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
Elevation
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You shoot me from a gun
I need you to elevate me here
At the corner of your lips
As the orbit of your hips
Eclipse, you elevate my soul
I've lost all self-control
Now going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
A star lit up like a cigar
Strung out like a guitar
Maybe you could educate my mind
Explain all these controls
I can't sing but I've got soul
The goal is elevation
A mole, digging in a hole
Digging up my soul, now
Going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
Love
Lift me up out of these blues
Won't you tell me something true?
I believe in you
A mole, digging in a hole
Digging up my soul now
Going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
Elevation
Elevation
Elevation
Elevation
The lyrics to U2's song Elevation have a number of different interpretations depending on how you look at them. On one level, they can be seen as a love song with the singer describing how much he needs the object of his affection to lift him up and make him feel alive. On another level, the lyrics can be seen as a metaphor for the way that music and performing can reach into people's souls and inspire them to be better, brighter versions of themselves.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of urgency and a feeling that the singer is on the brink of something amazing. He describes feeling like he is flying and being lifted higher than the sun, and he seems to be searching for something to help him reach that level of greatness. While he acknowledges that he has lost control and been living like a mole, digging away in the dirt, he is hopeful that he can be elevated by someone or something else.
Line by Line Meaning
High, higher than the sun
You raise me up to new heights
You shoot me from a gun
Your energy propels me forward
I need you to elevate me here
I require your help to become a better version of myself
At the corner of your lips
Close to your mouth, where your words come from
As the orbit of your hips
Like the rotation of the Earth around the sun, your movements are pivotal to my existence
Eclipse, you elevate my soul
You obscure my negative thoughts and feelings, bringing me to a higher state of being
I've lost all self-control
I am lacking in discipline or restraint
Been living like a mole
I have been secluded and trapped in darkness
Now going down, excavation
I am digging deep to uncover my true self
I and I in the sky
We are together in a heavenly place
You make me feel like I can fly
You give me the confidence to soar
So high, elevation
I am at a great height, both physically and emotionally
A star lit up like a cigar
A blazing light in the night sky, reminiscent of a smoking cigar
Strung out like a guitar
The tension in my body is like the strings of a musical instrument
Maybe you could educate my mind
Perhaps you can enlighten me with your knowledge and experience
Explain all these controls
Clarify the rules and boundaries that govern our lives
I can't sing but I've got soul
I may lack musical talent, but my emotions are deeply felt
The goal is elevation
The aim is to become a better person
A mole, digging in a hole
I am like a small animal excavating my own path
Digging up my soul, now
I am uncovering my innermost thoughts and feelings
Love
The emotion that drives us to seek connection and inspiration
Lift me up out of these blues
Bring me out of this melancholy state
Won't you tell me something true?
Share a genuine insight with me
I believe in you
I have faith in your ability to help me reach for the stars
Elevation
The state of being lifted to new heights
Elevation
An exclamation celebrating the feeling of being uplifted
Elevation
A repeated expression of the song's main message
Elevation
A final affirmation of the transformative power of love and inspiration
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul David Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@leonelgarciagonzalez
U2 Elevation
High, higher than the sun
You shoot me from a gun
I need you to elevate me here
At the corner of your lips
As the orbit of your hips
Eclipse
You elevate my soul
I've got no self control
Been living like a mole now
Going down, excavation
I and I, in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high
Elevation
A star
Lit up like a cigar
Strung out like a guitar
Maybe you can educate my mind
Explain all these controls
Can't sing but I've got soul
The goal is elevation
A mole
Digging in a hole
Digging up my soul now
Going down, excavation
I and I
In the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high
Elevation
Love
Lift me out of these blues
Won't you tell me something true
I believe in you
A mole
Digging in a hole
Digging up my soul now
Going down, excavation
I and I
In the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high
Elevation
Elevation
Elevation
Elevation
Elevation
@paulis0095
High, higher than the sun
You shoot me from a gun
I need you to elevate me here,
At the corner of your lips
As the orbit of your hips
Eclipse, you elevate my soul
I've lost all self-control
Been living like a mole
Now going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
A star lit up like a cigar
Strung out like a guitar
Maybe you could educate my mind
Explain all these controls
I can't sing but I've got soul
The goal is elevation
A mole, living in a hole
Digging up my soul, now
Going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
Love, lift me up out of these blues
Won't you tell me something true
I believe in you
A mole, living in a hole
Digging up my soul now
Going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
Elevation
Elevation
Elevation
Elevation
@henriqueramos3197
"Elevation"
[Verse 1]
High, higher than the sun
You shoot me from a gun
I need you to elevate me here
At the corner of your lips
As the orbit of your hips
Eclipse, you elevate my soul
[Chorus]
I've got no self-control
Been living like a mole
Now going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
[Verse 2]
A star, lit up like a cigar
Strung out like a guitar
Maybe you could educate my mind
Explain all these controls
I can't sing but I've got soul
The goal is elevation
[Chorus]
I've lost all self-control
Been living like a mole
Now going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
[Bridge]
Love, lift me out of these blues
Won't you tell me something true
I believe in you
[Chorus]
A mole, digging in a hole
Digging up my soul
Going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
[Outro]
Elevation...
Elevation...
Elevation...
Elevation...
Written By Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton, The Edge (Guitarist) & Bono
Album ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND (2000)
@ryans.1900
hahha I love how over the top it is--it's like an idea that a couple of prepubescent friends would come up with in an afternoon (and had lots of $$$ to blow):
"So there's this band, but they're missing their guitarist--"
"Because he went exploring and found an ancient key!"
"Oh yeah! Awesome! But the key has magical powers, and there's a tomb raider who needs it to fight, like, evil and stuff."
"Yeah, that sounds great! But wouldn't it be even BETTER if there's, like, an evil version of the band, too??"
"That would be AMAZING! And they could get in, like, singing competitions and stuff!!"
"Yeah!! This video is gonna be so awesome."
"Yeah, totally..."
@limits96
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
High, higher than the sun
You shoot me from a gun
I need you to elevate me here
At the corner of your lips
As the orbit of your hips
Eclipse, you elevate my soul
[Chorus]
I've got no self-control
Been living like a mole
Now going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
[Verse 2]
A star, lit up like a cigar
Strung out like a guitar
Maybe you could educate my mind
Explain all these controls
I can't sing but I've got soul
The goal is elevation
[Chorus]
A mole, digging in a hole
Digging up my soul
Now going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
[Bridge]
Love, lift me out of these blues
Won't you tell me something true
I believe in you
[Chorus]
A mole, digging in a hole
Digging up my soul
Going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
[Outro]
Elevation...
Elevation...
Elevation...
Elevation...
@withlove_eya
I remembered when my dad played this song very loud in 5 in the morning, where the skies still have a bluish hue. I was very young at that time, 4 or 5 years old if I'm not mistaken. Sadly, my dad passed away when I was 6 years old, and his CDs and casette tapes that contained this as one of the songs is one of the things I treasure the most. I miss you, dad.
@nuriakn5858
+Eulla Heartfilia Ow :( This is so bad.Don't be sad.Believe yourself :)
@thelittlecow6009
Big hug for you Eulla, you are not alone, peace.
@knuckalar
:(
@lilianrodrigues2571
Firme...eu perdi meu pai tambem...beijos.
@nuriakn5858
Pleasure but this is so sad:(
@DurvalLacerda
This clip represents the 2000's perfectly.
@anthonyheinrich8333
Watching the detectives
@davidcarreno9696
Absolutely!!!!
@bayronalonsotobonnavas4085
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