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
All Along the Watchtower
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion here
I can't get no relief
Businessmen they drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth
None of them know along the line
What any of this is worth
No reason to get excited
The thief, he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who think that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that
And that is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now
Because the hour is getting late
All along the watchtower
And Princess kept the view
While horsemen came and went
Barefoot servants too
All I got is a red guitar
Three chords
And the truth
All I got is a red guitar
The rest is up to you
There's no reason to get excited
The thief, he kindly spoke
There are some among us here
Say that life is just a joke
You and I, we've been through that
And that is not our fate (at least today)
So let us not talk falsely now
Because the hour is getting late
Late
Yeah
Yeah, yeah
Yeah ey-ey-ey
Ahh, ahh, yeah-ey-ey-ey
U2's version of All Along the Watchtower is a cover of Bob Dylan's original song. The song is a conversation between the Joker and the Thief with the mention of businessmen and plowmen. The Joker seems troubled with the state of things and asks for a way out. He feels distressed because he cannot find any solution to the confusion around. The Thief, being optimistic, calms him down and assures him that there are many like them who would understand the value of life, while others might think life is just a joke. The Joker and the Thief have learned their lesson and they try to warn others not to speak falsely because it is getting late. The Princess is alluded to be witnessing all of this from a watchtower while horsemen and servants come and go.
Line by Line Meaning
There must be some way out of here
The situation is terrible and I need to escape.
Said the joker to the thief
Two people are stuck in the same situation and discussing it.
There's too much confusion here
The situation is difficult to understand.
I can't get no relief
They feel hopeless and cannot find a solution.
Businessmen, they drink my wine
The wealthy take advantage of the less fortunate for their own gain.
Plowmen dig my earth
Even those who do manual labor are abused by those with power.
None of them know along the line what any of this is worth
The value of their labor is not appreciated or fairly compensated.
No reason to get excited
There is no need to panic or feel overly emotional.
The thief, he kindly spoke
Despite being a thief, he is trying to be compassionate and helpful to others.
There are many here among us who think that life is but a joke
Some people are not taking the situation seriously and are making light of it.
But you and I, we've been through that
The singer and the thief have had their own struggles and know how it feels to have their problems dismissed.
And that is not our fate
They are determined to avoid being in that situation again and want to help others do the same.
So let us not talk falsely now
They should not pretend to feel one way when they actually feel another.
Because the hour is getting late
Time is running out and they need to act quickly to address the situation.
All along the watchtower and princess kept the view
There are people on watch, keeping an eye out for danger.
While all the women came and went
Others were able to come and go freely, but the people on watch remain vigilant and responsible.
Barefoot servants too
Even those who are not wealthy or powerful are impacted by the situation and have a role to play.
All I got is a red guitar
The singer only has a simple tool to help fix the situation.
Three chords and the truth
With a few basics and honesty, progress can be made.
The rest is up to you
Now it is up to others to take action and make a difference.
There's no reason to get excited
They repeat that there is no need to panic or feel overly emotional.
The thief, he kindly spoke
They repeat that the thief wants to be helpful and compassionate.
There are some among us here
Not everyone is taking the situation seriously.
Say that life is just a joke
Some believe that things are not as bad as they seem.
You and I, we've been through that
They repeat that they have been in the same situation and understand how it feels.
And that is not our fate (at least today)
They repeat that they are determined to avoid that fate and help others do the same.
So let us not talk falsely now
They repeat that people should be honest about their feelings and intentions.
Because the hour is getting late
They repeat that time is running out and action needs to be taken.
Late
The song ends abruptly, emphasizing the need for urgency.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MrFluidity1
Am I the only one who realllly digs this cover? Bono's voice takes all the accolade here, sounds like it's bleeding. Absolutely brilliant vocals...
Richard Bolwell
Yes!
Elizabeth Kiriazis
I do 2
Roberta Weadley
No you’re not! It’s my favorite cover of the Dylan song!
ShaneC27
The guitar and drums are amazing as well
JackClayton123
Definitely enjoy it!
PAUL JACKSON
Rattle And Hum is an awesome album and movie.
Chilio
U2 was introduced to me by a very close friend in 6th grade,and by God ther still fking amazing...ther music brings so many moments in my life love it!!!
Sparkina
Bono really rocks this tune
Brandon Moore
I wanna say Happy 61 Birthday to U2'S Lead Singer Bono!Bono Rock &Roll stops the traffic