2.3.3 Who are Greg Carrol and Jara in "One Tree Hill"? (U2)
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This article is from the U2 FAQ, by Maryann Stump stumpm@juno.com with numerous contributions by others.
2.3.3 Who are Greg Carrol and Jara in "One Tree Hill"? (U2)
[PH] A New Zealander (Greg Carroll) who worked for the band was killed in
a motorcycle accident in Dublin
while doing something for Bono. I think the funeral was held in the Maori
cemetery at the top of One Tree Hill
in Auckland--hence the name of the song. FYI, One Tree Hill is called
that because although there are plenty of
trees on the lower slopes of the hill, the upper slopes are completely
bare apart from a tall, old tree on its own at
the top.
[JM] The funeral was conducted at Waitangi, which is the place where New
Zealand's "founding documents"
were signed, by most of the Maori chiefs. (nowhere near One Tree Hill)
The "One Tree" on the hill is alive and
well after being attacked by a Maori activist with a chain-saw, and so
was in danger for quite a while. The tree
is a pine (not native), and the hill is a site of an old Pa (Maori
fortress), and he felt that the tree was an insult to
sacred Maori ground, and should be replaced with a native tree.
[SL] Victor Jara was a Chilean folk singer/songwriter who was very
famous at the beginning of the 70s in
Chile. His songs were full of social criticism and called for uprising.
He was respected among the intellectual
leaders of the socialist Chilean government. Alas, Augusto Pinochet
overthrew the government in a military
coup. Part of the associated repression included torturing Victor Jara to
death, cutting both his hands and
making him sing and play the guitar afterwards. Thus, "Jara sang, his
song a weapon in the hands of love, his
blood still cries from the ground".
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