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
anytime
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Guilty of the crime that's now in hand
Such a nice day!
Throw your life away
Such a nice day!
Let it go
Cold these eyes, I... can't believe it
Heart is stone
Call me
Such a cold heart
Such a cold man
To watch you tear your self apart
So lay me down
My soul to give
So lay me down
The longest sleep
Oh... the longest sleep
In I come and out you go
You get
Here we are again
Now, place your bets
Is this the time!?
The time to win or lose
Is this the time!?
The time to choose
Cold these eyes, I... can't believe it
So deep inside a cold fire
Cold, this heart is slow...
Heart is stone
Any time your on the air
Kiss me... Ah! Would you? Ooh!
Won't you tell me now
That's right, just keep me going
In some white track
You come right back
Cartoon cutout
Cut throat let out
I'm on your side
Be on the both side
I'm on right track
You get off my back
I'm no dope
I give you hope
Here's the rope
Here's the rope
Now... swing away!
The song "Anytime" by U2 explores themes of guilt and self-destruction. The singer admits to being both innocent and guilty, referring to themselves as a "cold man" with a "cold heart". They watch as the person they are speaking to tears themselves apart, ultimately offering to give their own soul for the other's "longest sleep". The song also touches on the idea of choices and taking risks, wondering if "this is the time to win or lose" and urging the other person to "swing away".
The lyrics describe a sense of detachment and resignation, with the singer seeming to accept the inevitability of their own demise and that of the person they are addressing. They use vivid imagery, such as "cold fire" and "cartoon cutout", to create a disorienting and almost dreamlike atmosphere. The repetition of "such a nice day" creates a stark contrast between the pleasantness of the outside world and the emotional turmoil being experienced by the singer and the other person.
Line by Line Meaning
Innocent, and in a sense I am
I may seem innocent, but I am partly responsible for the current situation
Guilty of the crime that's now in hand
I share the responsibility for the crime that is being committed now
Such a nice day!
The weather is good and everything seems fine
Throw your life away
Waste your time and energy on something worthless
Let it go
Don't worry about the consequences and just move on
Cold these eyes, I... can't believe it
I am astonished and disbelieving
Cold, this heart is slow
My heart is unfeeling and indifferent
Heart is stone
My heart is hardened and unyielding
Call me
Get in touch with me
Such a cold heart
I have a lack of empathy and warmth
Such a cold man
I am an unsympathetic person
To watch you tear your self apart
I am observing you self-destruct and fall apart
So lay me down
Let me rest in peace
My soul to give
I am willing to sacrifice my soul
The longest sleep
I want to die and rest forever
Oh... the longest sleep
I desire an eternal, peaceful sleep
In I come and out you go
I come and go, but you remain
You get
You receive
Here we are again
We find ourselves in this situation again
Now, place your bets
Make your prediction about what will happen next
Is this the time!?
Is this the decisive moment?
The time to win or lose
The moment of victory or defeat
The time to choose
The moment of decision
So deep inside a cold fire
I'm feeling a burning sensation of coldness and detachment
Any time your on the air
Whenever you are visible or audible to the public
Kiss me... Ah! Would you? Ooh!
Expressing a desire for affection and intimacy
Won't you tell me now
Could you please inform me at this moment?
That's right, just keep me going
Encouraging someone to keep motivating and sustaining me
In some white track
On some clear path
You come right back
You return instantly
Cartoon cutout
A simplified or distorted version of reality
Cut throat let out
An expression meaning that someone is ruthless and aggressive
I'm on your side
I support you and your goals
Be on the both side
Agreeing to support both sides of an argument or issue
I'm on right track
I am following the correct path
You get off my back
Stop criticizing or bothering me
I'm no dope
I am intelligent and not easily fooled
I give you hope
I provide optimism for the future
Here's the rope
I'm giving you a way out
Now... swing away!
Now use this opportunity to your advantage
Contributed by Brody A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@michaelburland5175
My Lover , the first person to be my equal in both Direction , Love , Soul and Heart..♥️♥️.
My brother and I shall have a love for each other like king David had for Jonathan.
♥️💗. Martin.
God sent me a message and feeling that l will never know how much He Loves me. .💙😇.
And when l finally meet Julie again , something will happen to cause our two hearts to beat as One..♥️💖.
Notice not one comment. Even though you know l understand what this song is about and l know the truth of the lyrics to this song.
@randyjames6991
“Yeah I threw away the key” - This really hits home with me like so many U2 songs do
@Marcus1050
Liebe die sich aufbauende Dramatik in diesem Song...absolute Weltklasse!
@1Larry9Mullen1Jr2
so underrated :(
@sidDkid87
"shows me colours /
when there's none to see /
gives me hope /
when I can't believe" 🎶 <3
@elizabethbarten7672
Another all time favourite! □□□□□□□□□□
@markneilson4076
well I left by the back door, and I threw away the key....
@AK-wc9rl
Song about the trinity-brilliant masterpiece from u2.
@selmagoa9911
What do you mean ?
@AK-wc9rl
@@selmagoa9911 Cristian concept of God. Father, Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit.
@davevandebunte2949
@@AK-wc9rl Yep.
First verse is about the Holy Spirit
Second verse is about Jesus Christ
Third verse is about God the Father