The band formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency. Within four years, they signed with Island Records and released their debut album, Boy (1980). Subsequent work such as their first UK number-one album, War (1983), and the singles "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)" helped establish U2's reputation as a politically and socially conscious group. By the mid-1980s, they had become renowned globally for their live act, highlighted by their performance at Live Aid in 1985. The group's fifth album, The Joshua Tree (1987), made them international superstars and was their greatest critical and commercial success. Topping music charts around the world, it produced their only number-one singles in the US, "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".
Facing creative stagnation and a backlash following their documentary/double album, Rattle and Hum (1988), U2 reinvented themselves in the 1990s through a new musical direction and public image. Beginning with their acclaimed seventh album, Achtung Baby (1991), and the multimedia-intensive Zoo TV Tour, the band integrated influences from alternative rock, electronic dance music, and industrial music into their sound, and embraced a more ironic, flippant image. This experimentation continued through their ninth album, Pop (1997), and the PopMart Tour, which were mixed successes. U2 regained critical and commercial favour with the records All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), which established a more conventional, mainstream sound for the group. Their U2 360° Tour of 2009–2011 is the highest-attended and highest-grossing concert tour in history. The group's thirteenth album, Songs of Innocence (2014), was released at no cost through the iTunes Store, but received criticism for its automatic placement in users' music libraries.
U2 has released 14 studio albums and is one of the world's best-selling music artists in history, having sold more than 170 million records worldwide. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band, and in 2005, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. Rolling Stone ranked U2 at number 22 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Throughout their career, as a band and as individuals, they have campaigned for human rights and philanthropic causes, including Amnesty International, Jubilee 2000, the ONE/DATA campaigns, Product Red, War Child, and Music Rising.
Foundation: The band originally formed in 1976 when Larry Mullen posted a bulletin in his school asking for musicians to form a rock band. The band then consisted of the four current members plus three additional guitarists, including The Edge’s brother Dick Evans (later a member of Virgin Prunes), Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin. According to legend, Bono originally auditioned as a guitarist but couldn’t play. He auditioned as lead vocals, but really couldn’t sing. He was, however, incredibly enthusiastic about the band, extremely charismatic, a great writer, and was strangely able to reach the audience when the band played, something he is known for still today. Bono will reach out into the crowd and dance or mess with someone in the crowd at every concert. He was kept as a member. The extra guitarists would soon leave the band and the group would go through the names “Feedback ” and “The Hype” before finally settling on U2.
The 70s & 80s: 1978 was a jumping point year for the band, finally finding their sound / voice. U2 won a talent contest in 1978: £500 and funds to make a record. Paul McGuinness became the band’s manager and U2 released an EP called Three and the single Another Day, the following year. U2 went on to release their first album, Boy and then more critically acclaimed albums incl.: October, War, Under A Blood Red Sky, and The Unforgettable Fire (featuring the song PlayMLK dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr). Seen by many as a political band with more charisma than others, they were called “a different kind” of band. After a short break U2 returned with The Joshua Tree & the USA music inspired Rattle And Hum (also a movie of the same name, based on the tour).
The 90s: Promising ”to dream it all up again”, they added industrial and dance styles to their music. Trying to drop a goody two shoes image, they went to Berlin (Germany), supposedly to develop new self-expressions. From there they started to make fun of themselves and had a good time of it in albums like Achtung Baby (meaning ”watch out, baby”, artwork feat. make-up artist Nassim Khalifa) & Zooropa. Bono took on many stage personae such as “The Fly”, “Mirrorball Man” and “Mr. MacPhisto” for the gigantic ZOO TV Tour. Later they continued to make fun of Pop culture and all its extremes with the album Pop and consequent PopMart tour which was announced to be launched at a Kmart store and included a giant golden arch across the stage.
The 00s: At the end of the 90’s into 00’s U2 became less image and more reality. With the death of Bono’s good friend Michael Hutchence, the lead singer of INXS, Bono wrote more songs from the heart surrounding ideas like life and death, children, hope, and the real world past all the pop culture and TV. Some say they’ve returned to a more band-centric sound with albums like All That You Can’t Leave Behind which features a song, Kite, dedicated to Bono’s father who passed away shortly after the album’s conception and 2004’s How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.
The 10s: U2 went on the U2 360° Tour in 2009 and 2010. This tour set records for the highest-grossing concert tour. The band worked with producer Danger Mouse for their thirteenth album Songs of Innocence, which was released on 9 September 2014 for free to all Apple iCloud users.
The Name: There are many theories as to the origin of the name U2. For example, U2 was an intelligence airplane that was in use by the United States during the Cold War. Other obvious candidates include “You too” and “You two”, etc. Nonetheless the official line on the name’s origins remains unknown. The band has been quoted as saying that they did think of the U2 spy plane, but remain hushed about other reasons… U2
'Baby' So Cruel
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who pushed who over?
