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
Intro
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pop, pop pop, muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Shooby dooby doo whop
Pop dop shoo whop
Shooby dooby doo whop
Pop dop shoo whop
Radio video
Boogie with a suitcase
You're living in a disco
Forget about the rat race
Let's do the milkshake
Sell it like a hotcake
Try some, buy some
Fee fie foe fum
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Dance to the super mart
Dig it in the fast lane
Listen to the countdown
They're playing our song again
Wanna be a gun slinger
Don't be a rock singer
Eenie meenie miney mo
Which a way you want to go
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop
Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop
(Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik)
Oh oh oh
Mexico mofo
The song "Pop Muzik" by U2 is a commentary on the state of pop culture during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The lyrics explore how the rise of pop music, disco, and consumerism had a significant impact on society. The chorus, "Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik," is a repetition that emphasizes the idea of catchy, repetitive pop music.
The lyrics suggest that people were becoming consumed by pop culture and forgetting about more significant issues such as the rat race or real-world problems. The verses contain references to consumerism with lines such as "Boogie with a suitcase" and "Sell it like a hotcake." It also mentions the idea that people could achieve a form of escapism by dancing to the super mart or "digging it in the fast lane" and forgetting about their problems.
Additionally, the song mentions the desire for instant gratification and the notion that music could provide an escape from reality. The last line, "Mexico mofo," is a reference to the drug trade in Mexico during the time when the song was released.
Line by Line Meaning
Pop, pop pop, muzik
Let's talk about the latest popular music.
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
The music is so catchy, it makes us want to dance.
Shooby dooby doo whop
The song includes fun and rhythmic vocalizations.
Pop dop shoo whop
The song includes fun and rhythmic vocalizations.
Radio video
We can hear and see the popular music all around us.
Boogie with a suitcase
Let's go out and dance, even if we have our belongings with us.
You're living in a disco
Life is full of excitement and parties, just like a disco.
Forget about the rat race
Don't worry about the stress of work and competition.
Let's do the milkshake
Let's have fun and enjoy the moment.
Sell it like a hotcake
The music is so good, it will sell easily.
Try some, buy some
Listen to this music and you'll want to buy it.
Fee fie foe fum
The music is big and important, like a giant.
Talk about pop muzik
We can't get enough of discussing and enjoying the latest popular music.
Dance to the super mart
Even shopping can become a fun and exciting experience with the right music.
Dig it in the fast lane
Life can be fast-paced and frenetic, just like the music we love.
Listen to the countdown
We're eagerly anticipating hearing our favorite songs played again and again.
They're playing our song again
The music we love is getting lots of airplay, and it's thrilling to hear it so often.
Wanna be a gun slinger
Some people aspire to be tough and dangerous, like a cowboy with a gun.
Don't be a rock singer
But for us, we'd rather be part of the exciting scene of rock musicians and fans.
Eenie meenie miney mo
We can't decide which path to take, so we're leaving it up to chance.
Which a way you want to go
There are so many possibilities in life, and it can be hard to know which one to choose.
Oh oh oh
We're having so much fun, we can't help but sing along.
Mexico mofo
This phrase represents the energetic and carefree attitude of the song, and may not have a specific meaning.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROBIN EDMOND SCOTT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ritch80
Not a massive U2 fan, but where ever I am in the world, in whatever pub I am in, if this song comes on everyone goes crazy, What a tune!!
Don Warnick
U2 are one of the handful of bands that saved rock n roll during the last 20-30 years
J B
I always loved that drum intro on this song. Great video.
Nelly47 Thomas
I never get tired of these boys
Waldo Trueb
Wow !!!
Powerful opening,,this song means so much for so many....
SuperBlackted
For some bands this song would be their finest hour. For U2 it’s their opening track.
Silly Sausage
Which bands would that be? It's such a uniquely Irish, and personal song, that 99% of other bands would have no interest in writing or performing it. Why does YouTube breed such crass comments?
SuperBlackted
@Silly Sausage I’m talking about the calibre and quality of the record. Not some parochial little tune, should you wish to view it that way. Why are some people so narrow in their world view on YouTube?
B Illzer
@SuperBlackted you do realise the stadium they were playing in...?🙄
SuperBlackted
@B Illzer Your not seeing my point either are you. Bands spend their whole career trying to write one song this good. For U2 it’s their opening track, yes I know where they are. But I’m talking about their song writing skills. I saw them in Vancouver in 2017, the roof blew off then too with this track.