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
Street Mission
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Man, I just got here
You got me thinking
I'm about to leave
Some say maybe tomorrow
New direction, hello
What I know know know
I walk tall
I walk in the wild wind
I love to stare
I love to watch myself grow
Someday, maybe tomorrow
New direction, hello
Well I know know know
Well I know know know
Street mission
Street mission
Street mission
Street mission
And I'm promising nothing
I'm just living a smile
I casually arrange it
I know...well I know know know
Street mission
Street mission
Street mission
Street mission
I walk tall
I walk in the wild wind
I live an image
Of plastic and gold
Some say maybe tomorrow
A resurrection, hello
Well I know know know
Well I know know know
Well I know know know
Well I know know know
Oh...
Oh...
Oh...i need something
I need someone
I need you
Oh...i've got something
I've got someone
I've got you
Street mission
Street mission
Street mission
Good night
The lyrics of "Street Mission" by U2 represent the feelings of a young person who is trying to discover their place in the world. The person is unsure of their purpose and is simply existing in the moment, not knowing what the future holds. The song is a reflection of the idea that life is a journey and that one must take chances and seek out new experiences to find their direction.
The lyrics โI don't know, Man, I just got here,โ begin the song, which suggests the persona is new to this environment or feeling lost. They go on to say โYou got me thinking, I'm about to leave.โ This line demonstrates that the persona is already considering leaving and shows their lack of interest in the present situation. The chorus of "Street Mission" speaks of the possibility of change - โSome say maybe tomorrow, new direction, hello.โ The persona is open to the idea of change and is willing to explore what the future holds.
The song brings a sense of realism and tension that is often present in adolescent life. U2โs message is that itโs okay to not know where youโre going and to be unsure of the path. The song challenges the listener to step out of their comfort zone and explore the world around them, even when they donโt know where it may lead.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know
I am uncertain about something
Man, I just got here
I just arrived at this place
You got me thinking
Your words are making me ponder
I'm about to leave
I am considering departing
Some say maybe tomorrow
There is a possibility for a new path in the future
New direction, hello
A greeting to a change of course
What I know know know
My current level of knowledge
I walk tall
I am confident and strong
I walk in the wild wind
I move forward in the face of challenges
I love to stare
I enjoy observing
I love to watch myself grow
I take pleasure in my personal development
Street mission
Purposeful activity in an urban setting
And I'm promising nothing
I am not guaranteeing anything
I'm just living a smile
I am content with living simply and happily
I casually arrange it
I effortlessly put things in order
I know...well I know know know
I am certain of something
I live an image
I embody a particular persona
Of plastic and gold
Characteristics of a superficial or materialistic lifestyle
A resurrection, hello
Greeting a new beginning
Oh...i need something
Expressing a desire for something
I need someone
I desire companionship
I need you
Expressing a desire for a specific individual
Oh...i've got something
I possess something
I've got someone
I have a companion
I've got you
Referring to having a particular person as a partner or friend
Good night
A polite way to bid farewell and end a conversation
Lyrics ยฉ O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rez
They should perform this now during a live set just for kicks.
hyvakoira
Considering they are 16-17-18 years old at the time, it's pretty good. The performance itself, so in the 70's fashion,ย is hilarious.
ssp
hyvakoira no, theyโre pretty awful and they never got any better, itโs just that olโ David Evens discovered how to turn his delay up to โ11โ and still use the same 3 chords.
Mark
@ssp jealous?
ssp
@Mark no, not at all.
Mark
@ssp like how sad can yoy be to go out of your way to bash a band that is more successful than you'll ever be and has created good songs? It doesn't have to be complicated to be good.
ssp
@Mark the measure of whether I like a band or not is not determined by how successful I am. Lol. If it was wasnโt for Eno, these guys would still be playing clubs. They blew their wad in the 90โs then continued to make the same album for eternity. The most overrated band possibly in the history of rock. They need to hang it up.
James Johnson
This is so awesome U2 is a great band has a good future
skyemcleod1
so young so amazing and talented from the very beginning.this is history-love it-thankx!
Muldfeld
The slower part at 1:16 is really good. Like, it should have made their first album. Don't care for the faster part, though. Thanks for uploading this. I'm only now reading about the early years in "U2 by U2". It great to finally see one of these early songs of which the band was proud.