales chart, finds the pair celebrating the upcoming end of President Joe Biden’s term in office after he withdrew his candidacy for a second term in July. Former President Donald Trump won a second term on Election Day, Nov. 5, four days after the song’s release.
“God Bless the U.S.A.,” meanwhile, is a rock redo of Greenwood’s 1984 patriotic single, which hit No. 7 that year on Hot Country Songs. He’s joined by Jacobs, who previously reigned on Digital Song Sales as part of a cover of Blake Shelton’s “God’s Country” alongside State of Mine in 2021.
In addition to its No. 2 bow on Digital Song Sales, “God Bless the U.S.A.” bows at No. 1 on Rock Digital Song Sales, marking Greenwood’s first leader and Jacobs’ second, following “God’s Country.” It also starts at No. 2 on Country Digital Song Sales. Greenwood’s original “God Bless the U.S.A.” led Digital Song Sales for a week in July 2020.
Concurrently, the new version of “God Bless the U.S.A.” debuts at No. 28 on the multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. In addition to its song sales, the tune earned 371,000 official U.S. streams. “Goodbye Joe,” meanwhile, starts at No. 49 on Hot Country Songs, with 1.6 million streams in addition to its sales.
Both “Goodbye Joe” and “God Bless the U.S.A.” were released Nov. 1, capitalizing on the then-imminent U.S. presidential election. Greenwood’s solo original version concurrently re-enters Digital Song Sales at No. 13 (3,000 sold, up 267%).
All Billboard charts dated Nov. 16 will update on Billboard.com on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
The Cure have landed their first No. 1 on the U.K. Albums Chart since 1992 with their new album Songs of a Lost World. The band’s 14th studio album was their first LP in over 16 years following 2008’s 4:13 Dream, and their first to land at No. 1 in the U.K. since 1992’s Wish, […]
Original Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno’s cause of death has been revealed. According to a an official statement on the vocalist’s Facebook Page, the results of Di’Anno’s autopsy revealed that the 66-year-old died as a result of a tear in the sac around his heart. “We have received permission from Paul’s family to bring you […]
It has been a long time since Oasis performed live. But despite a 16-year lay-off, singer Liam Gallagher can confidently predict that when he and brother/guitarist Noel Gallagher reunite on stage next year for their first tour since 2008, not only will there be no cobwebs, but he double-dares any young band out there to […]
A month and a half after his fifth solo album, Luck and Strange, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart, David Gilmour is in New York City for a five-night run at Madison Square Garden.
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Prior to Saturday (Nov. 9) evening’s show beginning in earnest, bassist Guy Pratt (who also plays in Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets band) came out to politely but firmly urge the audience to stay “present” throughout the show and avoid the urge to watch the entire thing through the screen of a cell phone – and more importantly, keep your phone’s flashlight off (“David hates that”). Whether the MSG crowd was made up of exceptionally good listeners or just folks who are less inclined to capture every moment of their lives for the ‘Gram is up for debate, but the Gen X and Boomer heavy audience by and large obliged – a small miracle in 2024.
Gilmour’s Luck and Strange Tour is different from most concert tours these days in another notable respect, too. While he’s far from the only classic rocker still on the road, the English legend – best known as part of Pink Floyd, one of the most adventurous, influential and commercially successful rock bands to start in the ‘60s and endure as a major force for decades to follow – is one of the few arena-headlining veterans known primarily as a guitarist. Yes, he sang lead (“Breathe,” “Wish You Were Here”) or shared vocals (“Time,” “Comfortably Numb”) on several of Pink Floyd’s most beloved songs, but Gilmour’s most distinctive form of expression is his guitar playing. And on the Luck and Strange Tour, the 78-year-old axeman demonstrates what many an aging bluesman before him has proven – the years might wear on the vocal cords, but the guitar chords speak out as clearly as ever.
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The blues are a foundational element of Gilmour’s playing, as is folk (he’s cited Pete Seeger and Joni Mitchell as stylistic influences). When he’s playing, those earthy, organic genres help tether him to planet earth as his mournful, lonely guitar solos echo throughout the depths of space. It’s a sublime juxtaposition, and one that hit especially hard Saturday night during the expressive instrumental “Marooned,” one of four songs from Floyd’s 1994 album The Division Bell in his setlist. Similarly effective was Atom Heart Mother’s “Fat Old Sun,” which Gilmour imbued with a country flavor while playing acoustic before switching to the electric for an extended, psychedelic outro.
