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
Sweet Fire Of Love
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Didn't we fear the storm
Didn't we move the earth
Didn't we shoot for the sky
And didn't we catch the fire
And didn't we call upon the spirits
And didn't we fall together
Days on the run
Nights in hiding
Hoping that you were the
Healing inside me
Breathe in the sweet fire of love
I'm not afraid anymore
Sweet, sweet fire
I'm not alone
Breathe in the sweet fire of love
I'm not the same anymore
Sweet, sweet fire
Sweet fire of love
Sweet fire of love
Didn't we cross new waters
Didn't we mix new blood
Didn't we build brand new bridges
Didn't we hold back the flood
Broken idols by the side of the road
Fate didn't fall on the side of the law
Here she comes a-shining like a light
Here she comes salvation in the night
Days on the run
Nights in hiding
Hoping that you were the
Healing inside me
Breathe in the sweet fire of love
I'm not afraid anymore
Sweet, sweet fire
I'm not alone
Breathe in the sweet fire of love
I'm not the same anymore
Sweet, sweet fire
Sweet fire of love
Sweet fire of love
Didn't we shine like silver
Didn't we bear the cross
Didn't we bring down the hammer
Didn't we beat on the drum
Didn't we
Days on the run
Here she comes a-shining like a light
Nights in hiding
Here she comes salvation in the night
Hoping that you were the
I'm givin' up the ghost
Healing inside me
I'm givin' up the ghost
Breathe in the sweet fire of love
I'm not afraid anymore
Sweet, sweet fire
I'm not alone
Breathe in the sweet fire of love
I'm not the same anymore
Sweet, sweet fire
Sweet fire of love
Sweet fire of love
The lyrics to U2's "Sweet Fire of Love" celebrate the power of love and its ability to conquer all obstacles. The song is a tribute to the human spirit and its ability to endure and overcome adversity. In the first verse, Bono sings about breaking the silence and fearing the storm, highlighting the risks and uncertainties involved in any venture. However, he goes on to emphasize that despite the challenges, they caught the fire of love and called upon the spirits, and in doing so, they fell together and died for love.
The second verse talks about crossing new waters, mixing new blood, and building brand new bridges, which symbolizes the breaking down of barriers and the creation of new opportunities. The broken idols by the side of the road and the flood held back show that there were obstacles to overcome, but they did so to bring salvation and hope to others. The chorus reinforces the power of love as the sweet fire, which brings healing and a sense of connection to others. In the end, the singer is giving up the ghost, which could be interpreted as giving up negative attitudes, old ways of thinking, and finally surrendering to the power of love.
Overall, "Sweet Fire of Love" is a tribute to the transformative power of love and the strength of the human spirit. It acknowledges that the journey is not easy, but the rewards are worth it, and in the end, love conquers all.
Line by Line Meaning
Didn't we break the silence
Did we not end the silence that stood between us
Didn't we fear the storm
Were we not afraid of the stormy weather that threatened our bond
Didn't we move the earth
Didn't we bring about significant changes affecting our lives
Didn't we shoot for the sky
Didn't we set our sights high and pursue them relentlessly
And didn't we catch the fire
And did we not capture the passion and energy that fueled our relationship
And didn't we call upon the spirits
And did we not beckon the unseen forces that protect our love
And didn't we fall together
And did we not stick together through thick and thin
And didn't we die for love
And did we not sacrifice everything for love
Days on the run
Days spent fleeing from our troubles
Nights in hiding
Nights spent concealing our emotions
Hoping that you were the
Wishing and hoping that you were the one to heal my wounds
Healing inside me
The cure for my emotional pain resided within you
Breathe in the sweet fire of love
Take in the intense passion and energy that our love gives off
I'm not afraid anymore
I quell all worries and anxieties with the intensity of our love
Sweet, sweet fire
Our love emanates a passionate flame that engulfs us entirely
I'm not alone
My partner is the anchor that stabilizes my life
I'm not the same anymore
I have been forever changed and molded by our love and all its experiences
Didn't we cross new waters
Did we not venture into uncharted territories in the name of love
Didn't we mix new blood
Did we not integrate new things into our relationship to make it grow
Didn't we build brand new bridges
Did we not create new avenues of connection and pathways to better our relationship
Didn't we hold back the flood
Did we not keep our relationship afloat amidst the difficulties that threatened to drown it
Broken idols by the side of the road
Figurative representations of our past relationship mistakes strewn by the wayside
Fate didn't fall on the side of the law
The universe did not have to be just to our relationship to thrive
Here she comes a-shining like a light
A beacon of hope comes my way like a beam of light giving life to my love
Here she comes salvation in the night
My saving grace comes to me during dark times
Didn't we shine like silver
Did we not radiate brightness and value like silver
Didn't we bear the cross
Did we not endure sufferings and trials for the sake of our love
Didn't we bring down the hammer
Did we not strike down challenges with our combined strength
Didn't we beat on the drum
Did we not make beautiful music together, moving to the beat of our love
I'm givin' up the ghost
'Giving up the ghost' is a metaphor for death; in the context of the song, it refers to the end of the relationship
Sweet fire of love
The ultimate conclusion of the song is that love is powerful and transformative
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ADAM CLAYTON, DAVID EVANS, LAURENCE MULLEN, PAUL DAVID HEWSON, ROBBIE ROBERTSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
hazor777
This album ....not enough praise for it, it's a masterpiece to me. Maybe it was the times , the 80's , being in high school .....I'm not sure ....but this album is still amazing.
John Thorne
Consider yourself lucky (as I do) that you were around for this amazing achievement.
Mike Strong
I agree it is a Phenomenal album and the Edge' guitar work is some of the best l've ever heard from him.
Rich Garcia
Which album?
hazor777
@Rich Garcia Robbie Robertson - self titled
John Doyle
Plus around in the late 80's U2 were only beginning start to be big in the U.S.A. But Robbie robertson R.I.P. was a Superb musician and will be missed in music business.
Robert Kees
You know you're a bad ass when you can get U2 as your backup band.
John Thorne
Speaks to the monumental respect Robbie has in the music industry: that 1987 album had collaboration from U2, Blue Nile, and Peter Gabriel, for God's sake.
Robert Kees
@John Thorne The Bodeans did background vocals, and I think Terry Bozio also played some drums as well.
Rick Bryant
U2 producer Philip Lanois also produced this album deemed Robbie Robertson's comeback record. And man was it ever.