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
Dancing Queen
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen
Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for the place to go
Where they play the right music, getting in the swing
You come in to look for a King
Anybody could be that guy
With a bit of rock music, everything is fine
You´re in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...
You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen
You´re a teaser, you turn ´em on
Leave them burning and then you´re gone
Looking out for another, anyone will do
You´re in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...
You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen
U2's "Dancing Queen" is a cover of ABBA's hit song, and it tells the story of a young woman who is out on a Friday night in search of a good time. The lyrics suggest that she is looking for someone to dance with, and that she is enjoying the freedom and excitement of being young and carefree. The line "you're a teaser, you turn 'em on, leave them burning and then you're gone" implies that the singer is a bit of a player, and that she enjoys flirting with men but doesn't want anything serious.
The chorus of the song is perhaps the most memorable part, with its catchy melody and upbeat rhythm. The line "You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen" is particularly interesting, as it suggests that the singer is still quite young and inexperienced with the world. Despite this, she is confident and full of energy, and she knows how to have a good time.
Overall, U2's version of "Dancing Queen" is a fun and lighthearted take on the original song. It captures the carefree spirit of the lyrics, and it encourages listeners to let loose and enjoy themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
You're able to move your body rhythmically and enjoyably, experiencing the most enjoyable moments of your life.
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen
Observe the girl and the general atmosphere, and become engrossed in the phenomenon of the Dancing Queen.
Friday night and the lights are low
It's Friday night and the lights in the venue are dimmed.
Looking out for the place to go
Searching for the ideal location to attend.
Where they play the right music, getting in the swing
In a location that plays enjoyed music and a vibe that would make everyone move in rhythm.
You come in to look for a King
You enter the venue to look for an attractive and desirable male partner.
Anybody could be that guy
Any male present in the venue could potentially fit the description of the desired partner.
Night is young and the music´s high
It is still early in the night and the music volume is substantial.
With a bit of rock music, everything is fine
When rock music is played, everything seems perfect and people become more lively.
You´re in the mood for a dance
You feel like dancing and moving freely to music.
And when you get the chance...
Whenever you get the opportunity to dance.
You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
You are the center of attention and a young, attractive individual who's only 17.
Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
The sound of the tambourine heightens the pleasure of dancing and aids in balance for rhythmically moving.
You're a teaser, you turn 'em on
You tease and flirt with other individuals to stimulate and arouse their interest.
Leave them burning and then you're gone
You make other individuals highly infatuated with you, and then leave them feeling unfulfilled after you depart.
Looking out for another, anyone will do
Perpetually desire another partner, any individual will meet the requisite as long as they fulfill the desired characteristics.
Contributed by Kaylee I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Лариса Шангараева
Да никто АВВУ не перепоет никогда, да ещё так душевно, как девочки умели...
Godownmoses
Bono и Abba офигеть просто, фантастика! И Satelite of Love следом 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Carlos Sarcos
Yo tenía un casette de VHS con esta presentación en Vivo ...y hoy en día lo vuelvo a ver y todavía se me eriza la piel...
Gilles Fleuriot
Brilliant. A tribute to ABBA.
eric gozet
Hommage , oui. Brillant, un peu moins...
Bjorn Baillie
they hadn't even told the Abba boys what key they were going to play it in...the legends of Sweden just figured it out adjusted on the fly
Steffi Christina
Grandios von Abba und Bono🥰😍🤩
Evelyn Nichols
Well, now my ear's are screaming f***ing awesome! Thank you, for sharing.
stefan tietze
Great concert, only downside is since then I lost my Achtung Baby t-shirt I bought there. If I remember correctly they also had a directlink with the MTV-host Ray Cokes (spelling?).
gvn2fly96
Why didn’t they clean this up and release it with the 30th Achtung Baby release instead of the Australia show? This is much better.