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
Be There
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't have to a play a part, its you I love
You don't have to hide from yourself
You don't have to be someone else, again
You don't have to rescue me
You don't have to watch me drown
You don't have to give to me
Be there, my love
Be there, tonight
Be there, my love
Be there, tonight
You don't have to dress yourself up,
Or stay the same
You don't have to smile,
If I say smile
You don't have to be the best
You don't have to give me rest
All I want is all you have
Nothing that has...nothing
Be there, my love
Just be there, my love
If you want the whole of me
That's all you'll get
I sing this song
I give my hand
I give it all
You don't have to
Yeah, yeah, yeah, bahh, bahh, bahh, bahh, bahh, bahh
Ahh, she goes...bahh
She says .... you just mean my...
Ahh, she says...duhh
You don't have to work it out together if I fall apart
You don't have to work the strings,
Or do those things, you're within my heart
You don't have to hide from yourself
You don't have to be someone else
All I want is all you have
All I want is you
Be there, my love
Be there, tonight
Be there, my love
Be there, tonight
Ohhhhhh, Auhhhh, Auhhh
You don't have to do as I say
Oh!
The lyrics of the song "Be There" by U2 convey a message of unconditional love and acceptance. The singer reassures their loved one that they do not have to try to be someone they are not, or pretend to be happy when they are not. They do not have to rescue the singer, as all they want is their partner's presence and love. The singer emphasizes that they do not want their partner to change themselves in any way, as they love them just the way they are. The repetition of "Be there, my love, be there tonight" confirms the desire for their partner's presence and support.
The lyrics also demonstrate that the singer is willing to give themselves fully to their partner, stating "If you want the whole of me, that's all you'll get." The seemingly random sounds and words scattered throughout the song add to the unpredictability of love, and the freedom to just be oneself. The line "you don't have to do as I say" reveals that the singer does not want their partner to do anything they do not want to do, but rather they just want their partner's authentic self.
Overall, the lyrics of "Be There" express a message of love, acceptance, and authenticity in relationships. The singer wants their partner to just be themselves, and that is all they need for a fulfilling relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't have to break your heart in two my love
You don't have to sacrifice your happiness for me, my love
You don't have to a play a part, its you I love
You don't have to pretend or change yourself because I love you for who you are
You don't have to hide from yourself
You don't have to suppress your true feelings or be in denial of who you are
You don't have to be someone else, again
You don't have to repeat a pattern of trying to be someone you're not
You don't have to rescue me
You don't have to be my savior or solve all of my problems
You don't have to watch me drown
You don't have to stand idly by while I suffer or struggle
You don't have to give to me
You don't have to constantly provide for me or give me material things
All I want is you
All I need is your love and your presence
Be there, my love
Please be with me, my love
Be there, tonight
Please be there for me tonight
You don't have to dress yourself up,
You don't have to put on a show or impress me with your appearance
Or stay the same
Or feel like you can't grow or change as a person
You don't have to smile,
You don't have to force a fake smile or pretend to be happy
If I say smile
If I ask you to smile, you don't have to do it if you don't want to
You don't have to be the best
You don't have to strive for perfection or feel any pressure to be the best
You don't have to give me rest
You don't have to take care of me or give me a break
All I want is all you have
All I want is your true, authentic self and nothing more
Nothing that has...nothing
No superficial or material things matter to me
If you want the whole of me
If you want my love and my commitment fully
That's all you'll get
You'll get all of me in return
I sing this song
I express my feelings for you through this song
I give my hand
I offer my support and companionship to you
I give it all
I give my everything to you
You don't have to
You don't have to submit to any demands or expectations
Yeah, yeah, yeah, bahh, bahh, bahh, bahh, bahh, bahh
Ahh, she goes...bahh
She says .... you just mean my...
Ahh, she says...duhh
You don't have to work it out together if I fall apart
You don't have to have all the answers or fix everything if I'm struggling
You don't have to work the strings,
You don't have to manipulate or control me in any way
Or do those things, you're within my heart
My love and affection for you come naturally from my heart
Ohhhhhh, Auhhhh, Auhhh
Be there, my love
Please be with me, my love
Be there, tonight
Please be there for me tonight
Be there, my love
Please be with me, my love
Be there, tonight
Please be there for me tonight
You don't have to do as I say
You don't have to follow my words or instructions blindly
Oh!
Contributed by Joseph L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cal from Mars
You don't have to break your heart in two my love
You don't have to a play a part, its you I love
You don't have to hide from yourself
You don't have to be someone else, again
You don't have to rescue me
You don't have to watch me drown
You don't have to give to me
All I want is you
Be there, my love
Be there, tonight
Be there, my love
Be there, tonight
You don't have to dress yourself up,
Or stay the same
You don't have to smile,
If I say smile
You don't have to be the best
You don't have to give me rest
All I want is all you have
Nothing that has...nothing
Be there, my love
Just be there, my love
If you want the whole of me
That's all you'll get
I sing this song
I give my hand
I give it all
You don't have to
Yeah, yeah, yeah, bahh, bahh, bahh, bahh, bahh, bahh
Ahh, she goes...bahh
She says .... you just mean my...
Ahh, she says...duhh
You don't have to work it out together if I fall apart
You don't have to work the strings,
Or do those things, you're within my heart
You don't have to hide from yourself
You don't have to be someone else
All I want is all you have
All I want is you
Be there, my love
Be there, tonight
Be there, my love
Be there, tonight
Ohhhhhh, Auhhhh, Auhhh
You don't have to do as I say
Oh!
Cal from Mars
such a beautiful song
egdeth
This "song" really comes from 1982.
Forgive me for the correction, i dont want to be seem like those "freaky fans", but i had to say it xDD