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
Winter
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, it took the hand
Of a country boy
To a city in a far-off land
We made no mark
No shadow at all
On the ancient, holy streets
The broken and the bruised
The young and the used
The sure and confused
All here
Words will then land on me
Then abandon me
Mangle, untangle me
Leave me on the floor
Rhymes, they sprang in me
Summer sang in me
But summer sings in me no more
Now I'm twenty-five
And trying to stay alive
In a corner of the world
With no clear enemies to fight
It's hot as hell
We're like butter on toast
But there's no army in this world
That can fight a ghost
The broken and the bruised
The young and the used
The sure and confused
All here
Words will then land on me
Then abandon me
Leave me stranded
In guard of the door
Rhymes began in me
Summer sang in me
But summer sings in me no more
Listening to the cries
The strangers
The silence of the foreign grave
Listening to the thunder
The sky is strange
Stretched over everyone
Listening to the tales
The child sings
That goes for days and days
Listening to the calls
Shouts, frustration
At twenty-one
I was born a son
And on that day I knew
I could kill
To protect the ones
We put bullets in guns
Or anything it takes
To take a life until it's still
The first verse of U2's song Winter tells the story of a country boy who is taken to a far-off city by the yellow sun, symbolizing a journey from innocence to experience. The singer describes how they made no mark or shadow on the ancient and holy streets, where they learned to crawl. The second verse takes the listener to the present day, where the singer is 25 years old and trying to stay alive in a corner of the world where there are no clear enemies to fight. It's hot and uncomfortable, and the soldiers feel like "butter on toast" - vulnerable, exposed and easily defeated. The broken, bruised, young, used, sure and confused - everyone is here in this place that's seemingly without hope.
The third verse talks about how the singer's words land on them and then abandon them, causing confusion and frustration as they try to make sense of the world around them. Rhymes, which once sprang so effortlessly, have now deserted them, and summer no longer sings in them. The final section looks to the future, imagining a world where protection means putting bullets in guns and taking lives until they're still. The singer's innocent youth is gone, replaced by a darker and more dangerous reality.
Winter is a song that reflects on the human cost of war, and the effects of conflict on the lives of soldiers and civilians alike. It highlights the challenges of trying to find meaning and purpose in a world that seems to have lost its way, and the difficulty of holding onto hope when faced with overwhelming despair. Through its powerful imagery and haunting lyrics, Winter reminds us of the true cost of war, and the impact it has on those who must fight it.
Line by Line Meaning
The yellow sun
The bright and shining sun in the sky
Well, it took the hand
It guided the hand of
Of a country boy
A young man who grew up in the countryside
To a city in a far-off land
To a distant and unfamiliar place
We made no mark
We didn't leave any noticeable impression
No shadow at all
No evidence of our existence
On the ancient, holy streets
On the historic and sacred roads
Where I learned to crawl
Where I first began to move and explore
The broken and the bruised
Those who are injured and hurt
The young and the used
Those who are inexperienced and taken advantage of
The sure and confused
Those who are confident and unsure
All here
Present in this place
Words will then land on me
I will be inspired by words
Then abandon me
But their inspiration will leave me
Mangle, untangle me
Distort and reshape my thoughts and feelings
Leave me on the floor
Abandon me, helpless and alone
Rhymes, they sprang in me
I was filled with poetic inspiration
Summer sang in me
I was filled with the joy of summer
But summer sings in me no more
But that joy is now absent in me
Now I'm twenty-five
Now that I'm older
And trying to stay alive
And striving to survive
In a corner of the world
In a small and secluded place
With no clear enemies to fight
Without any obvious adversaries to face
It's hot as hell
Extremely hot weather
We're like butter on toast
We're helpless and vulnerable
But there's no army in this world
But no military force in existence
That can fight a ghost
Can defeat an unseen and intangible force
Listening to the cries
Hearing the sounds of
The strangers
The unfamiliar people
The silence of the foreign grave
The quietude of an unknown burial place
Listening to the thunder
Hearing the roar of a storm
The sky is strange
The atmosphere seems unfamiliar
Stretched over everyone
The sky extends above all of us
Listening to the tales
Hearing the stories
The child sings
A young person sings
That goes for days and days
That lasts for a long time
Listening to the calls
Hearing the voices
Shouts, frustration
Cries of anger and disappointment
At twenty-one
When I was younger
I was born a son
I entered the world as a male child
And on that day I knew
And in that moment I understood
I could kill
I possessed the ability to end another person's life
To protect the ones
In order to defend those I care about
We put bullets in guns
We loaded weapons with ammunition
Or anything it takes
Or whatever methods are necessary
To take a life until it's still
To extinguish a living being's existence
Contributed by Austin K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@killr_millerlite9868
Tracks
1. Homecoming (1:50)
2. Bad News (1:01)
3. Uncle Tommy (2:41)
4. Afghanistan (1:23)
5. In The Hole (0:41)
6. Sold (1:27)
7. Ice Skating (1:02)
8. Not Another Word (0:53)
9. Brothers (Main Title) (1:59)
10. No Value (1:49)
11. The Pipe (2:42)
12. Snowman (0:48)
13. Night Graves (1:05)
14. War Hero (0:49)
15. What Happened? (4:43)
@satzrunningonadream260
The yellow sun
Well it took the hand
Of a country boy
To a city in a far off land
We made no mark,
No shadow at all
On the ancient holy streets
Where I learned to crawl
The broken and the bruised
The young and the used
The sure and confused, all here
Words will land on me
Then abandon me
Mangle, untangle me
Leave me on the floor
Rhymes they sprang in me
Summer sang in me
But summer sings in me no more
Now I'm 25
I'm trying to stay alive
In a corner of the world
With no clear enemies to fight
It's hot as hell
We're like butter on toast
But there's no army in this world
That can fight a ghost
The broken and the bruised
The young and the used
The sure and confused, all here
Words will land on me
Then abandon me
Leave me stranded
[..] on the door
Rhymes began in me
Summer sang in me
But summer sings in me no more
Oooh
Listen to the cryings
The [...]
The silence on the foreign ground
Listening to the thunder
The sky stretched
Stretched over everyone
Listening to the tanks
The shy sun
The [..]
Listening to the calls
The shouting
Frustration
At 21,
I was born a son
And on that day I knew
I could kill
To protect the ones
We put bullets in guns
Or anything it takes
To take a life, until it [...]
@carmenpineda2197
Tobey Mcguire looked seriously disturbed. Great actor
@dontneedtoknowmyname5791
Fr. And people say he “can’t act” They’re the ones who can’t act for shit 😂
@TheProtagonist2020
It’s good to have you come back, Spider-Man.
@noslemon
The movie is freaking amazing, I recommend watching it.
@SaintVodou
Wonderful movie, and I loved this version of the song
@shahebsen6745
Perfectly splendid...
@luigigiorgi6240
grazie U2 di avermi concesso questa immensa emozione
@erivertigo
U2 the Best band of the world
@jcparker2621
I don’t know who said, only the dead have seen the end of war….
…I’ve seen the end of war.
The question is… can I live again.
@user-hz7hk9ee9u
Тоби Магуайр нағыз актер. Осы фильмдегі рөлі үшін бірқатар кинопремияға ие болған.