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
Wild Rover
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've spent all me money on whiskey and beer
But now I'm returning with
Gold in great store
And I never will play the wild rover no more
And it's No, Nay, never
No, nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover no never no more
And I told the landlady me money was spent
I asked her for credit, she answered me nay
Such a customer as you I can have any day
And it's No, Nay, never
No, nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover no never no more
I took up from my pocket
Ten sovereigns bright
And the landlady's eyes opened
Wide with delight
She says "I have whiskeys and
Wines of the best
And the words that you told
Me were only in jest"
And it's No, Nay, never
No, nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover no never no more
I'll go home to my parents
Confess what I've done and I'll ask them to
Pardon their prodigal son
And, when they've caressed me
As oft times before
I never will play the wild rover no more
And it's No, Nay, never
No, nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover no never no more
The lyrics of U2's "Wild Rover" tell the story of a narrator who describes their past as a wild and reckless person. They admit to spending all their money on whiskey and beer, living a carefree and indulgent lifestyle. However, the lyrics suggest a transformation in the singer. They declare that they are returning with a great amount of gold, signifying a newfound wealth and prosperity. This change in fortune seems to mark a turning point for the singer, as they vow to never play the role of the wild rover again.
In the second verse, the singer visits an alehouse they used to frequent, but they confess to the landlady that they no longer have any money. They ask for credit, but the landlady refuses, indicating that they have lost favor due to their past behavior. However, the singer surprises the landlady by revealing ten sovereigns, a substantial amount of money. The landlady is delighted and offers the singer the best whiskeys and wines, realizing that the singer was only joking about their lack of funds.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been a wild rover for many's the year
I have lived a reckless and irresponsible life for a long time
I've spent all me money on whiskey and beer
I have wasted all my wealth on alcohol
But now I'm returning with gold in great store
However, I have turned my life around and accumulated great wealth
And I never will play the wild rover no more
I have made the decision to never again live a reckless and irresponsible life
And it's No, Nay, never
I firmly refuse
No, nay never no more
Absolutely not anymore
Will I play the wild rover no never no more
I will never engage in such a reckless lifestyle again
I went in to an alehouse I used to frequent
I visited a pub that I used to visit regularly
And I told the landlady me money was spent
I explained to the owner that I had no more money
I asked her for credit, she answered me nay
I requested to borrow money, but she declined
Such a customer as you I can have any day
She indicated that she can easily find other customers like me
I took up from my pocket ten sovereigns bright
I then revealed ten valuable coins from my pocket
And the landlady's eyes opened wide with delight
The owner's eyes widened with joy
She says 'I have whiskeys and wines of the best
She exclaimed that she has a selection of high-quality alcoholic beverages
And the words that you told me were only in jest'
She understood that my previous statements were just a joke
I'll go home to my parents
I will return to my parents' house
Confess what I've done and I'll ask them to
I will admit my past actions and request their forgiveness
Pardon their prodigal son
Beg for their mercy as their wayward child
And, when they've caressed me
And once they have shown me affection
As oft times before
As they have done many times in the past
I never will play the wild rover no more
I will truly never live a reckless life again
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Helen vR
And I was there, back then, that night. What a great performance!
skyemcleod1
This is absolutely amazing! Larry has a great voice! He should sing more often! Too bad there's no vid of this:( But thankx for posting anyway!
Trish Fitzgibbon
I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jitterbug121
LOVE IT! THANX & HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY TO YOU!
Stereotype23
Think its really good actually... If there had been music this would ROCK ;)
DavidP747
It's actually an Australian song. The Clancy brothers loved it so much and sang it so much, it was hard to believe it was not IRISH or as some people believe (scottish).
Bruni93
yea, it really is! sounds a bit strange for larry first, but i think its cool:)
Madam X
Come on guys, Larry was just trying to bring a bit of culture to this silly rock n' roll show
Simone Costadura
larry :D very rock voice XD
doubleagent
i like this. average at best, but he's got passion.