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
Zooropa
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(What do you want?)
Zooropa vorsprung durch technik
Zooropa be all that you can be
Be a winner
Eat to get slimmer
Zooropa it could be yours tonight
We're mild and green
And squeaky clean
(What do you want?)
(What do you want?)
(What do you want?)
(What do you want?)
Zooropa better by design
Zooropa fly the friendly skies
Through appliance of science
We've got that ring of confidence
And I have no compass
And I have no map
And I have no reasons
No reasons to get back
And I have no religion
And I don't know what's what
And I don't know the limit
The limit of what we've got
Don't worry baby, it'll be alright
You got the right shoes
To get you through the night
It's cold outside, but brightly lit
Skip the subway
Let's go to the overground
Get your head out of the mud baby
Put flowers in the mud baby
Overground
No particular place names
No particular song
I've been hiding
What am I hiding from
Don't worry baby, it's gonna be alright
Uncertainty can be a guiding light
I hear voices, ridiculous voices
Out in the slipstream
Let's go, let's go overground
Take your head out of the mud baby
She's gonna dream up
The world she wants to live in
She's gonna dream out loud
She's gonna dream out loud
Dream out loud
The lyrics of U2’s “Zooropa” seem to be a reflection on society and our obsession with technology, consumerism, and success at any cost. The opening lines, “What do you want?”, can be interpreted as a challenge to the listener to examine their desires and motivations. The references to “vorsprung durch technik” (advancement through technology), eating to get slimmer, and the ring of confidence all speak to the idea of using science and material possessions to improve and promote ourselves.
However, the chorus also seems to criticize this mindset, using the imagery of “mild and green” and “squeaky clean” to suggest a superficial and sterile existence. The third verse adds to this critique with the lines “And I have no religion / And I don’t know what’s what / And I don’t know the limit / The limit of what we’ve got”, highlighting the emptiness of a world focused solely on individual success and technological progress.
The song’s bridge, “Don’t worry baby, it’ll be alright / Uncertainty can be a guiding light”, seems to be a message of hope and an encouragement to embrace the unknown rather than relying on material possessions and societal norms for happiness. The final lines, “She’s gonna dream up / The world she wants to live in / She’s gonna dream out loud / Dream out loud”, are a call to action for the listener to imagine and work towards a better world beyond the limitations of our current societal structures.
Overall, “Zooropa” is a complex critique of modern society that encourages listeners to question their values and consider what truly matters in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Zooropa vorsprung durch technik
Zooropa - an imaginary place, vorsprung durch technik - being ahead through technology.
Zooropa be all that you can be
In Zooropa, you can be whoever you want to be and achieve everything you can.
Be a winner
In Zooropa, you must be a winner.
Eat to get slimmer
In Zooropa, to be a winner, you must eat healthy and stay fit.
Zooropa bluer kind of white
In Zooropa, everything is blue and white with a shade of green.
Zooropa it could be yours tonight
Zooropa is attainable tonight.
We're mild and green
In Zooropa, everything is peaceful and eco-friendly.
And squeaky clean
In Zooropa, everything is clean and spotless.
Zooropa better by design
In Zooropa, everything is designed to be better.
Zooropa fly the friendly skies
In Zooropa, traveling is easy and friendly.
Through appliance of science
Zooropa relies heavily on advances in science and technology.
We've got that ring of confidence
In Zooropa, people have confidence in their abilities due to the advancements in science and technology.
And I have no compass
The singer is lost and directionless.
And I have no map
The singer has no plan or direction.
And I have no reasons
The singer has no motivation or purpose.
No reasons to get back
The artist has nothing to go back to, no sense of home or stability.
And I have no religion
The artist lacks faith or belief.
And I don't know what's what
The singer is lost and confused.
And I don't know the limit
The singer is unsure of what their potential is.
The limit of what we've got
There is a limit to what we can achieve without direction or purpose.
Don't worry baby, it'll be alright
Things will be okay in the end.
You got the right shoes
The artist is equipped with what they need to get through this.
To get you through the night
The singer needs these shoes to keep going through the night, or this difficult moment.
It's cold outside, but brightly lit
The world might be harsh, but it's still beautiful.
Skip the subway
Don't settle for the standard, try something new.
Let's go to the overground
Let's look for something higher or greater.
Get your head out of the mud baby
Don't be stuck in a rut, look up and forward.
Put flowers in the mud baby
Try to make the best out of bad situations.
No particular place names
The artist isn't tied to any specific places or things.
No particular song
The singer isn't tied to any specific songs or sounds.
I've been hiding
The singer has been hiding something.
What am I hiding from
The artist isn't sure why they're hiding.
Uncertainty can be a guiding light
Not knowing can sometimes help guide you to where you need to go.
I hear voices, ridiculous voices
The artist hears voices, maybe mockingly telling them what to do.
Out in the slipstream
The singer is lost and confused.
Let's go, let's go overground
The artist wants to explore and move forward.
Take your head out of the mud baby
The singer is telling us to shake off our distractions and look forward.
She's gonna dream up
Someone (likely a young girl, given the use of 'she/her') is going to imagine a better future.
The world she wants to live in
The girl is imagining a world that's better than the one we live in now.
She's gonna dream out loud
She's going to tell everyone what she imagines.
Dream out loud
It's important to speak our imaginings out loud and not keep them to ourselves.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
A me
on eleven o' clock tick tock
And girls can make children but not like this one...so will just have to walk around with a painted face then...
LMewdowlark
on One
Baby, baby, baby, I know I'm not alone
Ha, ha, ha
Oh, it's not a hill it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
Let's shout into the darkness, squeeze out sparks of light
You know we're gonna go crazy, you know we'll go crazy
You know we'll go crazy, if we don't go crazy tonight
Oh, slowly
Oh
Hold me slow
Again, these are the wrong lyrics. They are not the lyrics for 'One' but a different song. I pasted the correct lyrics in my other comment.
LMewdowlark
on One
And there's a part of you that wants me to riot
Everybody needs to cry or needs to spit
Every sweet-tooth needs just a little hit
Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
How can you stand next to the truth and not see it?
Oh, change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
Do you believe me or are you doubting?
We're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won't listen to you boys and girls
Is the sweetest melody the one we haven't heard?
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear?
The right to be ridiculous is something I hold dear
Oh, but change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
But we're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you now
You got someone to blame?
You say, one love, one life
When it's one need in the night
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you, baby, if you don't care for it
Did I disappoint you
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well, it's too late tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We're one, but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One
Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus?
To the lepers in your head
Did I ask too much? More than a lot
You gave me nothing, now it's all I got
We're one but we're not the same
Well, we hurt each other then we do it again
You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law
You ask me to enter but then you make me crawl
And I can't be holdin' on to what you got
When all you got is hurt
One love, one blood
One life, you got to do what you should
One life with each other
Sisters, brothers
One life but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One
One