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
Invisible
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't even want the heart you broke
It's yours to keep
You just might need one
Finally found my real name
I won't be me when you see me again
No, I won't be my father's son
I'm more than you know
I'm more than you see here
I'm more than you let me be
I'm more than you know
A body in a soul
You don't see me but you will
I am not invisible
I don't dream, not as such
I don't even think about you that much
Unless I start to think at all
All those frozen days
And your frozen ways
They melt away
Your face like snow
I'm more than you know
I'm more than you see here
I'm more than you let me be
I'm more than you know
A body in a soul
You don't see me but you will
I am not invisible
I am here
There is no them
There is no them
There is no them
There's only us
There's only us
There is no them
There is no them
There's only us
There's only us
There is no them
There is no them
There's only us
There's only us
There is no them
There is no them
There's only us
There's only us
In U2's song Invisible, Bono's lyrics express a sense of liberation and empowerment for someone who has finally found their true identity. The opening lines, "It's like the room just cleared of smoke, I didn't even want the heart you broke, it's yours to keep, you just might need one" suggest a sense of relief from a toxic relationship, in which the person is ready to move on from the pain they've experienced. The words "It's yours to keep, you just might need one" imply that the person is offering their heart to the other, but not out of weakness, rather out of strength and self-awareness.
The following lines, "I finally found my real name, I won't be me when you see me again, no, I won't be my father's son" suggest that the singer has found their true identity and will no longer be defined by their past, lineage or societal expectations. The line "I'm more than you know, I'm more than you see here, more than you let me be" speaks to the idea that the person is not just the sum of their physical parts, but that they have a soul and a deeper essence that the other person has not fully recognized.
The lines "There is no them, there is only us" conclude the song with the idea that we are all interconnected as human beings and that there is no "other" or "them" - only a shared humanity that binds us together.
Line by Line Meaning
It's like the room just cleared of smoke
This moment feels refreshing and hopeful, like a breath of fresh air after being surrounded by chaos
I didn't even want the heart you broke
You didn't matter enough to me for your betrayal to really hurt me
It's yours to keep
You can have the responsibility for our failed relationship
You just might need one
You will probably struggle with relationships in the future too
I finally found my real name
I have discovered my true identity
I won't be me when you see me again
I will have grown and changed as a person, and you won't recognize me
No, I won't be my father's son
I won't be defined by my family's expectations or legacy
I'm more than you know
There is depth to me that you have yet to uncover
I'm more than you see here
You are only scratching the surface of who I really am
More than you let me be
You have restricted me from fully expressing myself
A body in a soul
I am a physical being with a spiritual essence
You don't see me but you will
You have overlooked me, but I will make an impact on the world
I am not invisible
I refuse to be ignored or underestimated
I don't dream, not as such
I do not have conventional aspirations or desires
I don't even think about you that much
You do not occupy a significant space in my mind
Unless I start to think at all
I only consider you in passing or when something prompts me to do so
All those frozen days
The time I spent with you feels stagnant and unchanging
And your frozen ways
Your emotional distance and inability to connect with me
They melt away your face like snow
Your influence on me is dissipating and losing its grip
There is no them
We are all connected and share a common humanity
There's only us
We must work together to overcome division and inequality
There's only you
Each individual is responsible for their own actions and choices
And there's only me
Each individual has the power and agency to create change
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul David Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@carlopomi9410
It's like the room just cleared of smoke
I didn't even want the heart you broke
It's yours to keep
You just might need one
I finally found my real name
I won't be me when you see me again
No, I won't be my father's son
I'm more than you know
I'm more than you see here
More than you let me be
I'm more than you know
A body in a soul
You don't see me but you will
I am not invisible
I don't dream, not as such
I don't even think about you that much
Unless I start to think at all
All those frozen days
And your frozen ways
They melt away your face like snow
I'm more than you know
I'm more than you see here
I'm more than you let me be
I'm more than you know
A body in a soul
You don't see me but you will
I am not invisible
I am here
There is no them
There is no them
There's only us
There's only us
There is no them
There is no them
There's only us
There's only us
There is no them
There is no them
There's only you
And there's only me
There is no them
@adrianatorres4409
I don't care what people say about U2 they are the best band I ever heard. They give there fans the very best of there performance and songs. Keep up the good work cause you's are the best in my records . Viva U2 😍😘
@eddunne4190
❤❤❤
@hugh-johns.taylor9165
Enjoy
U2 everywhere they play!!! Hugh-John T
@freddygonzalez8797
I've been blessed to see U2 five times.
They are the Beatles of our generation.
@yazminbp
Jajaja what does the people say about U2?
@anandbakshi4391
Absolutely I Second that.. They just mesmerize us
@patricianoraquintans4960
One of their best songs! Wonderful band.
@sheagoff6009
I couldn’t be happier to be belting out u2 songs at one in the morning. I love them so much. I’m so glad my parents let me listen to U2 at a young age. I’m a seventeen and I think I have a better taste in music than some of my friends. Some of them will jame with me when I’m listening to U2 but most of them won’t. My parents raised me right in my opinion.
@elizabetharmstrong3205
Shea Goff b
@hochzeitsfotografseychelle2986
One of their best and most underrated songs! I looooove U2! ♥