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 360ยฐ Tour of 2009โ2011 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 Edgeโs brother Dick Evans (later a member of Virgin Prunes), Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin. According to legend, Bono originally auditioned as a guitarist but couldnโt play. He auditioned as lead vocals, but really couldnโt 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 โFeedback โ and โThe Hypeโ 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: ยฃ500 and funds to make a record. Paul McGuinness became the bandโs 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 โa different kindโ 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 โto dream it all up againโ, 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 โwatch out, babyโ, artwork feat. make-up artist Nassim Khalifa) & Zooropa. Bono took on many stage personae such as โThe Flyโ, โMirrorball Manโ and โMr. MacPhistoโ 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 90โs into 00โs U2 became less image and more reality. With the death of Bonoโs 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 theyโve returned to a more band-centric sound with albums like All That You Canโt Leave Behind which features a song, Kite, dedicated to Bonoโs father who passed away shortly after the albumโs conception and 2004โs How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.
The 10s: U2 went on the U2 360ยฐ 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 โYou tooโ and โYou twoโ, etc. Nonetheless the official line on the nameโs origins remains unknown. The band has been quoted as saying that they did think of the U2 spy plane, but remain hushed about other reasonsโฆ U2
My Wild Irish Rose
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My love and I did lie
And on my naked shoulder
She too proud to cry
She said that I must leave her
An icy tear she froze
How could I melt the heart
Well a gypsy she has made of me
A servant of the street
And back to bed I've traveled
To taste a love as sweet
Well the heart it knows no reasons
And reason never knows
As I lie with them I'm thinking
Of a wild Irish rose
Well I saw the city of angels
It brought a devil out in me
And Hell's hotel on sunset
Showed a whore no mercy
As the orange sky was screaming
From the roof I let her go
These are the dizzying heights that brought me
My wild Irish rose
Now red is the rose
That she laid on my grave
A life is what she wanted
And a life I surely gave
Like a hundred men before me
They lay lying here in rows
Young men, bloody
As a wild Irish rose
The lyrics of U2's song "Wild Irish Rover" tell a story of love, loss, and the destructive nature of a passionate relationship. The singer and his lover find solace in a peaceful field by a river, where they share intimate moments. However, their love is complicated, as the woman is too proud to show her emotions and the singer must leave her. This separation breaks the woman's heart, symbolized by the icy tear that freezes. The singer feels guilty for hurting her, as he tries to melt the heart of a wild Irish rose, referring to the woman's wild and untamed nature.
As the story progresses, the singer reveals that he has been transformed by a gypsy, becoming a servant of the street. He engages in casual relationships, seeking to fill the void left by his lost love. However, he acknowledges that the heart does not follow reason, and he still thinks of his wild Irish rose even in the arms of others.
The narrative shifts to a darker tone as the singer describes his experience in the city of angels, Los Angeles. The city's temptations awaken the devil within him, and he finds himself in Hell's hotel on Sunset, showing no mercy to a prostitute. The orange sky screaming could be a metaphor for the chaos and frenzy of the city, and from the roof, he lets go of this destructive relationship.
The song concludes with the singer's grave, where a red rose is laid, symbolizing the sorrow and regret that lingers after his death. It is suggested that many others, like him, have met their demise, as bloody young men lie in rows. The wild Irish rose becomes a symbol of passion, destruction, and the cycle of broken hearts.
Line by Line Meaning
In a field by a river
In a peaceful and serene location near a flowing river
My love and I did lie
We were lying down together in each other's arms
And on my naked shoulder
Resting her head on my bare shoulder
She too proud to cry
She refused to show her vulnerability by shedding tears
She said that I must leave her
She told me that I had to depart from her
An icy tear she froze
She held back her emotions and cried a tear that turned cold
How could I melt the heart
I questioned how I could win over and soften the feelings
Of a wild Irish rose
Of an untamed and spirited Irish woman
Well a gypsy she has made of me
She transformed me into a wanderer and free spirit
A servant of the street
I became someone who served and roamed the streets
And back to bed I've traveled
I returned to various romantic encounters
To taste a love as sweet
To experience the pleasures of passionate love
Well the heart it knows no reasons
The heart doesn't follow logical explanations
And reason never knows
Rationality cannot comprehend matters of the heart
As I lie with them I'm thinking
While being intimate with others, I contemplate
Of a wild Irish rose
About the wild and spirited Irish woman I left behind
Well I saw the city of angels
I witnessed the vibrant and enticing city
It brought a devil out in me
It awakened and tempted my darker side
And Hell's hotel on sunset
Referring to a sinful place on Sunset Boulevard
Showed a whore no mercy
It treated a prostitute without any kindness or compassion
As the orange sky was screaming
While the sunset sky displayed intense hues of orange
From the roof I let her go
From a high point, I released my attachment to her
These are the dizzying heights that brought me
These are the thrilling experiences that led me to
My wild Irish rose
Remember and long for my untamed Irish love
Now red is the rose
The rose she placed on my grave is now red
That she laid on my grave
She placed the rose on top of my burial site
A life is what she wanted
She desired a fulfilling and meaningful life
And a life I surely gave
I sacrificed myself to provide her with that life
Like a hundred men before me
Similar to many men who came before me
They lay lying here in rows
They rest here, side by side, in organized rows
Young men, bloody
These young men, full of life, now in a state of death
As a wild Irish rose
Just like the untamed and spirited Irish woman
Lyrics ยฉ O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Loch Ness Exploration
Itโs instantly recognisable, a Celtic vibe that both the Scots and the Irish share. ๐ ๐ฎ๐ช ๐ ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ Seeing U2 live in Scotland is a mass party but seeing U2 live on their home turf is a different animal altogether! Itโs 2020 and Iโm still a massive fan!
Linda Clark
If you miss your Irish heritage ๐๐น๐
Melody Reeves
Awesome song ๐โค๏ธ
Laurence Dunne
Beautiful piece.....should have been a U2 album track
Doris Thistleton
Amazing piece of music feel it in the. sole
Al Laurens
Irish songs
Irish people
Great island
I love the irish people and is existence as people
Im Portuguese
with Proud.
But, I confess:
I Love your people.
And we know like You know what is the sea....
Angelo
Forever Ireland ๐ฎ๐ช โค
Daniel Spies
fantastic..............the beautiful song..............irish style
Bons negรณcios
๐ง๐ทโค๏ธ
Wanda Fischetti
fantastic north sea...love it.