U2

U2 surged past fellow post-punk acts to seize the crown as the planet’s foremost rock ensemble, a status secured with the 1987 arrival of The Joshua Tree and retained deep into the following century. Unique among outfits that surfaced from that era, the quartet funneled its appetite for shadowy, exploratory sonic palettes into sharply etched rock anthems and ballads—tracks that projected grandeur while retaining a personal immediacy. Much of that closeness stems from Bono, whose instinct for sweeping statements is tempered by an abiding faith in people and the transformative force of rock & roll. That moral conviction stayed constant even after global sales reached the millions, yet it shone most vividly on early releases such as the galvanizing 1983 album War, when the Edge’s spacious guitar still carried a raw edge and the rhythm team of Larry Mullen, Jr. and Adam Clayton preserved the raw pulse of the group’s punk origins. This chapter peaked when the band stole the spotlight at Live Aid in 1985, an appearance that directly paved the way for The Joshua Tree. Anchored by the two Billboard chart-toppers “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” the record offered U2’s most straightforward material to that point, its directness offset by a moody, film-noir production aesthetic that would become a lifelong signature. Evolution never halted. Their boldest reinvention surfaced in 1991 with the dense, electronics-saturated Achtung Baby, a sharp departure that launched a decade of experimentation culminating in 1997’s Pop, an album that still reached number one while unsettling longtime listeners. U2 regained equilibrium with 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind, a lean, back-to-basics set that restored their cruising altitude through the 2000s via releases such as How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and No Line on the Horizon, keeping them at the center of mainstream rock. Although 2014’s Songs of Innocence revisited the anthemic drive of their youth, its surprise free distribution to every iTunes account highlighted their continued appetite for risk; that same spirit informed the more introspective 2017 companion Songs of Experience. With the 2023 collection Songs of Surrender, which presented reinterpreted versions of forty catalog tracks, and a headline residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas that extended through 2024, U2 have sustained their knack for discovering fresh formats.

The band’s sound carried an unmistakable post-punk imprint, yet it remains faintly ironic that U2 coalesced in 1976, before punk had arrived in Dublin, Ireland. Larry Mullen, Jr. placed an advertisement on a school notice board seeking musicians interested in forming a group. Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Dick Evans answered, and the teenagers began as the Feedback, a cover band devoted to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. They adopted the name the Hype in 1977. Shortly thereafter Dick Evans departed to establish the Virgin Prunes, prompting yet another name change—this time to U2.

U2 secured their initial major opportunity in 1978, during the members’ last year of secondary school, by winning a talent competition backed by Guinness. Before the year closed, the Stranglers’ manager Paul McGuinness witnessed a performance and proposed taking on management duties. Even with that advantage, progress remained slow; the group failed an audition for CBS Records at year’s end. In autumn 1979 they issued their debut EP, U2 Three, which appeared solely in Ireland and immediately topped the national chart. Early attempts to perform in England drew scant notice outside their home country.

One additional chart-topping single, “Another Day,” arrived in early 1980 before Island Records extended a recording contract. Later that year the full-length debut Boy appeared, produced by Steve Lillywhite. Its expansive, atmospheric yet abrasive textures stood apart from most post-punk releases, and the band drew added scrutiny for its open embrace of Christianity—only Adam Clayton did not practice the faith. Through relentless touring, including support slots with Talking Heads, U2 pushed Boy into the American Top 70 by early 1981. October, again produced by Lillywhite, followed in the autumn and marked their British breakthrough, climbing to number eleven. By the start of 1983, Boy’s “I Will Follow” and October’s “Gloria” had become regular MTV staples; combined with constant roadwork, these tracks built a substantial cult following across the United States.

