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
Two Shots Of Happy One Shot Of Sad
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You think I'm no good, I know I've been bad
And took you to a place, now you can't get back
And two shots of happy, one shot of sad
Walked together down a dead end street
We were mixing the bitter with the sweet
I don't try to figure out what we might of had
I'm just a singer, some say, a sinner
Rolling the dice, not always a winner
You say, I've been lucky, well, I've made my own
Not part of the crowd but not feeling alone
Under pressure, but not bent out of shape
Surrounded, we always found an escape
You drove me to drink but hey, that ain't so bad
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
Guess, I've been greedy all of my life
Greedy with my children, my lovers, my wife
Greedy for the good things as well as the bad
Two shots of happy, one shot, one shot of sad
Maybe it's just talk, saloon singing
The chairs are all stacked, the swinging's stopped swinging
You say, I hurt you, you put the finger on yourself
And after you did, you came crying for my help
I'm just a singer, some say, a sinner
Rolling the dice, not always a winner
You say, I've been lucky, well, I've made my own
Not part of the crowd but not feeling alone
Rolling the dice, not always a winner
Greedy for the good things as well as the bad
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
The U2 song "Two Shots Of Happy One Shot Of Sad" is a contemplative reflection on life, love, and consequences. The lyrics describe the singer's realization of his own flaws and the effects they have had on his relationships. The title symbolizes the balance of joy and sorrow in life, represented by the two shots of happiness, and the one shot of sadness. The line, "You think I'm no good, I know I've been bad," suggests that the singer is aware of his mistakes but feels helpless to change them. He recognizes that he has hurt others, but he also acknowledges that he has experienced moments of happiness.
The song's chorus, "Two shots of happy, one shot of sad," encapsulates the complexities of life. It suggests that there are times of joy and contentment, but they are often mixed with moments of pain and regret. The lyrics also explore the concept of luck and the idea that we create our destinies. The singer views himself as a risk-taker, someone who rolls the dice, and he acknowledges that he has made both good and bad choices in his life. Ultimately, the song conveys a sense of acceptance of life's ups and downs, and a desire to move forward and learn from past mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
There have been good times and bad times in the relationship
You think I'm no good, I know I've been bad
The singer has done things that have caused their partner to lose faith in them
And took you to a place, now you can't get back
The singer has caused irreversible damage to the relationship
Walked together down a dead end street
The relationship has reached a point of no return
We were mixing the bitter with the sweet
Despite the hardships, there were still some happy moments
I don't try to figure out what we might of had
The singer has given up trying to salvage the relationship
Just two shots of happy, one shot of sad
The relationship has had more good times than bad
I'm just a singer, some say, a sinner
The artist is acknowledging their flaws and mistakes
Rolling the dice, not always a winner
The artist takes risks even when there is a chance of losing
You say, I've been lucky, well, I've made my own
The artist doesn't believe in luck, but instead takes charge of their own life
Not part of the crowd but not feeling alone
The singer is independent and comfortable with being alone
Under pressure, but not bent out of shape
The artist is able to handle stress without losing their composure
Surrounded, we always found an escape
Despite difficulties, the couple was able to find solutions
You drove me to drink but hey, that ain't so bad
The partner's actions have caused stress, but the singer is not completely unhappy
Guess, I've been greedy all of my life
The singer has always been focused on their own desires
Greedy with my children, my lovers, my wife
The artist has not always been selfless in their relationships
Greedy for the good things as well as the bad
The artist has a tendency to want more, even if it may not be beneficial
Maybe it's just talk, saloon singing
The singer is self-aware that their words may not have true meaning
The chairs are all stacked, the swinging's stopped swinging
The bar is closing and the singer is reflecting on their life
You say, I hurt you, you put the finger on yourself
The partner blames themselves for the pain caused in the relationship
And after you did, you came crying for my help
Even in tough times, the partner still looks to the artist for support
Rolling the dice, not always a winner
The artist takes chances and realizes that there will be failures along the way
Greedy for the good things as well as the bad
The singer wants it all and understands the consequences that come with it
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
The good times and bad times balance out in the end
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVE EVANS, PAUL DAVID HEWSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@artiebeard2588
This song just proves Bono can perfectly sing any song that comes his way. Fantastically done.
@ericdubois2518
Only bono....can sing like that. Emotional. .sadness . Thank u...Mister HEWSON...👏👏👏
@samuelewing8935
Well I'd like to think Sinatra would have done it justice also.
@ristube3319
His version of “Creep” live was fantastic, especially with the end where all the greats shout.
@ramonlopez757
A nice humble tribute to the almighty, because “No one’s bigger than Sinatra!”, Mr. Baby Blue Eyes and Leader of the Rat Pack, nicely sung Mr. Bono
@breno79
Mate, what a masterpiece you created yourself with this video!!! A million dollar production couldn´t do better than this... Congratulations and I truly hope @u2 gets to know this. Cheers!
@bill1957111
Last night was the 1st time I heard this on the 100th All Star Grammy show. Shame Frankie didn't do this song. It fits him
@sebastianwild7895
those chord switches. huge
@steverensing6391
Great song and great written for Frank Sinatra. Jazz :) U2 way.
@Shaunasia
"Happy Birthday Frank!"