U2 provides the lead track of 'Gangs Of New York' soundtrack

NEW YORK ('Gang Of New York' film website) - Out Tuesday (December 17) is the soundtrack to Gangs Of New York, the new movie from director Martin Scorsese that opens Friday (December 20). The lead track was provided by U2, whose "The Hands That Built America" appears on both the soundtrack and on the group's new compilation The Best Of 1990-2000.

U2 guitarist the Edge said that the band jumped at the chance to be part of the film. "We got a call from his (Scorsese's) office, I suppose, and he and Miramax had been trying to figure out what, who was gonna provide music, and our names came up. Initially it was just, really, 'Are we interested?' And we're huge fans of Scorsese, so we said, pretty much immediately, 'Yeah, you know, if we can do something that works for both of us, that would be great.'"

With a score by former Saturday Night Live bandleader Howard Shore, the Gangs Of New York soundtrack also features music from Peter Gabriel, Linda Thompson, Afro Celt Sound System, and others.