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
When Will I See You Again
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ay, What's up baby?
I ain't seen you in awhile.
You know, I miss you.
And, I just gotta ask, one question
[Chorus: Patrick]
When will I see you again?
Wish I could see you tomorrow
It's so cloudy when your not here.
[Patrick:]
I keep your picture close by (close by)
Just so I can stare in your eyes.(your eyes)
It feels so cold in the house (so cold, it's so cold)
That's just because you ain't around. oh
And when I lay down at night
I get so restless,
I can't sleep good baby. oh ooo oh
And when I wake up in the morning,
I'm still daydreamin' about you baby. oh
[Chorus: Patrick]
When will I see you again?
Will it be a month or a year?
Wish I could you tomorrow
It's so cloudy when your not here
The lyrics to U2's song When Will I See You Again can be interpreted as a lover missing their significant other and feeling the emptiness from their absence. The song expresses the singer's longing to see their lover again and the emotional turmoil they experience while being apart. The chorus repeats an important question of the singer's, "When will I see you again?" while wondering if it will be a month or a year until they are reunited. The lyrics convey a sense of loneliness and melancholy, with the singer admitting to feeling restless and unable to sleep without their lover.
The verses provide more context to the singer's feelings, with references to keeping a photo of their lover close by to stare into their eyes and feeling cold and empty without them there. The lines "And when I lay down at night/I get so restless, I can't sleep good baby" demonstrate the depth of their longing and the impact it has on their daily life. The final verse, "And when I wake up in the morning/I'm still daydreamin' about you baby," reinforces the singer's persistent yearning for their lover.
Overall, the lyrics to When Will I See You Again portray the universal feeling of missing someone you love and the emotions that come with being apart from them.
Line by Line Meaning
Ay, What's up baby?
Starting conversation with longing for the person whom U2 misses.
I ain't seen you in awhile.
U2 has not met the person in a long time.
You know, I miss you.
Expressing openly that U2 misses the person whom he is looking for.
And, I just gotta ask, one question
U2 wants to ask one question that is bothering him a lot.
When will I see you again?
U2 is eagerly waiting to meet the person, so he asks when they'll meet again.
Will it be a month or a year?
U2 is curious to know how long he has to wait to see the person again.
Wish I could see you tomorrow
U2 wants to see the person as soon as possible.
It's so cloudy when you're not here.
When the person is not around, U2's life feels incomplete and dull.
I keep your picture close by (close by)
U2 keeps the picture of the person he misses nearby so that he can see it whenever he wants.
Just so I can stare in your eyes. (your eyes)
U2 wants to look at the person's eyes and feel like they're together.
It feels so cold in the house (so cold, it's so cold)
Without the warmth of the person's presence, U2 feels unexcited and hollow.
That's just because you ain't around. oh
It's the absence of the person which makes U2 feel alone and cold.
And when I lay down at night
U2 thinks of the person at bedtime.
I get so restless,
U2 is unable to sleep peacefully as the person he misses isn't close by.
I can't sleep good baby. oh ooo oh
U2 feels restless every night and can't sleep properly because of the person not being present.
And when I wake up in the morning,
U2 starts his day by thinking about the person.
I'm still daydreamin' about you baby. oh
U2 thinks about the person throughout the day and imagines the person to be around.
When will I see you again?
The question of when U2 will meet the person continues to linger on his mind.
Will it be a month or a year?
The waiting period for U2 is uncertain, and he isn't sure when he'll see the person again.
Wish I could you tomorrow
U2 desires to meet the person as soon as possible, preferably the next day.
It's so cloudy when your not here.
When the person is not around, U2's life feels incomplete, and there is an emptiness inside him.
Writer(s): Harvey Lee Jr. Watkins
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
VALLEY PARK FOODS
HIS DAD HAD JUST DIED
Mathew Smith
@elfootman Lets see you do a cover version then smart arse. I take it you are a Bono hater? Bono haters are just jealous of a great band and voice. Yeah they are crap at covers and as a fan for the past 27yrs i DO have the right to say that but nobody can play there songs as good as them live or in the studio.