Issued in spring 1983, the Lillywhite-produced War proved to be U2’s commercial breakthrough, entering the U.K. charts at number one and lifting the band into American arenas, where the album reached number twelve. Its political content was more pronounced than on prior records, underscored by the worldwide hits “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “New Year’s Day.” During the ensuing tour the group filmed a concert at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater and released the results as the EP and video Under a Blood Red Sky. The EP debuted at number two in Britain, becoming the most successful live recording in that market’s history. U2 had ascended to global prominence, and their forthright political stance soon inspired similar gestures from other acts, fueling the Band Aid and Live Aid initiatives of 1984 and 1985.

For the follow-up, U2 entered the studio with co-producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, whose guidance imparted an experimental, atmospheric character. Released in autumn 1984, The Unforgettable Fire duplicated War’s chart trajectory, entering the U.K. at number one and reaching number twelve in the U.S. It also supplied the band’s first American Top 40 single, “(Pride) In the Name of Love,” a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. The subsequent international tour included a memorable appearance at Live Aid. Afterward the band issued the live EP Wide Awake in America in 1985.

Although U2 ranked among the decade’s most successful rock acts, true superstardom arrived with the spring 1987 release of The Joshua Tree. Met with rapturous notices that frequently labeled it a masterpiece, the album became U2’s first American number-one and their third consecutive U.K. chart-topper; in Britain it achieved platinum status within twenty-eight hours. Propelled by the American number-one singles “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” both the record and its supporting tour dominated 1987, landing the group on the cover of Time. U2 documented the American leg with a film project that also captured new material; the results appeared as the documentary Rattle & Hum and an accompanying double-album soundtrack blending live and studio tracks. While commercially successful, the package drew the weakest reviews of the band’s career, with critics questioning its immersion in American roots music. After its release the group entered an extended hiatus.

U2 reconvened in Berlin in 1990 to work again with Eno and Lanois. Though the sessions proved arduous, the finished album Achtung Baby marked a decisive reinvention. Where earlier work had drawn from post-punk and, later, American vernacular styles, this record explored electronic and dance textures. Equally informed by late-seventies Bowie and the contemporaneous Madchester scene, Achtung Baby proved more eclectic and daring than anything that preceded it, yet it retained the loyalty of core fans. It debuted at number one worldwide and yielded Top Ten hits with “Mysterious Ways” and “One.”

In early 1992 the band launched the multimedia Zoo TV tour in support of Achtung Baby, a production featuring banks of televisions, suspended automobiles, and cellular phones. Bono introduced the persona of the Fly, an ironic commentary on rock stardom. Beneath the ironic trappings, the performances revealed a looser, more playful U2 that nevertheless retained its signature political urgency. Midway through the tour the group recorded material that became the full-length Zooropa, released in summer 1993. The album displayed a stronger techno and dance influence than its predecessor and earned favorable notices, though sales reached only two million and no major single emerged. On the subsequent tour the Fly persona evolved into the demonic MacPhisto. Once the Zooropa dates concluded in late 1993, another prolonged break followed.

In 1995 U2 surfaced with “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me,” a glam-rock contribution to the Batman Forever soundtrack produced by Nellee Hooper. Later that year they collaborated with Brian Eno on the album Original Soundtracks, Vol. 1, issued under the name Passengers. The project met with muted critical and commercial response. Many devoted fans, including Larry Mullen, Jr., expressed dissatisfaction, prompting the band to promise that its next album—scheduled for autumn 1996—would be a straightforward rock record.

Completion took longer than expected, pushing the release into spring 1997. During the delay several tracks, among them the eventual lead single “Discotheque,” leaked and confirmed a pronounced techno and electronic direction. When Pop finally appeared it carried a heavier dance influence than anticipated; initial sales were robust and some reviews positive, yet momentum faded and the album became U2’s least commercially successful effort in more than a decade. In late 1998 the band issued Best of 1980–1990, the first of several hits collections tied to a reported fifty-million-dollar agreement with Polygram. The collection included a newly remixed version of the 1987 B-side “Sweetest Thing,” which charted in multiple territories.