The songs from The Dark Side of the Moon in the first half of his set got the biggest roar of approval, and while it was immensely satisfying to hear faithful renderings of tunes like “Breathe (In the Air)” and “Time,” his stripped-down take on “The Great Gig in the Sky” during the night’s second half was arguably more memorable. With Gilmour on the steel guitar, touring band member Louise Marshall played a baby grand while harmonizing with the Webb Sisters and Romany Gilmour (David’s 22-year-old daughter) on the wordless vocal classic; for a few minutes, it felt less like a famed arena and more like an intimate living room jam session.
In addition to providing backup vocals, Romany Gilmour sang lead while plucking the harp on “Between Two Points,” a cover of a Montgolfier Brothers song that appears on the Luck and Strange album. Famous artists bringing out their kids for a guest spot can be a dicey proposition, but Romany possesses a somber, clear phrasing that (not unlike their father’s guitar solos) is deployed in an understated, direct fashion; it captivates you while hollowing out your insides. That performance was one of the show’s absolute standout moments – which is even more of an achievement given that the song hails from a new album and hasn’t benefitted from years of familiarity.
This tour’s visuals aren’t quite as theatrical or prop heavy as what former bandmate Roger Waters brings to the road (but Gilmour is less extreme than Waters is several different respects these days). Still, the Luck and Strange Tour boasts its fair share of production flourishes, from bouncing inflatable balls during “High Hopes” to harrowing video animations to blazing green lasers.
For the encore, Gilmour and his band performed “Comfortably Numb” from what looked like a prison cell of white lights. By that point, the crowd had collectively decided it was time to ignore Pratt’s exhortations and get those phones out – but really, who could get mad? Despite the show featuring eight songs from a brand-new solo album, damn near everyone at MSG on Saturday stayed present, riveted and mostly seated until the very end. Were folks comfortable? Yes. Numb? Hardly.
Mk.gee brought an air of mystery to Studio 8H during his Saturday Night Live musical guest debut on Nov. 9. The enigmatic 28-year-old multi-instrumentalist delivered captivating performances of his songs “Alesis” and “Rockman” on the long-running comedy sketch show, hosted by comedian Bill Burr. During his first performance of the evening, Mk.gee (born Mike Gordon) […]
Kid Rock is celebrating Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election in his signature, over-the-top style.
The 53-year-old musician (real name: Robert James Ritchie) shared a video on Instagram Friday (Nov. 8), offering two distinct reactions to the election outcome: one from his larger-than-life onstage persona and another from his more laid-back, everyday self.
Titled “Official Election Reaction: Kid Rock vs. Bob Ritchie,” the approximately two-minute clip opens with the rocker’s infamous bad boy image. Stepping out in a fiery red jumpsuit, holding a cigar, and sporting a white MAGA hat, the rocker dramatically celebrates Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. In true Kid Rock fashion, he drops the mic, grabs his crotch, and flips off the camera.
The video then cuts to a more subdued Bob Ritchie moment, where the singer sheds his onstage persona in favor of a casual Detroit Tigers cap, plain white T-shirt, green shorts and a wrist brace. Sitting in a wooden chair, he adopts a more reflective tone as his 2017 anthem “American Rock ‘n Roll” plays in the background.
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“First off, let me convey to my family, friends, and supporters that now is not the time to gloat,” the singer narrates, accompanied by imagery of American flags and neighborhood homes. “We must remember that most of our left-leaning friends are good people who want the same things in life that we do, but simply think differently about how to get there.”
The scene shifts to footage of Rock performing live as he declares, “It is now time to be the bigger man, to extend an olive branch, and unite all reasonable people of this great nation.”
The tone then turns more patriotic, with the video cutting to clips of Trump passionately shouting “fight” after his attempted assassination at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa.
“God has blessed America, and together with President Trump, we will make America great again,” Rock concludes.
The video closes with a teaser for the musician’s Rock the Country 2025 tour, a 10-date trek billed as “A Festival for We the People.” The tour launches April 4-5 in Livingston, La., and wraps July 25-26 in Anderson, S.C. Full lineup and venue details were not available at press time. See more details here.
In addition to Rock, Trump’s 2024 campaign garnered endorsements from notable figures such as country stars Jason Aldean and Billy Ray Cyrus, as well as celebrities including Amber Rose, Savannah Chrisley, Caitlyn Jenner, Dr. Phil, Elon Musk, Kanye West, Joe Rogan and Lil Pump.
Watch Kid Rock’s reaction to Trump’s election win on Instagram here.