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
Mysterious Ways
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With your sister the moon
Let her pale light in
To fill up your room
You've been living underground
Eating from a can
You've been running away
From what you don't understand
She's slippy
You're sliding down
She'll be there when you hit the ground
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways, oh
Johnny, take a dive
With your sister in the rain
Let her talk about the things
You can't explain
To touch is to heal
To hurt is to steal
If you wanna kiss the sky
Better learn how to kneel (on your knees boy)
She's the wave
She turns the tide
She sees the man inside the child, yeah
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways, oh
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, alright
Lift my days, light up my nights, oh
One day you'll look back and you'll see
Where you were held now by this love
While you could stand there
You could move on this moment
Follow this feeling
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways, oh
Move you, spirits move
Yeah, move
Lets you move you
Does it move you?
She moves with it
Lift my days, light up my nights, oh
The song "Mysterious Ways" by U2 is a powerful love song that speaks to the unexplainable nature of love. It opens with the advice to "Johnny" to "take a walk with your sister the moon," inviting him to let in her "pale light" to "fill up your room." Johnny represents a person who has been living underground and running away from things that he doesn't understand, but now Love has come to lift him up. The chorus repeats that "She moves in mysterious ways" but affirms that it's all right, suggesting that even though the mysterious nature of love can be confusing, it is ultimately good.
The second verse continues the metaphor of taking a dive with Johnny's sister in the rain, letting her talk about the things he can't explain. The ideas of touching and healing versus hurting and stealing suggest that love can be both a source of comfort and of pain. The line "if you wanna kiss the sky, better learn how to kneel" could refer to the idea of surrendering to Love and allowing it to lift you up.
The lyrics then end with the idea that one day Johnny will look back and see how Love has held him, and that he should follow the feeling and let it move him. Overall, the song is about the power of love and the way it can transform us, even if we don't entirely understand it.
Line by Line Meaning
Johnny, take a walk
Johnny, take a walk and clear your mind of all your troubles.
With your sister the moon
Walk with the moon by your side, as a guiding light.
Let her pale light in
Let the moon's light shine into your dark room and illuminate the secrets within.
To fill up your room
To brighten up your room and uplift your spirits.
You've been living underground
You have been living in isolation.
Eating from a can
Surviving on minimalistic resources.
You've been running away
You've been avoiding facing your uncertainties and fears.
From what you don't understand
From what you cannot comprehend or accept as reality.
She's slippy
The concept of love is unpredictable and difficult to entangle.
You're sliding down
You're getting caught up in love's unpredictability and feeling helpless and vulnerable.
She'll be there when you hit the ground
Love will be there to catch you when you fall.
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
Everything is going to be okay.
She moves in mysterious ways
Love has a way of defying logic and reason and can't be fully understood or explained.
Johnny, take a dive
Open up your mind and heart, and take a leap towards love.
With your sister in the rain
Let love immerse itself in the beauty and vulnerability of nature.
Let her talk about the things
Let love show you the beauty and complexity of the world.
You can't explain
Things that defy explanation, love included, are the most beautiful and worth pursuing.
To touch is to heal
Physical touch can heal one's emotional wounds.
To hurt is to steal
Hurtful actions can rob people of their joy and happiness.
If you wanna kiss the sky
If you want to reach new heights and experience pure bliss...
Better learn how to kneel (on your knees boy)
...you must learn to be humble and ask for help.
She's the wave
Love is like a wave, powerful and full of energy.
She turns the tide
Love changes everything and can take control of people's lives.
She sees the man inside the child, yeah
Love sees people's true selves and helps them mature and grow.
Lift my days, light up my nights, oh
Love makes life brighter and more fulfilling.
One day you'll look back and you'll see
One day, you will look back on your life and realize...
Where you were held now by this love
...where love has been an important part of your journey.
While you could stand there
While you were standing still...
You could move on this moment
...you had the opportunity to move forward and embrace love.
Follow this feeling
Embrace love and let it guide you.
Move you, spirits move
Love can awaken one's spirit and move them to action.
Yeah, move
Take action and embrace love.
Lets you move you
Love can inspire you to become the best version of yourself.
Does it move you?
Do you feel the power of love?
She moves with it
Love moves and inspires people to be their best selves.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Paul David Hewson, Angelique Kidjo, Larry Mullen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kaah6162
""Johnny take a dive
With your sister in the rain
Let her talk about the things
You can't explain
To touch is to Heal
To hurt is to Steal
If you want kiss the sky
Better learn how to kneel ( On your knees boy!) ""
This is pure poetry.
@patrickstocks3986
Johnny take a walk
With your sister the moon
Let her pale light in
To fill up your room
You've been living underground
Eating from a can
You've been running away
From what you don't understand
Love
She's slippy
You're sliding down
She'll be there
When you hit the ground
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
Johnny take a dive
With your sister in the rain
Let her talk about the things
You can't explain
To touch is to heal
To hurt is to steal
If you want to kiss the sky
Better learn how to kneel (on your knees boy!)
She's the wave
She turns the tide
She sees the man inside the child, yeah
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
Lift my days, light up my nights
1 day you'll look back
And when you see
Where you were held
How by this love
While you could stand there
You could move on this moment
Follow this feeling
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
Ah oh oh ah huh
Move, move, move, move
She moves with it
She moves me like
Lift my days and light up my nights
Love
@turc1656
That bass line is the stuff dreams are made of. Groovy as hell and wildly addictive.
@reneechristopher2121
I agree with you 💯%.
@chuckphelps6187
Even Bono has said that the band was built around Adam Clayton's bass line. An underrated musician.
@viciazzo
underrated... indeed!
@claudiapost-schultzke7216
True
@troyh7079
That was the 90s man... bass bass and more bass.
@jimmymurray6116
U2 was the most versatile bands in HISTORY: Rock, Pop, Rhythm, Indie. They could do it all with the same line up. Perfection!
@Angela-qr8wl
Same Line Up Yea!!!!
@skw0816
This song NEVER EVER gets old! Bono still has his moves too
@Macca-rb5ok
The 1990s belonged to U2 - this album and the subsequent tour took music into a new post-80s era. It's hard to describe how fresh and new this "sound" was at the time.