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
- walk on
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The only baggage that you can bring...
And love is not the easy thing
The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind
And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong
Walk on, walk on
What you got they can't steal it
No, they can't even feel it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight
You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen
You could have flown away
A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly, only fly for freedom
Walk on, walk on
What you've got they can't deny it
Can't sell it, or buy it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight
And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on
walk on
Home, hard to know what it is if you've never had one
Home, I can't say where it is but I know I'm going home
That's where the hurt is
And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on
Leave it behind
You've got to leave it behind
All that you fashion
All that you make
All that you build
All that you break
All that you measure
All that you steal
All this you feel
All that you reason
All that you care (It's only time)
And I'll never fill up all my mind
All that you sense
All that you speak
All you dress up
And all that you scheme
All you create
All that you wreck
All that you hate
The lyrics in U2's song "Walk On" touches on the theme of love, perseverance, and finding the will to move on despite the hardships and obstacles along the way. The opening lines, "And love is not the easy thing, the only baggage you can bring..." speak of the challenges of love, the complexities of a relationship, and the fact that one's emotional baggage can't be left behind. In essence, it means that love can be difficult, but we should strive to move forward with our emotional baggage.
The song's chorus urges us to walk on, even when we feel helpless and lost. "Walk on, walk on, what you got they can't steal it, no, they can't even feel it. Walk on, walk on, stay safe tonight" emphasizes the importance of staying strong and maintaining our resilience while acknowledging the fact that life's storms will come and go.
The second verse seems to allude to escaping the limitations that society sets upon us, "You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been, a place that has to be believed to be seen. You could have flown away, a singing bird in an open cage, who will only fly, only fly for freedom." The metaphorical suitcase signifies the weight of our past that we carry around with us, and the place we are going is within us, where we can be free, liberated from our past.
The final verse acknowledges the concept of home and how difficult it can be for someone who has never experienced it. "Home, hard to know what it is if you've never had one, home; I can't say where it is but I know I'm going home, that's where the hurt is" The song implies that even though our journey is full of hurt and pain, we must persevere and never let go of hope. "And I know it aches, and your heart it breaks, and you can only take so much, walk on, leave it behind, you’ve got to leave it behind." We all experience hardships and pain, but we should endeavor to move forward, leaving our baggage behind and walk on.
Line by Line Meaning
And love is not the easy thing
The only baggage that you can bring...
And love is not the easy thing
The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind
Love is complicated and demanding, and it requires emotional baggage that cannot be discarded.
And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong
If you feel separated by the darkness, and if the daylight seems inaccessible, and if your fragile heart is in danger of breaking, don't give in to despair; be strong.
Walk on, walk on
What you got they can't steal it
No, they can't even feel it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight
Keep moving forward, and don't let anyone take away what you have; they can't even comprehend it. Stay safe tonight.
You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen
You could have flown away
A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly, only fly for freedom
You're preparing to depart for an unknown destination that must be seen to be believed. You could have fled at any time, but you chose to stay and fight for your freedom.
Walk on, walk on
What you've got they can't deny it
Can't sell it, or buy it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight
Keep pressing forward, and don't let anyone convince you that what you have is worthless or can be bought. Stay safe tonight.
And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on
walk on
I realize that you're in pain, and your heart is broken, and you can only endure so much; nevertheless, you must keep moving forward.
Home, hard to know what it is if you've never had one
Home, I can't say where it is but I know I'm going home
That's where the hurt is
It's tough to comprehend what home is if you've never experienced it before. I'm not sure where it is, but I know I'm heading there; that's where the pain originates.
And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on
I understand that you're hurting, and your heart is broken, and you can only put up with so much; continue to move forward.
Leave it behind
You've got to leave it behind
All that you fashion
All that you make
All that you build
All that you break
All that you measure
All that you steal
All this you feel
All that you reason
All that you care (It's only time)
And I'll never fill up all my mind
All that you sense
All that you speak
All you dress up
And all that you scheme
All you create
All that you wreck
All that you hate
Abandon the past and move on with your life. Everything you've created, made, stolen, or destroyed, as well as everything you've felt, thought, or cared about, will stay with you, and you'll never be able to fill your mind with it all. Every sensation, word, interaction, ensemble, scheme, creation, wreck, and hatred will remain with you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL DAVID HEWSON, ADAM CLAYTON, DAVID EVANS, LAURENCE MULLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@flaviaramos849
Eu estava no RJ quando gravaram este clipe, andava pelas ruas pricurand9 estes caras, a cidade estava do avesso, LOUCA pelo U2. Bons tempos❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
@PaolaProeza
Não importa quando ouço essa música, a 10 anos atrás ou hoje ainda, meu coração aina pula pra fora do peito.
@northpole155
Eu trabalhava no aeroporto de Salvador quando eles vieram ao Brasil desta vez. Fui recebê-los na pista, e foi uma grande emoção apertar as mãos de cada um deles. São lembranças "que você não pode deixar para trás!"
@comprasmonark8605
Puts parabéns seria um sonho pra mim é uma pena que eles mau vem aqui para o Brasil
@rosavioleta9814
Que massa!! Um sonho!
@antonboludo8886
Sem duvida! :D
@gilnetonoliveira5336
São desses momentos únicos em que vivemos que fazem nossa vida valer a pena.Parabens e obrigado por compartilhar conosco 🙂
@leidianebaia3588
Momento único!!
Parabéns 👏👏👏🎉
@mariacoutinho9599
Escuto U2 há mais de vinte anos. Junto com Pearl Jam são as minhas bandas preferidas. Fazem parte da minha vida. Cantei essa música ao vivo, fui em dois shows deles aqui no Brasil. Maravilhosos tempos que não voltam mais. O mundo era bem melhor. Eu era feliz e sabia.
@robertoferreira2778
Isso aí eu também.