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
In God
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Desert sky
Dream beneath a desert sky
The rivers run but soon run dry
We need new dreams tonight
Desert rose
Dress torn in ribbons and in bows
Like a siren she calls to me
Sleep comes like a drug
In God's country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God's country
Set me alight
We'll punch a hole right through the night
Everyday the dreamers die
See what's on the other side
She is liberty
And she comes to rescue me
Hope, faith, her vanity
The greatest gift is gold
Sleep comes like a drug
In God's country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God's country
Naked flame
She stands with a naked flame
I stand with the sons of Cain
Burned by the fire of love
Burned by the fire of love
U2's song "In God's Country" tells a story about a journey through a desert, a place where many have gone to seek spiritual enlightenment or to escape from reality. The lyrics paint a picture of a vast and empty desert sky, where rivers run but soon dry up, leaving little hope for those who are lost. The desert rose serves as a symbol of hope and beauty in the midst of the harshness of the desert. The singer of the song finds himself drawn to this desert rose, who calls out to him like a siren.
The song seems to touch on the themes of spiritual awakening, freedom, and rebellion against oppression. The chorus of "sleep comes like a drug in God's country, sad eyes, crooked crosses" speaks to the exhaustion and disillusionment that can come from seeking truth in a world that often seems perverse and unjust. The second verse introduces a female character who represents liberty, hope, and faith. She becomes the greatest gift of all, far more priceless than gold.
"In God's Country" is a powerful commentary on the human search for meaning and happiness. It is a reminder that the journey is often fraught with obstacles, but it is also a call to persevere and continue seeking even when hope seems lost.
Line by Line Meaning
Desert sky
The vastness of the sky in the desert
Dream beneath a desert sky
Having a dream under the beautiful sky in the desert
The rivers run but soon run dry
The rivers are not permanent in the desert, they eventually dry up
We need new dreams tonight
We need new ideas and aspirations to keep going
Desert rose
The beauty of the desert's floral life
Dreamed I saw a desert rose
Hallucinating the sight of the beautiful desert rose
Dress torn in ribbons and in bows
The rose is fragile and has been damaged, but still manages to be beautiful
Like a siren she calls to me
The rose's beauty is calling out to the dreamer
Sleep comes like a drug
Sleep is as addictive and necessary as drugs
In God's country
The vast expanse of the desert is where one can find their faith
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
The people living in the desert are often sad, and the way they practice religion is unorthodox
Set me alight
Allow me to shine and realize my potential
We'll punch a hole right through the night
We will overcome obstacles and persevere through adversity
Everyday the dreamers die
People's dreams can die if they don't have support and motivation
See what's on the other side
Explore beyond one's current situation and discover new opportunities
She is liberty
Freedom and independence is symbolized by a woman
And she comes to rescue me
Freedom is providing a sense of safety to the dreamer
Hope, faith, her vanity
Hoping and having faith is the key to achieving success
The greatest gift is gold
The most valuable possession one can have is their aspirations and dreams
Naked flame
The open fire that symbolizes passion - whether it be positive or negative
She stands with a naked flame
The woman portrays her passionate side
I stand with the sons of Cain
The dreamer is standing up against evil and injustice
Burned by the fire of love
The love that once burned within the dreamer is now extinguished
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lucianolovito7283
Yeah
Desert sky
Dream beneath a desert sky
The rivers run but soon run dry
We need new dreams tonight
Desert rose
Dreamed I saw a desert rose
Dress torn in ribbons and in bows
Like a siren she calls to me
Sleep comes like a drug
In God's country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God's country
Set me alight
We'll punch a hole right through the night
Everyday the dreamers die
See what's on the other side
She is liberty
And she comes to rescue me
Hope, faith, her vanity
The greatest gift is gold
Sleep comes like a drug
In God's country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God's country
Naked flame
She stands with a naked flame
I stand with the sons of Cain
Burned by the fire of love
Burned by the fire of love
@lordflash4312
No other guitarist has ever sounded like this. Edge is a genius.
@coreyjasonprice5011
Fuck yeah,,
@ALLNAMESAREALLREADYT
41 years of U2 existence, 56 years of my existence, 36 years as a fan of the band and I am seeing this clip for the very first time.
@francospecchia9283
BETTER LATE THAN EVER ... ALSO I SEE THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME ... GREETINGS FROM ITALY ✋😜✋🇮🇹
@ALLNAMESAREALLREADYT
@@francospecchia9283 anche a te Franco tanti salluti dalla Serbia
@francospecchia9283
@@ALLNAMESAREALLREADYT ХВАЛА НА ПОЗДРАВУ .... САДА КОРИСТИМ ПРЕВОДИТЕЉ КУРСА .... КОЛИКО ПОШТОВАНО ✋ ПОЗДРАВ ИЗ ЈУЖНЕ ИТАЛИЈЕ
@francospecchia9283
@@ALLNAMESAREALLREADYT MAYBE I MAKE THE LANGUAGE WRONG ... TO THE MESSAGE I SENT YOU .... I USE THE TRANSLATOR .... SORRY ...
@ALLNAMESAREALLREADYT
@@francospecchia9283 haha va bene , va bene ...io parlo italano , ho visuto 2 anni in Torino
@jaronimo1976
Driving through North America, hearing this song on repeat... Heaven..
@henriqueerenner5741
God bless us all