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
Disappearing Act
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You do your disappearing act
Silence, I know I could get used to this
Cunning, your sin is something I'm not gonna miss
Exile, it's a small price to pay for bliss
Alone, like the painter's dog without a bone
When there's only one thing you need to own
I know you're (missing)
Your (missing) is ripped and it is torn to shreds
From all the lovers taken to your beds
They're empty now
And you think that you can love
And you think that you can love
And you think that you can love someone in to love
You do your disappearing act
You do your disappearing act
Jealousy, it's not what it's cracked up to be
Envy, gets you where you need to be
Alone, rather the river than your stepping stones
Leave the graveyard before you turn to bones
I'm tragic, you're comedy
Oh, baby doll, the dogs are barking, they need to be fed
All the lepers you let in your head - is it empty now?
Cause you think that can love
And you think that you can love
And you think that you can love someone into love
You do your disappearing act
You do your disappearing act
The song “Disappearing Act” by U2 talks about a person who has a tendency of disappearing without any explanation. In the chorus, Bono repeats the line “You do your disappearing act” which is a representation of the person’s characteristic behavior. The first verse talks about the silence the singer experiences in the person’s absence, and how they could get used to it. He then talks about how cunning the person is, and how he won’t miss the person’s sin. The person has gone into exile, and the singer feels that it is a small price to pay for bliss. However, the singer likens the person to a dog without a bone, meaning they’re incomplete without something to cling on to. The only thing the person needs to own is hunger, hunger itself - which represents the person’s insatiable desire to be loved and the need to be the center of attention.
The second verse talks about the person’s past lovers that they have taken to their beds. The singer believes that the person is missing something inside because they keep taking lovers and leaving them. The people that they have been with have now left, and the singer is insinuating that the person has a torn and ripped heart. He then goes on about how people think they can love someone into loving them, but it doesn't work that way. The bridge of the song then talks about jealousy not being what it's cracked up to be, and envy getting you where you need to be. The singer would rather be alone than be used as stepping stones. He then finally suggests that the person is a tragedy, while he feels like a comedy.
Line by Line Meaning
You do your disappearing act
The person addressed in the song is known for their tendency to disappear abruptly.
You do your disappearing act
The person addressed in the song is known for their tendency to disappear abruptly.
Silence, I know I could get used to this
The silence that follows the person's disappearance is something the singer could get used to.
Cunning, your sin is something I'm not gonna miss
The person's tendency to be deceitful is not something the artist will miss in their absence.
Exile, it's a small price to pay for bliss
The artist is willing to accept exile from the person's life if it means finding happiness without them.
Alone, like the painter's dog without a bone
The singer feels alone and without direction, like a dog who is unable to work without a task or purpose.
When there's only one thing you need to own
The singer believes that the only thing one truly needs to possess is hunger.
And that is hunger, hunger itself
The artist believes that one should be driven by an insatiable desire, rather than material possessions or relationships.
I know you're (missing)
The artist knows that the person is struggling and feeling lost without them.
Your (missing) is ripped and it is torn to shreds
The person's self-worth has been damaged by their previous relationships.
From all the lovers taken to your beds
The person has a history of short-lived relationships, leaving them feeling empty and alone.
They're empty now
The person's bed is now empty, reflecting their lack of fulfilling relationships.
And you think that you can love
Despite this, the person still believes that they are capable of love.
And you think that you can love
Despite this, the person still believes that they are capable of love.
And you think that you can love someone in to love
The person believes that they can inspire someone to love them, despite their own emotional struggles.
Jealousy, it's not what it's cracked up to be
The negative emotion of jealousy is not as fulfilling as it may seem.
Envy, gets you where you need to be
In contrast, the artist believes that envy can be a productive driving force towards achieving one's goals.
Alone, rather the river than your stepping stones
The singer would rather be alone with their thoughts and emotions than use the person as a stepping stone towards their own success.
Leave the graveyard before you turn to bones
The singer advises the person to leave behind their past and move on before they become stagnant and unchanging.
I'm tragic, you're comedy
The artist and the person have very different perspectives and approaches to life's challenges.
Oh, baby doll, the dogs are barking, they need to be fed
The artist uses a metaphorical reference to the person's emotional turmoil, urging them to take action to address it.
All the lepers you let in your head - is it empty now?
The person has allowed negative thoughts and relationships to consume their mind, and the artist questions whether this has left them feeling empty.
Cause you think that can love
Despite their struggles, the person still holds onto the belief that they are capable of love.
And you think that you can love
Despite their struggles, the person still holds onto the belief that they are capable of love.
And you think that you can love someone into love
The person believes that they can inspire someone to love them, despite their own emotional struggles.
You do your disappearing act
The person addressed in the song is known for their tendency to disappear abruptly.
You do your disappearing act
The person addressed in the song is known for their tendency to disappear abruptly.
Contributed by Lauren N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
A me
on eleven o' clock tick tock
And girls can make children but not like this one...so will just have to walk around with a painted face then...
LMewdowlark
on One
Baby, baby, baby, I know I'm not alone
Ha, ha, ha
Oh, it's not a hill it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
Let's shout into the darkness, squeeze out sparks of light
You know we're gonna go crazy, you know we'll go crazy
You know we'll go crazy, if we don't go crazy tonight
Oh, slowly
Oh
Hold me slow
Again, these are the wrong lyrics. They are not the lyrics for 'One' but a different song. I pasted the correct lyrics in my other comment.
LMewdowlark
on One
And there's a part of you that wants me to riot
Everybody needs to cry or needs to spit
Every sweet-tooth needs just a little hit
Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
How can you stand next to the truth and not see it?
Oh, change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
Do you believe me or are you doubting?
We're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won't listen to you boys and girls
Is the sweetest melody the one we haven't heard?
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear?
The right to be ridiculous is something I hold dear
Oh, but change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
But we're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you now
You got someone to blame?
You say, one love, one life
When it's one need in the night
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you, baby, if you don't care for it
Did I disappoint you
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well, it's too late tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We're one, but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One
Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus?
To the lepers in your head
Did I ask too much? More than a lot
You gave me nothing, now it's all I got
We're one but we're not the same
Well, we hurt each other then we do it again
You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law
You ask me to enter but then you make me crawl
And I can't be holdin' on to what you got
When all you got is hurt
One love, one blood
One life, you got to do what you should
One life with each other
Sisters, brothers
One life but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One
One