Three years after the tepid reception of Pop, U2 reunited with Eno and Lanois for All That You Can’t Leave Behind, released in late 2000. Critics hailed it as a return to form that merged the band’s classic approach with contemporary production. The album topped charts worldwide, reached number three in the United States, earned Grammy Awards for “Beautiful Day” and “Walk On,” and became U2’s strongest seller in years. The subsequent Elevation tour generated substantial revenue. Steve Lillywhite, producer of the early-eighties albums Boy, October, and War, returned for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, released in November 2004. It debuted at number one on the Billboard chart, quickly attained platinum status, and collected eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own,” a track Bono wrote for his father. U2 were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in early 2005 and launched an international tour that sold out arenas domestically and stadiums abroad. The Vertigo Tour became the highest-grossing outing of 2005; by its conclusion in late 2006 its $389 million gross ranked as the second most successful tour ever.

In 2006 U2 began sessions with veteran producer Rick Rubin. Two tracks from those dates surfaced on the compilation U218 Singles; the remaining material was ultimately discarded. The band then turned to longtime collaborators Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, and Steve Lillywhite for its twelfth studio album. Originally planned for October 2008, No Line on the Horizon appeared in March 2009. It received enthusiastic reviews yet failed to produce a major radio single; nevertheless the group mounted another lucrative summer tour. A planned 2010 leg was postponed after Bono suffered a slipped disc requiring emergency surgery. Touring resumed the following year, and the 360 Tour ultimately set the record for highest-grossing concert series in history. Bono and the Edge also contributed music to the Broadway production Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which premiered in June 2011.

Shortly after the 360 Tour concluded, U2 began work on a thirteenth album, a process marked by shifting personnel and approaches. Early sessions involved dance-oriented producers such as will.i.am and David Guetta; as ideas evolved the band cycled through Ryan Tedder and Flood before committing to Danger Mouse. The first results emerged in late 2013 with “Ordinary Love,” recorded for the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom; the song earned an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe. “Invisible” followed, premiering during Super Bowl XLVIII and performed on the February 17, 2014 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. When commercial response proved modest the group retreated to the studio and unexpectedly delivered Songs of Innocence in September 2014. Offered initially as a free download, the album received a physical release in October, debuting at number nine on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 25,000 copies. U2 toured the record through 2015 and commenced work on Songs of Experience in 2016. They paused that project in 2017 to mark the thirtieth anniversary of The Joshua Tree with a tour and deluxe reissue. By late August 2017 the first preview from Songs of Experience appeared in the form of a video for “The Blackout,” followed in early September by the official single “You’re the Best Thing About Me.” Songs of Experience arrived in December 2017, supported by an international tour that ran through 2018. The following year U2 brought the Joshua Tree anniversary shows to Asia. In 2020 the band marked the twentieth anniversary of All That You Can’t Leave Behind with a super-deluxe box set containing five CDs of material. The 2021 track “Your Song Saved My Life,” featured on the Sing 2 soundtrack, constituted U2’s first new music of the decade.

The next installment in the Songs Of… series arrived in March 2023 with Songs of Surrender, a wide-ranging collection of intimate re-recordings drawn from the catalog and apportioned among the four members, each selecting ten tracks. On release day Bono and the Edge appeared in the documentary film A Sort of Homecoming, With Dave Letterman, filmed in Dublin and incorporating unreleased footage, interviews, and a live performance. The album reached number five on the Billboard 200 and topped both the Modern Rock and Alternative Albums charts.

In September 2023 the band released the single “Atomic City” to coincide with the launch of the U2:UV Achtung Baby residency at the Sphere at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. Produced by Jacknife Lee and Steve Lillywhite, the song evoked the band’s seventies dance-punk roots while nodding to Blondie and the Clash. Alongside the extended Sphere engagement, U2 continued mining their catalog, issuing a twentieth-anniversary edition of 2004’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb in November 2024 together with the companion collection of unreleased recordings How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb, which included the previously unheard single “Country Mile.”