Composition and Theme
"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 D major. The vocals extend from a low note of A4 to a high of B5.
In a 1983 interview, 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. The singer explained that his real intent was only to acknowledge that a "Third World" war and the atomic bomb were facts of life he believed in, but that they would not overpower him.
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