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
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U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Knows I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
There's a part of me in chaos that's quiet
And there's a part of you that wants me to riot
Everybody needs to cry or needs to spit
Every sweet-tooth needs just a little hit
Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
Oh, change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
Do you believe me or are you doubting?
We're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won't listen to you boys and girls
Is the sweetest melody the one we haven't heard?
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear?
The right to be ridiculous is something I hold dear
Oh, but change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
But we're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Baby, baby, baby, I know I'm not alone
Baby, baby, baby, I know I'm not alone
Ha, ha, ha
Oh, it's not a hill it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
Let's shout into the darkness, squeeze out sparks of light
You know we're gonna go crazy, you know we'll go crazy
You know we'll go crazy, if we don't go crazy tonight
Oh, slowly
Oh
Hold me slow
The lyrics of U2's song One are open to interpretation, but one possible reading is that it is about the paradox of being both an individual and part of a larger whole. The song's opening lines describe a woman who loves a peaceful life, which could represent an ideal of inner harmony. But the next lines suggest that there is a part of the singer that is in chaos and needs to go crazy at times. The song goes on to suggest that everyone needs some release or rebellion, and that individuals are part of a larger group or generation that can effect change in the world.
The lyric "every generation gets a chance to change the world" is a nod to U2's own influence and activism, and the lines "pity the nation that won't listen to you boys and girls" suggest the frustration that can come from feeling unheard or powerless. The song acknowledges the difficulty of change, but ultimately suggests that it is worth pursuing. The repeated line "it's not a hill, it's a mountain" could be seen as a metaphor for the challenges of making progress, but also for the potential for greatness.
Overall, the song invites listeners to embrace both their individuality and their connection to something larger, and to engage in the struggle for positive change even when it feels uphill. The repeated refrain of "baby, baby, baby, I know I'm not alone" reinforces the idea that we are all in this together.
Line by Line Meaning
She's a rainbow and she loves the peaceful life
She is a colorful person who enjoys living a calm life
Knows I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Understands that I have a restless part that needs to be satisfied
There's a part of me in chaos that's quiet
There is a suppressed part of me with instability
And there's a part of you that wants me to riot
Also, there's a part of you that wants me to channel the unstable part
Everybody needs to cry or needs to spit
We all have an emotional release that requires a physical manifestation
Every sweet-tooth needs just a little hit
We all have a craving that requires a small dose of its content
Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
We all have a desire to experience the opposite or unconventional
How can you stand next to the truth and not see it?
How can one be oblivious when the truth is right beside them?
Oh, change of heart comes slow
The process of changing one's perspective or opinion is gradual
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
The task ahead of us is challenging
As you start out the climb
As we begin working towards our goal
Do you believe me or are you doubting?
Do you trust my words or do you have skepticism?
We're gonna make it all the way to the light
We are determined to achieve success and reach enlightenment
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
But I am aware that if I don't allow myself to let loose, I'll be unhappy
Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Every new group of people gets an opportunity to make a difference globally
Pity the nation that won't listen to you boys and girls
It is unfortunate that some societies don't listen to their youth
Is the sweetest melody the one we haven't heard?
Is the most pleasing sound one that we haven't had the chance to listen to yet?
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear?
Is it accurate to say that love can eliminate all fear?
The right to be ridiculous is something I hold dear
I believe in the freedom to be absurd or unorthodox
Oh, but change of heart comes slow
Although our values may change, it takes time to do so
Baby, baby, baby, I know I'm not alone
Hey, I know I'm not by myself!
Ha, ha, ha
Laughter expressing relief or joy
Let's shout into the darkness, squeeze out sparks of light
We should yell out into the unknown and hope to generate positivity
You know we're gonna go crazy, you know we'll go crazy
You know that we're going to be wild and lively
If we don't go crazy tonight
If we don't let loose tonight
Oh, slowly
Gradually, step by step
Oh
Exclamation of excitement or realization
Hold me slow
Hug me gently
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul David Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pas2933
"One life with each other: sisters, brothers.
One life, but we're not the same.
We get to carry each other, carry each other."
So true... Just try just a second to imagine a world were all people were the same...
No, we are not the same, and all the wealth come from mixing such differences.
Mixing, not conflicting...
obscurantism and hate will NEVER win
Knowledge and tolerance will DEFINITIVELY win
In memory of Samuel Paty
@keithwente5930
Nobody should say anything about Bono anyways.
The guy is a prolific humanitarian who cares about people.
He's helped more people than most can imagine.
And he's inspired and touched more people in the past..
The present..
And still will in the future.
@ericvalls2685
Lyrics | U2 - One
Is it getting better?
Or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you now?
You got someone to blame
You say, one love, one life
When it's one need in the night
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you baby if you don't care for it
Did I disappoint you?
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well it's too late tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We're one but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One!
Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus?
To the lepers in your head
Did I ask too much? More than a lot
You gave me nothin' now it's all I got
We're one but we're not the same
Well we hurt each other then we do it again
You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law
You ask me to enter but then you make me crawl
And I can't be holdin' on to what you got
When all you got is hurt
One love, one blood
One life, you got to do what you should
One life, with each other
Sisters, brothers
One life but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One
One
@lisadeluxemusic4625
My dad passed away 2weeks ago, he loved this song ever since i was little, now i listen to his music with his picture in my hands to think about all memories we had❤❤❤
@biancabotha5355
From Germany a BIG hug !
@soniagomessantos5939
🎉Love it! ❤I me Sorry❤
@johncollins4402
Stay strong friend.I know it's hard.let the tears out.God bless
@countloco5362
Keep ya head up sister! I know hurts like hell but the pain will get better! I lost my dad a little over 1 and a half years ago...it still hurts but not like it did when he passed away! Hugs and much love to ya!!!
@Adroyo
Sorry for your loss
@amykaaa3570
Que la liberté des Lumières perdure..... que l'Egalité perdure enfin que la Fraternité perdure ....🇫🇷 Adieu Monsieur PATY, vous étiez et vous resterez un représentant de la connaissance, nous ne vous oublierons jamais 😪⚘⚘⚘🤲
@luciennesanchez8146
Hommage au professeur victime de tous nos renoncements
@Samourai-dz8zk
🙏🙏🙏
@user-ef8jx4rg1b
Yeahh