Song of Freedom and Resilience

As Bono explained, the band purposely revived the enduring Crowded House classic for its inspirational essence:

"The idea is to record something special to honour Alexei Navalny's widow, Yulia, who is continuing the fight against Vladimir Putin" Bono told the audience.

"It's a song about freedom, that's the truth."

The iconic New Zealander gave his full blessing, feeling honoured that his uplifting lyrics carry such a powerful message.

"The other day, we got a beautiful e-mail from Neil Finn who wrote this bewilderingly beautiful song" said Bono.

"Attached to the e-mail was a version of the song he said we could play whenever we wanted.

"It's a new version that he did, and we're going to try and record it. Neither party has spoken to our record label [about releasing this], so this might be the only recording that might ever exist.

"Please take your phones and send it to whoever loves freedom you know.

"Maybe send it to people that don't. There's a few of them around."

With that, the band kicked off the song's recording, which featured Finn singing the verses, thereby allowing U2 and their fans to sing the chorus.

Unsurprisingly, the crowd was happy to participate, resulting in an emotion-filled collaboration.

Poignant words that resonate

The soaring 1986 hit has resonated across generations with its message to keep persisting through struggles:

"Don't dream it's over, 'cause every night I will lie awake..."

For Navalny's wife Yulia, continuing her husband's democracy movement requires resilience.

Trailblazing virtual collaboration

The collaboration took place on March 3rd during the final night of U2's Las Vegas residency.

Finn told RNZ's Culture 101 that he was grateful for the enduring popularity of Don't Dream It's Over.

"I just see it as a great privilege for it to communicate so much to so many people."

Finn's mother, a devout Catholic, moved to New Zealand from Ireland at the age of two. She maintained a religious influence over the family.

Speaking of Catholicism, Finn stated "It's a great fertile ground for pulling lyrics out.

"[There's] lots of good stuff going on in there, good rituals and imagery and lots of guilt. It's a very potent combination.

"I think you're blessed, really, to be brought up with some kind of weird dogma like that."

Finn and his brother Tim were educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland and Te Awamutu College in Te Awamutu, Waikato, New Zealand.

Sources

• RNZ
• Wikipedia
• Qthemusic

"When I heard he was dead, I recalled the words of St Luke's Gospel, 'Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace' — he did everything he could for his country, and I thank God such people still exist," said the Moscow-based lay Catholic.

"The Catholic church in Russia doesn't speak out on sensitive issues — though we've been here for centuries, we still feel like we're in a ghetto, keeping quiet so no one will notice us. But I really hope memorial services will be held in other countries — that even the pope might join prayers in his memory."

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"I saw it on the news. What can I say? I am very sorry; I thought the matter could have been resolved differently. Instead, this news surprises us and fills us with sorrow" the cardinal told reporters in Rome.

The sudden death of Navalny has reverberated globally, prompting sorrow and accusations against Russian authorities.

Navalny, known for his opposition to President Vladimir Putin, died at 47 in the Arctic penal colony IK-3, where he was serving a 19-year sentence.

Navalny was one of the most prominent faces of Russian opposition to Mr Putin's regime. He was serving his sentence in a penal colony in Kharp, about 1,900 km (1,200 miles) north of Moscow.

Western governments called on Russia to "urgently clarify" the circumstances surrounding Navalny's demise.

International figures, including G7 foreign ministers and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, have condemned Navalny's death and criticised Putin's regime.

In the immediate aftermath, the Kremlin said the president had been informed.

Mr Putin has not publicly commented since the Russian prison service announced on Friday that Navalny had taken ill and died.

Foul play asserted

Despite requests, Navalny's mother Lyudmila has not been able to retrieve his body. Reports suggest it won't be released until a post-mortem examination is completed.

Lyudmila was reportedly told by the prison service he died on Friday after collapsing and falling unconscious during a walk.

Navalny's team alleges foul play, accusing Russian authorities of orchestrating his death. They claim the Russian authorities are purposely withholding his body so they can "cover traces".

Russian officials reject assertions of wrongdoing, dismissing them as biased.

The death of Alexei Navalny has sparked protests across Russia, leading to over 400 arrests according to independent Russian human rights monitoring group OVD-Info.

OVD-Info, which reports on freedom of assembly in Russia, said arrests had occurred in 36 cities with the largest numbers in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Sources

Vatican News

BBC News

Aljazeera