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
Van Dieman's Land
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh hold me now
'Til this hour
Has gone around
And I'm gone
On the rising tide
For to face
Van Diemen's land
It's a bitter pill
I swallow here
To be rent from one so dear
We fought for justice
And not for gain
But the magistrate
Sent me away
Now kings will rule
And the poor will toil
And tear their hands
As they tear the soil
But a day will come
In this dawning age
When an honest man
Sees an honest wage
Hold me now
Oh hold me now
'Til this hour
Has gone around
And I'm gone
On the rising tide
For to face Van Diemen's land
The lyrics of U2's song "Van Diemen's Land" convey a sense of longing and struggle, highlighting themes of separation, injustice, and hope. The singer is pleading to be held, seeking comfort and solace in the midst of their troubles. The repetition of the phrase "Hold me now" emphasizes the need for emotional support during difficult times.
The reference to "Van Diemen's land" alludes to the historical context of the song. Van Diemen's Land was the name for the island of Tasmania during the time it served as a penal colony for British convicts in the 19th century. The singer's mention of being "sent away" by a magistrate suggests that they were unjustly sentenced and forced to endure the hardship of penal labor.
The bitterness expressed in the line "It's a bitter pill I swallow here, to be rent from one so dear" conveys the pain of being torn apart from someone beloved. This could refer to a loved one left behind as the singer was sent away to Van Diemen's Land. The song acknowledges the social inequalities of the time, where kings and rulers held power while the poor labored in difficult conditions, symbolized by the line "Now kings will rule and the poor will toil."
However, there is a glimmer of hope in the lyrics as well. The line "But a day will come in this dawning age when an honest man sees an honest wage" hints at a future where justice and fairness will prevail. Despite the hardships faced, the singer remains hopeful that a better time will come where honest labor will be rewarded.
Overall, "Van Diemen's Land" reflects on the struggles of the past, the longing for connection, and the hope for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold me now
Embrace and support me in this difficult time
Oh hold me now
Oh, please continue to hold me
'Til this hour
Until this moment
Has gone around
Has passed
And I'm gone
And I have left
On the rising tide
In the current of change
For to face Van Diemen's land
To confront a harsh and unforgiving reality
It's a bitter pill
It's a difficult truth to accept
I swallow here
That I must accept in this situation
To be rent from one so dear
To be separated from someone I love deeply
We fought for justice
We fought for what is right
And not for gain
And not for personal benefit
But the magistrate
But the person of authority
Sent me away
Sentenced me to be isolated
Now kings will rule
Now those in power will govern
And the poor will toil
And the less fortunate will work tirelessly
And tear their hands
And damage their hands
As they tear the soil
As they work the land
But a day will come
But there will be a time
In this dawning age
In this new era
When an honest man
When a person of integrity
Sees an honest wage
Receives a fair and just salary
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kichigan1
The album version contains the most powerful verse:
"Now kings will rule
And the poor will toil
And tear their hands
As they tear the soil
But a day will come
In this dawning age
When an honest man
Sees and honest wage"
@joJo-df6hr
Hold me now,
Oh hold me now
'Til this hour
Has gone around
And I'm gone
On the rising tide
For to face
Van Diemen's land
It's a bitter pill
I swallow here
To be rent from one so dear
We fought for justice
And not for gain
But the magistrate
Sent me away
Now kings will rule
And the poor will toil
And tear their hands
As they tear the soil
But a day will come
In this dawning age
When an honest man
Sees an honest wage
Hold me now
Oh hold me now
'Til this hour
Has gone around
And I'm gone
On the rising tide
For to face Van Diemen's land
@desmondsandoz4937
A profoundly simple Beautiful emotional song.❤
@creedonc1285
What a beautiful song. The Edge's vocals are unsurpassed.
@pmwebmail
A thing of beauty, with incredible density of meaning, one of U2's best.
@LoneWanderer686
I started listening to U2 when my father bought Rattle and Hum on DVD. Many years have passed but that moment I'll always cherish.
What a masterpiece.
@frankquinn6837
Well pat I'm 66 so perhaps old enough to be your father
@U2langdom
This is exactly my same storie with U2, he came with the album because it was given with a newspaper, from them, U2 was my favourite group and introuced me to rock in general and all my actual tastes.
@InfoVblog
Still is the BEST MUSIC BAND.
@hypersphereengineering6015
I bought the VHS video cassette of Rattle and Hum in 1988 and played it so much I wore it out. Saw my first U2 show in Melbourne 1989 Lovetown. Edge played this live at my first ever concert. Seen them live a few more times since (10 total)
@UncleDavey
Such an underrated song and singer. Used to sing this to my daughter when I put her to bed.
@BigTez40
This band have been my saviour so many times over the last 40 years. I applaud U2.