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
Dreaming With Tears in My Eyes
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I cared for you more then you knew
Though you have broken each promise
Yesterday's dreams are untrue
Alone, I'll be yearning tomorrow
When sunshine brings memories of you
As a dream of the love you once knew
Why should I always be lonesome
When sunny and blue are the skies
While shadows and loneliness linger
I'm dreaming with tears in my eyes
Why did you promise me sweetheart
Never to leave me alone
Yesterday's sunshine is faded
You're love wasn't true like my own
Alone, I'll be yearning tomorrow
When sunshine brings memories of you
My sunshine will turn into sorrow
As a dream of the love we once knew
Why should I always be lonesome
When sunny and blue are the skies
While shadows and loneliness linger
I'm dreaming with tears in my eyes
The lyrics to U2's song Dreaming With Tears in My Eyes describe the heartache of a person who was deeply in love with their partner but was hurt by their broken promises. It's clear that the singer cared for their partner more than their partner knew. Despite the pain, the singer continues to yearn for their love even though the memories bring about nothing but sorrow, leading the singer to dream with tears in their eyes. The line "why should I always be lonesome when sunny and blue are the skies" displays the singer's jealousy and frustration, as they question why they can't find happiness while everyone else seems to be enjoying it.
The song captures the feelings of heartbreak and longing that many people experience in a relationship. It highlights the pain of holding onto the past despite knowing that things will never be the same. It's a melancholy song that is relatable to anyone who has been hurt in love.
Line by Line Meaning
My heart is longing for you, love
I feel a deep, intense desire for you, my love
I cared for you more then you knew
I had strong feelings of love and affection for you that you were unaware of
Though you have broken each promise
You failed to keep every commitment you made
Yesterday's dreams are untrue
The aspirations and hopes we had before are no longer a reality
Alone, I'll be yearning tomorrow
In the absence of your presence, I will be longing for you even more tomorrow
When sunshine brings memories of you
Thoughts of you will come flooding back to me when I'm enjoying a sunny day
My sunshine will turn into sorrow
My happiness and joy will be transformed into sadness and grief
As a dream of the love you once knew
It will feel like a distant memory or a mere figment of imagination compared to the love we shared before
Why should I always be lonesome
I wonder why I am continuously feeling lonely
When sunny and blue are the skies
Even though the weather is gorgeous and lovely
While shadows and loneliness linger
There is still a lingering presence of darkness and a strong sense of isolation
I'm dreaming with tears in my eyes
I'm visualizing scenarios of us together while shedding tears of sadness and pain
Contributed by Elliot J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@seancross27
it is a great thing when a voice like this hits a great song...perfect match. I wish he would do more like it.
@mjcurrington2079
WOW!!!! That song brought tears to my eyes. It is so beautiful, you can hear the hurt in his voice. Bono has always had the most expressive and emotional sound in his songs. I will listen to this forever!! Good luck Bono. I wish you all the happiness, love, peace and everything in life you want. God bless you. I love you, Bono!
@twinsoultarot473
There is more pain, loneliness and heartache in Bono's voice and U2's sound than any other band. There is also more uplift and rejoicing. Probably why I keep coming back for more.
@stipevedder
Very well said
@feel4films889
got your point Lauren you're right. so many colours, shades, lights and darkness in their music! from "Love is blindness" or "Acrobat" to "City of blinding lights" or "I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight" they have it all. they're the last giants of rock and roll
@marjetex8579
try rejoicing with months of being a m .o.t.d.......blessing. u bono.
@bonsummers2657
No way,… there's a fair amount of artists doing that, as well
@09bassplaya
He is soooo handsome!!! It doesn't hurt that his voice is a gift from god either ;)
@lenatraceroxton1363
@John Conway Eh I would say they're about tied in my mind.
@chezwag
This is one of the most beautiful songs for Bono - it suits his passion and range