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
Discoth�que
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you can't grab it
You can hold it, control it
No but, you can't bag it
You can push
But you can't direct it
Circulate, regulate, oh no
You know you're chewing bubblegum
You know what that is
But you still want some
You just can't get enough
Of that lovie dovie stuff
You get confused
But you know it
Yeah, you hurt for it, work for it, love
You don't always show it
Let's go
Let's go
Let's go
Discotheque
Let's go
Let's go
Discotheque
Looking for the one
But you know you're somewhere else instead
You want to be the song
Be the song that you hear in your head
It's not a trick
'Cause you can't learn it
It's the way you don't pay, that's okay
'Cause you can't earn it
You know you're chewing bubblegum
You know what that is
But you still want some
You just can't get enough
Of that lovie dovie stuff
Let's go
Let's go, ah
Discotheque
Go go
Go go, ha
Discotheque
Looking for the one
But you know you're somewhere else instead
You want to be the song
Be the song that you hear in your head
Love
(You want heaven in your heart)
(Heaven in your heart)
(The sun, the moon, and the stars)
But you take what you can get
'Cause it's all that you can find
But you know there's something more
Tonight, tonight, tonight
Ha ha
Ha ha
Ha ha
Ha ha
(Boom Cha) (Boom Cha) Discotheque (I can't get, I can't, not enough)
(Boom Cha) (Boom Cha) Discotheque (I can't get, I can't, not enough)
(Boom Cha) (Boom Cha) Discotheque (I can't get, I can't, not enough)
(Boom Cha) (Boom Cha) Discotheque (I can't get, I can't, not enough)
(Boom Cha) (Boom Cha) Discotheque
(Boom Cha) (Boom Cha) Discotheque
The lyrics to U2's song Discotheque can be interpreted as a commentary on the superficiality of contemporary nightlife culture. The idea of reaching for something but not being able to grab it, and holding or controlling it but not being able to bag it, suggests a sense of fleetingness and unattainability in the experience of going out to clubs or parties. Likewise, lines like "you can push but you can't direct it" and "you cannot connect it" convey a sense of disconnection and disorientation in this social setting.
At the same time, the lyrics also suggest a longing for something more meaningful beyond the surface level of dancing and mingling. Lines like "you want to be the song / be the song that you hear in your head" and "you know there's something more / tonight, tonight, tonight" hint at a desire for a deeper connection or purpose, even if it is not fully realized in the moment.
Overall, the lyrics to Discotheque can be seen as a reflection on the contradictions and complexities of modern social life, where people are both drawn to and disillusioned by the superficial glamour and excitement of the night scene.
Line by Line Meaning
You can reach
But you can't grab it
You can attempt to obtain what you desire, but you can’t seem to get a hold of it.
You can hold it, control it
No but, you can't bag it
You may think that you have a handle on things, but this situation is unmanageable and you can't take anything home with you.
You can push
But you can't direct it
Circulate, regulate, oh no
You cannot connect it
You might try to force things to go a particular way, but in the end, you do not have any total control to change the situation fundamentally.
You know you're chewing bubblegum
You know what that is
But you still want some
You just can't get enough
Of that lovie dovie stuff
You understand the simple pleasures in life, but you are still not satisfied with what you have and continue to crave more.
You get confused
But you know it
Yeah, you hurt for it, work for it, love
You don't always show it
You may feel emotionally overwhelmed and unsure of your actions, but you are aware of these feelings and strive for what you want in life, even if you do not always communicate it.
Let's go
Let's go
Let's go
Discotheque
It's time to move on and let loose, let's have a good time and dance the night away in a club.
Looking for the one
But you know you're somewhere else instead
You want to be the song
Be the song that you hear in your head
You want to connect with someone special, but you feel lost and out of place, wanting to be the perfect melody that plays in your mind.
It's not a trick
'Cause you can't learn it
It's the way you don't pay, that's okay
'Cause you can't earn it
This is not some kind of con, you cannot learn or buy your way into it, the only way to get there is to let go and let things happen naturally.
Love
(You want heaven in your heart)
(Heaven in your heart)
(The sun, the moon, and the stars)
You desire a profound love and connection that brings you great joy and wonder.
But you take what you can get
'Cause it's all that you can find
But you know there's something more
Tonight, tonight, tonight
You make do with what life has given you, but you sense that there is something else out there, waiting for you, something greater and more meaningful.
Ha ha
Ha ha
Ha ha
Ha ha
(Boom Cha) (Boom Cha) Discotheque (I can't get, I can't, not enough)
(Boom Cha) (Boom Cha) Discotheque (I can't get, I can't, not enough)
(Boom Cha) (Boom Cha) Discotheque (I can't get, I can't, not enough)
(Boom Cha) (Boom Cha) Discotheque (I can't get, I can't, not enough)
(Boom Cha) (Boom Cha) Discotheque
(Boom Cha) (Boom Cha) Discotheque
Laugh, enjoy the night and feel the energy of the music pumping through your veins, you can't get enough and want to keep dancing all night long.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM CLAYTON, DAVE EVANS, LARRY MULLEN, PAUL HEWSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@greengrugach1984
Come on! Who's listening to this absolute masterpiece of a song in 2024? Respect from Ireland 🇮🇪 I'm nearly 40 and this was the first album i ever bought and still think it's U2's last true masterpiece.
@DaFuqBoom
This vid is gold meme material.
@andregordon2599
truly truly exploitable
@elvirastalos89
Indeed😂
@Nutsaur
Citation needed.
@scorpius319
The song's great! The video is still just as fn horrible. I curse my eyes. 😆
@mroctober3657
U2 making memes before memes were invented.
@markotto1767
The last experimental, beautiful album of U2. Achtung Baby, Zooropa, POP. Three innovative incredible albums. Everytime a surprise. Golden Age of U2.
@gordonirvine726
Agreed brother
@MrsBlaileen1
Indeed. Those 3 albums are so different from each other but made so lovingly and intricately….they’re truly something to behold.