U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. has teamed up with singer-songwriter GAYLE on the defiant and forthright track ‘Between The Lines’ for an upcoming dyslexia documentary – listen here.
The pair announced the track on Tuesday (November 12), explaining that they worked together to write it for the documentary Left Behind, which looks at the fight to open the first public school dedicated to children with dyslexia in New York City.
GAYLE, real name Taylor Gayle Rutherford, told Billboard: “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. 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.”
Mullen added: “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. It was just completely fortuitous and luck that myself and GAYLE kind of fell into each other.”
Listen to ‘Between The Lines’ here:
Mullen went on to explain that he and GAYLE, who rose to fame after her 2021 single ‘ABCDEFU’ went viral, “found a compromise” that bridged the gap between style and generation, while GAYLE shared that she probably wouldn’t have written a song about having dyslexia if not for the film. But within two days of becoming involved, she sent her ideas to Mullen and admitted that she was “extremely intimidated” by the prospect of working with him.
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For his part, Mullen said that GAYLE’s involvement was what gave him “the kick we needed” to finish the music. He said: “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.”
GAYLE added: “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.
“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, directed by Anna Toomey, premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival in October, and will play at DOC NYC on November 20 and 21. It’ll be released at New York’s QUAD Cinema on January 17.
U2, meanwhile, shared an update on Mullen’s health last month after he stepped back from touring. When he pulled out of the band’s Las Vegas Sphere residency, U2 bassist Adam Clayton said: “The whole band and I’m sure the audience are going to be very sad and miss Larry. He wants to come back, he wants to be able to have a long career and continue his drumming so he’s taking care of those injuries.”
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