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
Bloody Sunday
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't believe the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes
And make it go away
How long?
How long must we sing this song?
How long, how long?
Tonight
Broken bottles under children's feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won't heed the battle call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday, Sunday, Bloody Sunday (alright)
And the battle's just begun
There's many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
How long?
How long must we sing this song?
How long, how long?
'Cause tonight, we can be as one
Tonight, tonight
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
(Tonight, tonight) Sunday, Bloody Sunday (let's go)
Wipe the tears from your eyes
Wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
I'll, wipe your tears away (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
I'll, wipe your blood shot eyes (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
And it's true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die
(Sunday, Bloody Sunday) the real battle just begun
(Sunday, Bloody Sunday) to claim the victory Jesus won
On
Sunday Bloody Sunday, yeah
Sunday Bloody Sunday
The lyrics of U2’s “Bloody Sunday” portrays the tragedy of the 1972 massacre in Derry, Northern Ireland, where peaceful demonstrators were met with brutal violence from British soldiers. The song opens with the singer's dismay at hearing the news of the massacre, and how he can't simply ignore it and forget. He questions how long the people must continue singing this song of sorrow, and when will they finally find unity. The songwriter then vividly describes the scene of the aftermath with broken bottles and dead bodies on the streets, but he refuses the urge to join the fight, and declares that it only pushes him to the wall. The chorus consists of an outcry naming “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” referring to the specific day of the event, emphasizing the violence and unfathomable brutality that happened there.
The second verse of the song goes beyond the physical violence that occurred on this tragic day, and touches on the emotional and psychological effects on the people. The trench that is being dug deep in their hearts, separating them from one another, leaving mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart. The repetitive questioning of how long till the fighting stops, and when they will all be able to reconcile like brothers and sisters, even if it's just for one night. The refrain ends with a plea to wipe the tears away, to try and imagine a brighter tomorrow, while still recognizing the somber events that took place. The closing refrain combines hope and despair, with an awareness of the enormity of the realities being depicted.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't believe the news today
I'm in disbelief after hearing the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes
I can't ignore what's happening
And make it go away
I can't pretend it's not happening
How long?
How much longer will this go on?
How long must we sing this song?
How much longer will we have to keep protesting?
How long, how long?
How much longer will this injustice continue?
'Cause tonight, we can be as one
Tonight, we can come together and unite
Broken bottles under children's feet
Children are exposed to dangerous and violent situations
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
Dead bodies litter the streets
But I won't heed the battle call
I won't allow myself to be drawn into violence
It puts my back up
It makes me defensive
Puts my back up against the wall
It forces me to a position where I must respond to violence with violence
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
A reference to January 30, 1972, when British troops shot and killed unarmed civil rights protesters in Northern Ireland
And the battle's just begun
The protest has just begun and there's still a long way to go
There's many lost, but tell me who has won
Many people have lost their lives, but who has really won anything?
The trench is dug within our hearts
Our hearts are filled with pain and conflict
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart
Families are broken and torn apart as a result of this violence
How long, how long?
How much longer will this go on?
'Cause tonight, we can be as one
Tonight, we can come together and unite
Wipe the tears from your eyes
Don't let your emotions overwhelm you
Wipe your tears away
Don't let your sadness consume you
Oh, wipe your tears away
Get rid of your sadness
I'll, wipe your tears away
I will help you get over your sadness
I'll, wipe your blood shot eyes (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
I will help you recover from the trauma of violence
And it's true we are immune
We have become desensitized to violence and suffering
When fact is fiction and TV reality
We can't trust the media to accurately report the truth
And today the millions cry
Many people are suffering and unhappy today
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die
We live comfortably while other people are dying
The real battle just begun
The true fight has just started and there's still a lot of work to be done
To claim the victory Jesus won
To attain the goal of peace that Jesus wanted to see
Sunday Bloody Sunday, yeah
Reinforcement of the title's message - that the events of Bloody Sunday should never be forgotten
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Paul David Hewson, Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@basanimodas6712
Yeah
I can't believe the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes
And make it go away
How long?
How long must we sing this song?
How long, how long?
'Cause tonight, we can be as one
Tonight
Broken bottles under children's feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won't heed the battle call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday, Sunday, Bloody Sunday (alright)
And the battle's just begun
There's many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
How long?
How long must we sing this song?
How long, how long?
'Cause tonight, we can be as one
Tonight, tonight
Sunday, Bloody…
@gussalazar449
Wipe the tears from your eyes
Wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your blood shot eyes
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
And it's true we are immune
when fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die
The real battle just begun
to claim the victory Jesus won on
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Sunday Bloody Sunday
@Top10Archive
LYRICS: (In case you need them!)
I can't believe the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes
And make it go away
How long
How long must we sing this song
How long, how long
'Cause tonight, we can be as one
Tonight
Broken bottles under children's feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won't heed the battle call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
And the battle's just begun
There's many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters
Torn apart
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
How long
How long must we sing this song
How long, how long
'Cause tonight, we can be as one
Tonight, tonight
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
@thewilberforce
I was there. 8 rows back on the left. It was beyond magic. I remember every note, perfect or not. It was and remains the most real live performance I have ever seen.
@thewilberforce
40 years later and we haven’t learned a thing.
@LucasLeoneVe
U2 has been the band my family listens to on every New Year's Evening since 2000's. And we are not even aglophones. We're from southern Brazil. I am glad you had that experience. Let it live. He comes soon. ✟
@agentcooper4627
When the fog rolls onto the Colorado foothills like that, it can be a magical thing.
@jhchnc
Jealous truly
@NaturalBornKelli
PLLLLease... "Every note, perfect or not!" This is probably the best version of the song in existence. It's perfect the way it is. At least music was still real then! Also, at least Bono was still REAL then. This new Bono is not Bono, it's a completely different person 100%... Men simply don't change the way he changed... And people don't have plastic surgery to look worse. His entire features are different, in a negative way. He doesn't even have the same voice! This is the real Bono. I don't know where this Bono went, but he's absolutely not the Bono presented to the whole world today! It's a bit scary.
@tinaghandchilar252
This U2 song is timeless...hands down classic...love the part where Bono screams "I'm so sick of it!!!!" Noted.
@margaretsch.3609
It’s one of his best lines ever if not the best.
@valcialvesoliveira8668
❤❤❤❤
@MTToto-iu3iq
Free palestine