It doesn't matter to you
It matters to me
We're cut adrift
We're still floating
I'm only hanging on
My love
I disappeared in you
You disappeared from me
I gave you everything you ever wanted
It wasn't what you wanted
The men who love you, you hate the most
They pass through you like a ghost
They look for you, but your spirit is in the air
Baby, you're nowhere
Oh love
You say in love there are no rules
Oh love
Sweetheart
You're so cruel
Desperation is a tender trap
It gets you every time
You put your lips to her lips
To stop the lie
Her skin is pale like God's only dove
Screams like an angel for your love
Then she makes you watch her from above
And you need her like a drug
Oh love
You say in love there are no rules
Oh love
Sweetheart
You're so cruel
She wears my love like a see-through dress
Her lips say one thing
Her movements something else
Oh love, like a screaming flower
Love, dying every hour, love
You don't know if it's fear or desire
Danger the drug that takes you higher
Head in heaven, fingers in the mire
Her heart is racing, you can't keep up
The night is bleeding like a cut
Between the horses of love and lust
We are trampled
Underfoot
Oh love
You say in love there are no rules
Oh love
Sweetheart
You're so cruel
Oh love
To stay with you I'd be a fool
Oh, huh
Sweetheart
You're so cruel
"So Cruel" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It was released as the fifth track on their 1991 album Achtung Baby. This song is telling a story about a love affair between two people that is past its prime. The singer (Bono) observes the destructive relationship and just how toxic and cruel it has become. The song opens with the line "We crossed the line, who pushed who over?" indicating that something significant has happened between the couple. Bono observes that it doesn't matter to one of them (presumably the woman) what happened, but it matters to him.
The couple in question has reached a point where they are "cut adrift" and "floating". Bono admits that he is only holding on to watch the woman fall, which suggests that he is not innocent in the relationship's breakdown. They have both given each other everything they thought they wanted, but it wasn't enough. The men who love the woman most are the ones she hates, and they pass through her like a ghost. Bono suggests that her spirit is in the air, and she is nowhere.
The song uses desperation as a metaphor for the woman's need for validation and attention. Her skin is pale like a dove, and she screams like an angel for love. Bono suggests that she makes the man watch her from above and that he needs her like a drug. The love between the couple is destructive, and the woman wears the love like a see-through dress. She says one thing with her lips, but her movements are saying something else. Bono refers to the love as dying every hour and a screaming flower. He wonders if it is fear or desire that is driving this love and if it is dangerous, like a drug that takes you higher. In the end, it is unclear whether the couple will persevere or if they will be trampled underfoot by the horses of love and lust.
Line by Line Meaning
We crossed the line
We have gone too far in our relationship and things can never go back to the way they were before.
Who pushed who over?
Who is responsible for the current state of our relationship, did you push me away or did I push you away?
It doesn't matter to you
You don't care who is responsible for the situation we are in.
It matters to me
I care who is responsible for the current state of our relationship and it is important that I know.
We're cut adrift
We are lost and alone in our relationship, with no clear path forward.
We're still floating
Despite our difficulties, we are still together and trying to make things work.
I'm only hanging on
My love for you is the only thing keeping me invested in this relationship.
To watch you go down
Despite my love for you, I am resigned to watching our relationship fail.
My love
I am speaking to the person I love.
I disappeared in you
I lost myself completely in our relationship.
You disappeared from me
You changed and became distant from me.
I gave you everything you ever wanted
I did everything I could to make you happy and meet your needs.
It wasn't what you wanted
Despite my efforts, I could not give you what you truly desired.
The men who love you, you hate the most
You reject the love of those who care about you the most.
They pass through you like a ghost
Those who love you are unable to connect with you on a deep level.
They look for you, but your spirit is in the air
Those who are close to you cannot find you because you are distant and unattainable.
Baby, you're nowhere
You are emotionally unavailable and cannot be reached by those who care about you.
Oh love
Love is being addressed.
You say in love there are no rules
Love is unpredictable and cannot be governed by rules.
Sweetheart,
A term of endearment is being used.
You're so cruel
Love can be cruel and painful.
Desperation is a tender trap
Being desperate for love can cause you to get trapped in unhealthy relationships.
It gets you every time
Desperation can lure you into making poor relationship choices repeatedly.
You put your lips to her lips
You attempt to hide the truth by kissing someone else.
To stop the lie
You kiss someone else to hide the fact that you are not in love with the person you are with.
Her skin is pale like God's only dove
The person you kissed is pure and innocent.
Screams like an angel for your love
The person you kissed is desperate for your attention and love.
Then she makes you watch her from above
After you kiss her, she distances herself from you and forces you to watch her from afar.
And you need her like a drug
You become addicted to the thrill of chasing her, despite knowing it is a harmful cycle.
To stay with you I'd be a fool
Despite my love, staying in this relationship would be unwise.
Oh, huh
An expression of frustration.
Her heart is racing, you can't keep up
The person you are with is moving too fast and you can't keep pace with their demands.
The night is bleeding like a cut
The situation is painful and difficult, like an open wound.
Between the horses of love and lust
You are torn between two conflicting desires.
We are trampled
Despite our efforts to navigate our conflicting desires, we are ultimately hurt and broken.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sentric Music
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@opar6098
I took this CD with me to college in August 1992. Listened to it weekly (no internet, no computer, no TV). So Cruel was my favorite on Achtung, yet rarely played on the radio. Just yesterday, I tune into U2 Radio on Sirius XM, look down at the screen, and see "Baby, So Cruel"...What is this? BLOWN AWAY by this version. SO DAMN GOOD!
@forestkeep3980
Listening to this version, I can see why some of the lyrics changed - this is like accidentally overhearing a couple in the midst of a breakup. Just a little too personal. But what a fantastic bit of songwriting, either way.
@Stealth259
4:48 that bass line to close out the song
@michaelfrazia4569
Bono's vocals were at their apex on achtung, /zooropa
@chinmaypradhan7680
Lyrics please!
@scetch2006
Cheeky