U2 is an Irish alternative rock band from Dublin formed in 1976. The group… Read Full Bio ↴U2 is an Irish alternative rock band from Dublin formed in 1976. The group consists of Bono (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), the Edge (lead guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums and percussion). Initially rooted in post-punk, U2's musical style evolved throughout their career, yet has maintained an anthemic sound built on Bono's expressive vocals and the Edge's effects-based guitar textures. Their lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal and sociopolitical themes. Popular for their live performances, the group has staged several ambitious and elaborate tours over their career.
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 360Β° Tour of 2009β2011 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 Edgeβs brother Dick Evans (later a member of Virgin Prunes), Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin. According to legend, Bono originally auditioned as a guitarist but couldnβt play. He auditioned as lead vocals, but really couldnβt 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 βFeedback β and βThe Hypeβ 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: Β£500 and funds to make a record. Paul McGuinness became the bandβs 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 βa different kindβ 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 βto dream it all up againβ, 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 βwatch out, babyβ, artwork feat. make-up artist Nassim Khalifa) & Zooropa. Bono took on many stage personae such as βThe Flyβ, βMirrorball Manβ and βMr. MacPhistoβ 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 90βs into 00βs U2 became less image and more reality. With the death of Bonoβs 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 theyβve returned to a more band-centric sound with albums like All That You Canβt Leave Behind which features a song, Kite, dedicated to Bonoβs father who passed away shortly after the albumβs conception and 2004βs How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.
The 10s: U2 went on the U2 360Β° 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 βYou tooβ and βYou twoβ, etc. Nonetheless the official line on the nameβs origins remains unknown. The band has been quoted as saying that they did think of the U2 spy plane, but remain hushed about other reasonsβ¦ U2
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 360Β° Tour of 2009β2011 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 Edgeβs brother Dick Evans (later a member of Virgin Prunes), Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin. According to legend, Bono originally auditioned as a guitarist but couldnβt play. He auditioned as lead vocals, but really couldnβt 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 βFeedback β and βThe Hypeβ 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: Β£500 and funds to make a record. Paul McGuinness became the bandβs 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 βa different kindβ 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 βto dream it all up againβ, 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 βwatch out, babyβ, artwork feat. make-up artist Nassim Khalifa) & Zooropa. Bono took on many stage personae such as βThe Flyβ, βMirrorball Manβ and βMr. MacPhistoβ 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 90βs into 00βs U2 became less image and more reality. With the death of Bonoβs 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 theyβve returned to a more band-centric sound with albums like All That You Canβt Leave Behind which features a song, Kite, dedicated to Bonoβs father who passed away shortly after the albumβs conception and 2004βs How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.
The 10s: U2 went on the U2 360Β° 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 βYou tooβ and βYou twoβ, etc. Nonetheless the official line on the nameβs origins remains unknown. The band has been quoted as saying that they did think of the U2 spy plane, but remain hushed about other reasonsβ¦ U2
Always Forever Now
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Always forever
Always forever now
Always forever
Always forever now
Always forever now
Always forever now
Always forever now
Always forever
Always
Always
Always, forever, now
Always
Always
Always, forever, now
Always, forever, now
Always, always
Always, forever, now
Always, forever, now
Always, always
Always, forever, now
Always, forever, now
Always, always
Always forever now
Always forever
Always forever now
Always forever now
Always forever now
Always forever now
Always
Always
Always, forever, now
Always
Always
Always, forever, now
Always, forever, now
Always, always
Always, forever, now
Always, forever, now
Always, always
Always, forever, now
Always, forever, now
Always, always
The lyrics in U2's song "Always Forever Now" emphasize the concept of timelessness and perpetuity. The repetition of "always forever now" emphasizes the idea of the present moment being a constant state of existence that flows into eternity. The repetition of "always" emphasizes the continuity and consistency of time. By using this language, the song suggests a metaphysical connection between the past, present, and future, blurring the boundaries between them.
The song also reflects on the idea of faith and spirituality. The repetition of "always forever" creates a sense of devoutness and permanence. The lyrics suggest that the present moment is imbued with a sense of spiritual significance, as if it holds the key to understanding the deeper mysteries of life. The use of the word "now" indicates the sense of immediacy and urgency that comes with spiritual awareness.
Line by Line Meaning
Always forever
The concept of always and forever, a timeless state of being
Always forever now
Emphasizing the importance of living in the present moment and experiencing the eternal now
Always
Continuously and consistently existing or happening
Always, forever, now
The combination of eternity and immediacy, an eternal present
Always, always
Reinforcing the idea of constant existence or occurrence
Always, forever, now
The simultaneous experience of past, present, and future in the present moment
Always, forever, now
The perpetuity of the present moment, extending infinitely into the future
Always, always
Underscoring the unchanging and perpetual nature of existence
Always, forever, now
The fusion of the eternal and the present, a moment that lasts forever
Always, forever, now
The eternal nature of the present moment, a moment that is always happening and always will be
Contributed by Elijah L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
@TheMotogavlas84
Masterpiece album. U2 with Brian Eno, deep things
@thief257
peak times my friend
@luieu2
A most incredible song from an album of pure genius
@fenwicka48
This song is U2's greatest secret. Their best song of all time. I wish they would play this song at their concerts. Along with Zooropa.
@enguagn
An undisputed peak of awesome, hypnotic and timeless music.
@hanstonk
GREAT track on the Passengers, just shows you how U2 are always ahead of their time. The normal general listeners, always state U2 are okay and that they like their old material better!
@CreationK.
Wonderful song, from a wonderful album, made by wonderful artists, and used in a wonderful film! Wonderful!
@MrSeanmac35
Genius a musical masterpiece oh how i wish this experimental U2 would come back.
@luieu2
One of the best U2 songs ever !!!
@giuseppebenzoni8439
Suonare moderno dopo 23 anni non Γ¨ poco...
Davvero un gruppo (ed un produttore) in stato di grazia...
Grazie u2 and Brian!