U2 developed "City of Blinding Lights" from a song called "Scott Walker," an outtake from the band's 1997 album "Pop". This incarnation, written as an homage to the singer of the same name, was only an outline when the recording sessions for "Pop" concluded. The group reworked it in preparation for their 2000 album "All That You Can't Leave Behind", but the song was still unfinished when that album was released. They rewrote the song for their 2004 album "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb". Bassist Adam Clayton said, "There was a melody and a groove that ultimately didn't go anywhere and we kind of threw out everything, found chords that worked with that melody and built it back up, new drum parts, new bass parts, new guitars."