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
Stay
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You stop in for a pack of cigarettes
You don't smoke, don't even want to
Hey now, check your change
Dressed up like a car crash
Your wheels are turning but you're upside down
You say when he hits you, you don't mind
Because when he hurts you, you feel alive
Red lights, gray morning
You stumble out of a hole in the ground
A vampire or a victim
It depends on who's around
You used to stay in to watch the adverts
You could lip sync to the talk shows
And if you look, you look through me
And when you talk, you talk at me
And when I touch you, you don't feel a thing
If I could stay
Then the night would give you up
Stay and the day would keep its trust
Stay and the night would be enough
Faraway, so close
Up with the static and the radio
With satellite television
You can go anywhere
Miami, New Orleans
London, Belfast and Berlin
And if you listen I can't call
And if you jump, you just might fall
And if you shout, I'll only hear you
If I could stay
Then the night would give you up
Stay then the day would keep its trust
Stay with the demons you drowned
Stay with the spirit I found
Stay and the night would be enough
Three o'clock in the morning
It's quiet and there's no one around
Just the bang and the clatter
As an angel runs to ground
Just the bang
And the clatter
As an angel
Hits the ground
The song "Stay" by U2 is a contemplative piece that delves into the complexity of relationships. The song weaves together various narratives that explore the pain and pleasure of love. The first verse describes a person who doesn't smoke but still goes to a convenience store to buy cigarettes. The person is dressed like a car crash and feels alive when hurt by their lover. The second verse talks about a person stumbling out of a grave, looking like a victim or a vampire depending on the observer. The person used to stay in and watch adverts and talk shows but now they're out in the open, exposed. In the refrain, the singer wonders what would happen if they stayed with this person, if the night would be enough.
Line by Line Meaning
Green light, Seven Eleven
You had a chance to start fresh, but you didn't.
You stop in for a pack of cigarettes
You make decisions that don't make any sense.
You don't smoke, don't even want to
You do things even though you don't enjoy them.
Hey now, check your change
You need to start paying attention to what's important.
Dressed up like a car crash
You put on a show for others but you're not really happy.
Your wheels are turning but you're upside down
You're trying to move forward, but you're not getting anywhere.
You say when he hits you, you don't mind
You're willing to put up with pain to feel alive.
Because when he hurts you, you feel alive
You're stuck in a cycle of self-destructive behavior.
Is that what it is
You're questioning what you're doing with your life.
Red lights, gray morning
You're stuck in a rut and need to break free.
You stumble out of a hole in the ground
You're starting to see the light but it's not easy to escape.
A vampire or a victim
You're not sure if you're the problem or the victim.
It depends on who's around
Your perspective changes depending on your surroundings.
You used to stay in to watch the adverts
You used to enjoy the simple things in life.
You could lip sync to the talk shows
You weren't really engaged with the world around you.
And if you look, you look through me
You don't really see the people around you.
And when you talk, you talk at me
You don't really listen to what others have to say.
And when I touch you, you don't feel a thing
You're not really connected to anyone.
If I could stay
If I could be with you and make you happy.
Then the night would give you up
If we could be together, the darkness wouldn't be so scary.
Stay and the day would keep its trust
If we could stay together, the world wouldn't seem so uncertain.
Stay and the night would be enough
If we could be together, we wouldn't need anything else.
Faraway, so close
We're close but it feels like we're a world apart.
Up with the static and the radio
There's too much noise in the world and it's hard to hear what matters.
With satellite television
We can watch the world from a distance but it's not the same as being there.
You can go anywhere
Technology has made it easier to travel, but it doesn't solve our problems.
Miami, New Orleans
There are many places to go, but they all have their own problems.
London, Belfast and Berlin
There are many cities to explore, but we still feel lost.
And if you listen I can't call
I'm trying to reach out to you but it's hard to connect.
And if you jump, you just might fall
You're afraid to take risks because you don't want to get hurt.
And if you shout, I'll only hear you
You're not communicating in a way that I can understand.
Stay with the demons you drowned
Don't forget the things that hurt you in the past so you can avoid them in the future.
Stay with the spirit I found
Stay with me and let me help you find your way.
Stay and the night would be enough
If we could be together, everything else would fall into place.
Three o'clock in the morning
The darkest hour of the night when everything seems hopeless.
It's quiet and there's no one around
The world can be a lonely place.
Just the bang and the clatter
The chaos of the world can be overwhelming.
As an angel runs to ground
Even when things seem hopeless, there is always hope.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, David Evans, Laurence Mullen, Paul David Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@youngtheotrevino9048
Green light, Seven Eleven
You stop in for a pack of cigarettes
You don't smoke, don't even want to
Hey now, check your change
Dressed up like a car crash
Your wheels are turning but you're upside down
You say when he hits you, you don't mind
Because when he hurts you, you feel alive
Is that what it is
Red lights, gray morning
You stumble out of a hole in the ground
A vampire or a victim
It depends on who's around
You used to stay in to watch the adverts
You could lip sync to the talk shows
And if you look, you look through me
And when you talk, you talk at me
And when I touch you, you don't feel a thing
If I could stay
Then the night would give you up
Stay and the day would keep its trust
Stay and the night would be enough
Faraway, so close
Up with the static and the radio
With satellite television
You can go anywhere
Miami, New Orleans
London, Belfast and Berlin
And if you listen I can't call
And if you jump, you just might fall
And if you shout, I'll only hear you
If I could stay
Then the night would give you up
Stay then the day would keep its trust
Stay with the demons you drowned
Stay with the spirit I found
Stay and the night would be enough
Three o'clock in the morning
It's quiet and there's no one around
Just the bang and the clatter
As an angel runs to ground
Just the bang
And the clatter
As an angel
Hits the ground
@EmmaginationMiss
One of the most beautiful songs in the World
@niri9451
A rare beauty ❤
@cindycarpenter2407
I agree beautiful Celine sings beautifully any of her songs are beautiful she difficultly awsome
@no2thenwo737
It's hard to believe that this song is 30 years old now. Where did time go? Great song.
@TheWOLF1947
time goes fast
@redskies4530
Hi I recommend a song called 'The Bond Villain' By Robert Nix
@homersimpson7068
One of my faves of U2, heartbreaking, and how I feel sometimes.
@legin3753
bono was 33 wow
@workingZen
Oh damn has it been that long!!! I was still in school with my whole life ahead. Damn it!! Hope life for you has been good 30 years on
@maboleth
The ending with Bono falling to the ground, saying "as an angel hits the ground" with a snare drum and crash cymbal hitting together is pure art. One of THE best U2 songs ever.