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
Pop
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pop, pop pop, muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
Shooby dooby doo whop
Pop dop shoo whop
Shooby dooby doo whop
Pop dop shoo whop
Radio video
Boogie with a suitcase
You're living in a disco
Forget about the rat race
Let's do the milkshake
Sell it like a hotcake
Try some, buy some
Fee fie foe fum
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Dance to the super mart
Dig it in the fast lane
Listen to the countdown
They're playing our song again
Wanna be a gun slinger
Don't be a rock singer
Eenie meenie miney mo
Which a way you want to go
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Talk about pop muzik
Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop
Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop
(Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik)
Oh oh oh
Mexico mofo
The lyrics to U2's song "Pop" are a reflection of the cultural and societal embrace of the popular music of the time. The song's opening repetition of "pop, pop, pop, muzik" serves as a nod to the dominating sound of popular music in the late 90s. This theme is further explored in the chorus as the lyrics implore the listener to "dance to the super mart" and "listen to the countdown" as they sing "talk about pop muzik."
The lyrics also touch on the notion of escapism and forgetting about the pressures of the "rat race." This is evident in the line "you're living in a disco, forget about the rat race." The song encourages the listener to embrace the spirit of the dance and revel in the simplicity of just being in the moment.
Additionally, there is a line that seems to question the validity of different paths in life. The lyrics state, "wanna be a gun slinger, don't be a rock singer, eenie meenie miney mo, which a way you want to go." The line can be interpreted as a criticism of the traditional archetypes of masculinity that have been perpetuated in popular culture. The idea is that the listener should forge their own path, regardless of societal expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Pop, pop pop, muzik
The song is about pop music.
Pop pop, pop pop, pop pop, pop muzik
The song continues to describe pop music.
Shooby dooby doo whop
The song adds some nonsense syllables for effect.
Pop dop shoo whop
More nonsense syllables.
Radio video
The song mentions two popular forms of media.
Boogie with a suitcase
The song suggests carefree travel and enjoyment.
You're living in a disco
The song suggests living a fun and carefree lifestyle.
Forget about the rat race
The song suggests not worrying about a stressful job or lifestyle.
Let's do the milkshake
The song suggests participating in a fun and popular dance.
Sell it like a hotcake
The song suggests marketing something well to make it popular.
Try some, buy some
The song suggests encouraging people to try and like something.
Fee fie foe fum
More nonsense syllables added for effect.
Talk about pop muzik
The song repeats its central theme.
Dance to the super mart
The song suggests dancing in a store.
Dig it in the fast lane
The song suggests enjoying life at a fast pace.
Listen to the countdown
The song suggests listening to a popular radio program.
They're playing our song again
The song suggests a feeling of belonging or attachment to a song.
Wanna be a gun slinger
The song suggests wanting to be a cowboy-like figure.
Don't be a rock singer
The song suggests avoiding a traditional rockstar lifestyle.
Eenie meenie miney mo
The song adds more nonsense for effect.
Which a way you want to go
The song suggests having choices in life.
Oh oh oh
More nonsense syllables added for effect.
Mexico mofo
The song ends with a nonsense phrase.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: ROBIN EDMOND SCOTT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@greengrugach1984
Come on! Who's listening to this absolute masterpiece of a song in 2024? Respect from Ireland 🇮🇪 I'm nearly 40 and this was the first album i ever bought and still think it's U2's last true masterpiece.
@DaFuqBoom
This vid is gold meme material.
@andregordon2599
truly truly exploitable
@elvirastalos89
Indeed😂
@Nutsaur
Citation needed.
@scorpius319
The song's great! The video is still just as fn horrible. I curse my eyes. 😆
@mroctober3657
U2 making memes before memes were invented.
@markotto1767
The last experimental, beautiful album of U2. Achtung Baby, Zooropa, POP. Three innovative incredible albums. Everytime a surprise. Golden Age of U2.
@gordonirvine726
Agreed brother
@MrsBlaileen1
Indeed. Those 3 albums are so different from each other but made so lovingly and intricately….they’re truly something to behold.