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
Lucifer's Hands
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody’s famous here but nobody’s known
We got no music ‘cause the speaker’s blown
Apart
The spill is moving through the seaside town
I’m born again to the latest sound
New wave air wave swirling around my heart
You no longer got a hold on me
I’m outta Lucifer’s hands
You no longer got a hold on me
You no longer in control of me
I am
The enemies beg from an inky page
St. John the Divine is gonna take the stage
Like a talent show where your talent is your rage
I’m in
Prayers are fire on ruined dark night
You’re meant to see visions beyond sound and sight
With Elvis beginning to see the light
Amen
You no longer got a hold on me
I’m outta Lucifer’s hands
You no longer got a hold on me
You no longer in control of me
I am
Yes, I can change the world
Yes, I can change the world
The poor breaking bread
It’s made out of stone
The rich man won’t eat
He’s eating alone
That’s easy
But I can change the world in me
You no longer got a hold on me
I’m outta Lucifer’s hands
You no longer got a hold on me
You no longer in control of me
I am
The lyrics of U2's song "Lucifer's Hands" are open to interpretation. However, they seem to reflect the band's reflections on the current state of society. The song paints a picture of a punk rock party in a suburban home where everyone is famous but nobody is truly known. The singer's blown, and there's no music. In the next verse, the spill is moving through the seaside town while new wave air waves swirl around the heart. The lyrics suggest that despite the apparent chaos, music and art can still touch even the most mainstream of hearts.
The song's third verse speaks of enemies begging from an inky page of St John the Divine taking the stage like a talent show. Here, the lyrics suggest that rage is a talent, and the singer is immersed in it. The prayers are fire on ruined dark nights meant to see visions beyond sound and sight. Elvis is beginning to see the light, and the singer is out of Lucifer's hands. The final verse speaks of the possibility of change, the poor breaking bread made of stone, and the rich man eating alone. The lyrics suggest that change can happen in everyone, and even a single person's actions can change the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Punk rock party in a suburban home
A rebellious, energetic gathering of people in a mundane setting
Everybody’s famous here but nobody’s known
A group of people who may be popular but not truly understood or recognized
We got no music ‘cause the speaker’s blown
Apart
The loss of a vital element (in this case, music) that causes a rift in the gathering
The spill is moving through the seaside town
An ominous, dangerous force that has taken hold of a town by the water
I’m born again to the latest sound
New wave air wave swirling around my heart
The transformative power of music that can reignite one's spirit and passion
You no longer got a hold on me
I’m outta Lucifer’s hands
You no longer got a hold on me
You no longer in control of me
I am
Breaking free from the influence of a destructive force or person and regaining control of one's life
The enemies beg from an inky page
St. John the Divine is gonna take the stage
Like a talent show where your talent is your rage
I’m in
Confronting one's adversaries through creative expression and taking a stand in a public arena
Prayers are fire on ruined dark night
You’re meant to see visions beyond sound and sight
With Elvis beginning to see the light
Amen
The transformative and enlightening power of prayer and music
Yes, I can change the world
Yes, I can change the world
The poor breaking bread
It’s made out of stone
The rich man won’t eat
He’s eating alone
That’s easy
But I can change the world in me
The awareness that true change starts within oneself, rather than just in the external world
Contributed by Landon T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
A me
on eleven o' clock tick tock
And girls can make children but not like this one...so will just have to walk around with a painted face then...
LMewdowlark
on One
Baby, baby, baby, I know I'm not alone
Ha, ha, ha
Oh, it's not a hill it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
Let's shout into the darkness, squeeze out sparks of light
You know we're gonna go crazy, you know we'll go crazy
You know we'll go crazy, if we don't go crazy tonight
Oh, slowly
Oh
Hold me slow
Again, these are the wrong lyrics. They are not the lyrics for 'One' but a different song. I pasted the correct lyrics in my other comment.
LMewdowlark
on One
And there's a part of you that wants me to riot
Everybody needs to cry or needs to spit
Every sweet-tooth needs just a little hit
Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
How can you stand next to the truth and not see it?
Oh, change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
Do you believe me or are you doubting?
We're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won't listen to you boys and girls
Is the sweetest melody the one we haven't heard?
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear?
The right to be ridiculous is something I hold dear
Oh, but change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
But we're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you now
You got someone to blame?
You say, one love, one life
When it's one need in the night
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you, baby, if you don't care for it
Did I disappoint you
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well, it's too late tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We're one, but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One
Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus?
To the lepers in your head
Did I ask too much? More than a lot
You gave me nothing, now it's all I got
We're one but we're not the same
Well, we hurt each other then we do it again
You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law
You ask me to enter but then you make me crawl
And I can't be holdin' on to what you got
When all you got is hurt
One love, one blood
One life, you got to do what you should
One life with each other
Sisters, brothers
One life but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One
One