Miracle Drug (disambiguation)

Miracle drug is an informal term to describe a drug (hypothetical or real) that can cure hitherto incurable medical conditions. Aspirin and penicillin were described as miracle drugs when first introduced; more recently the breast cancer drug Hercpetin has been so described.

The term may also refer to:

Miracle Drug

"Miracle Drug" is the second track from U2's 2004 album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. It was written about the late Irish writer Christopher Nolan, with whom the band attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School. Bono said of Nolan:

Composition

The song shares a similar chord progression with their 1987 song "With or Without You", and features a rare background vocal appearance by U2's drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. Indeed, it is one of only two U2 songs to feature three members of U2 on vocals - Bono, the Edge, and Mullen. The only other is "Numb" from the Zooropa album.

Performance

"Miracle Drug" was played live at every show of the first and second legs of the Vertigo Tour, with Bono using the song (and the story of Nolan) as a means of expressing his appreciation for doctors, nurses, and others in the medical field. Towards the end of the third leg of the tour, it was dropped and did not reappear on any of the fourth or fifth leg shows. Its last performance on the Vertigo Tour was November 28, 2005 in Montreal.