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
Vértigo
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turn it up loud, captain
Lights go down, it's dark
The jungle is your head, can't rule your heart
A feeling's so much stronger than a thought
Your eyes are wide and though your soul, it can't be bought
Your mind can wander
Hello, hello (hola)
I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
Except you give me something
I can feel, feel
The night is full of holes
'Cause bullets rip the sky of ink with gold
They twinkle as the boys play rock and roll
They know that they can't dance, at least they know
I can't stand the beat, I'm asking for the check
Girl with crimson nails has Jesus around her neck
Swinging to the music, swinging to the music (whoa, whoa)
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Hello, hello (hola)
I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
But you give me something
I can feel, feel
Checkmated
Just fun
She made it in, yeah
All of this, all of this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
Just give me what I want and no one gets hurt
Hello, hello (hola)
We're at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
Lights go down, and all I know
Is that you give me something
I can feel your love teaching me how
Your love is teaching me how
How to kneel
Kneel
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
"Vertigo" by U2 is a fast-paced rock song that captures the adrenaline rush of falling in love. The opening lines, "Uno, dos, tres, catorce" are mysterious, and many believe they mean "1, 2, 3, 14," but in reality, it was just an accidental mistake by Bono, the lead vocalist of the band, who counted wrong during the song's recording.
The jungle imagery that follows refers to the chaos and confusion that love can bring. The line, "can't rule your heart," implies that one is not in control of their emotions when they fall in love. The chorus is a repetition of saying hello to a place called Vertigo, which could mean different things to different people. For some, it may represent the thrill of falling in love, while for others, it could symbolize the feeling of being out of control. The line "The night is full of holes" could mean that the night is unpredictable and full of danger, like bullets that are ripping the sky of ink with gold.
The girl with the crimson nails might be a metaphor for seduction, and Jesus could symbolize salvation from that temptation. The line "Just fun, she made it in, yeah" could be referring to the thrill of the chase and how exciting it is to pursue someone one desires. In the end, the song is about how love teaches one how to kneel, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for submission or humility.
Line by Line Meaning
Unos, dos, tres, catorce
Counting off in Spanish, the band begins playing lively music
Turn it up loud, captain
Asking the sound engineer to turn the music up really loud
Lights go down, it's dark
The stage lights turn off and the audience is in complete darkness
The jungle is your head, can't rule your heart
Your mind can be hard to navigate when emotions are strong and uncontrollable
A feeling's so much stronger than a thought
Emotions can often overpower rational thinking
Your eyes are wide and though your soul, it can't be bought
Even if someone offers you everything you desire, you can't sell your soul
Your mind can wander
It's easy to get lost in your own thoughts
Hello, hello (hola)
Starting a conversation or greeting someone in Spanish
I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
Being in a confusing, disorienting situation and questioning where you are
It's everything I wish I didn't know
Being uncomfortable with the truth about something
Except you give me something
I can feel, feel
Being grateful for someone who brings out strong emotions in you
The night is full of holes
'Cause bullets rip the sky of ink with gold
Stars in the night sky look like holes because they're surrounded by darkness, but they shine bright like gold
They twinkle as the boys play rock and roll
They know that they can't dance, at least they know
I can't stand the beat, I'm asking for the check
The music is lively, but some people are not good at dancing and can't keep up with the rhythm
Girl with crimson nails has Jesus around her neck
Swinging to the music, swinging to the music (whoa, whoa)
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Observing a girl with red nails wearing a necklace of the crucifix and moving along to the music
Checkmated
Just fun
She made it in, yeah
Using chess terms to describe a woman making it past security and into a party
All of this, all of this can be yours
Just give me what I want and no one gets hurt
Bargaining for someone to give you something in exchange for not causing harm
We're at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
Lights go down, and all I know
Is that you give me something
I can feel your love teaching me how
Your love is teaching me how
How to kneel
Kneel
Being in a love that makes you feel lost and disoriented, but also teaches you how to be humble and vulnerable
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Chanting along to the music
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Word Collections Publishing
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul David Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@felixthelmocevallosmorales7218
Unos, dos, tres, catorce
Turn it up loud, captain
Lights go down, it's dark
The jungle is your head, can't rule your heart
A feeling's so much stronger than a thought
Your eyes are wide and though your soul, it can't be bought
Your mind can wander
Hello, hello (hola)
I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
Except you give me something
I can feel, feel
The night is full of holes
'Cause bullets rip the sky of ink with gold
They twinkle as the boys play rock and roll
They know that they can't dance, at least they know
I can't stand the beat, I'm asking for the check
Girl with crimson nails has Jesus around her neck
Swinging to the music, swinging to the music (whoa, whoa)
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Hello, hello (hola)
I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
But you give me something
I can feel, feel
Checkmated
Just fun
She made it in, yeah
All of this, all of this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
Just give me what I want and no one gets hurt
Hello, hello (hola)
We're at a place called Vertigo (¿dónde está?)
Lights go down, and all I know
Is that you give me something
I can feel your love teaching me how
Your love is teaching me how
How to kneel
Kneel
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Traducir al español
Fuente: LyricFind
Compositores: Adam Clayton / David Evans / Laurence Mullen / Paul Hewson
Letra de Vertigo © Universal Music Publishing Group
@ThePolerbearproducts
Bono singing “Feeeeeelll” has been with me since childhood.
@OctoberWarBoy4600
Ikr, it's one of my first memories of a song on the radio
@crosscourttennis1796
I wasn't old enough to experience the song but it still was an iconic song from my childhood as I listened to all my parent's cds growing up. Glad I grew up with this and not anything else!
@briarjensen2123
Same
@AlexLnLoL
saaaame, and the "hooooooooooooooooow"
@storm_gamer2570
Bro i was 6 years old when i start to love u2
@13912543X
I can’t believe this song is 18 years already, wow! Where has time gone?
@croissantlover1
soon 20.
@YungMisfit20
Time moved on to much better music. This song is trash
@igodreamer7096
"Flying", they said. Time is always flying and never waits, for basically anyone. lol