Top 10 U2 Songs

Photo: By Jack Newton (originally posted to Flickr as U2) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Formed in 1976 while at school in Dublin, U2 is an Irish rock band consisting of Bono (real name Paul Hewson, lead vocals), The Edge (real name David Evans, lead guitar), Adam Clayton (bass), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums). The band was signed to Island Records a few years after forming and released its debut album, Boy, in 1980. At the turn of the decade, a new wave sound was developing that fell somewhere between the punk-inspired sounds of the Sex Pistols and the Ramones and the more pop-oriented sounds of Blondie and the Undertones. U2 did not follow the lead of that changing trend. The album’s opening track, “I Will Follow,” was unlike anything rock fans had ever heard.

The album’s cover depicted the band members in ambiguous line art that only fed the mystery over this great new band. A year later the band released October. It was an album that showed tremendous artistic growth. Gone was the ambiguity as the band was clearly pictured on the album cover. It wasn’t until their subsequent album War (1983) that the band really broke through, earning a UK number one album and introducing the political edge for which their music is known.

Following their performances at the iconic Live Aid benefit concert in 1985, the band was becoming increasingly famous for their live shows, and it seemed obvious that they were destined to become international rock stars. This prophecy was fulfilled just two years later with the release of their fifth album, The Joshua Tree (1987), which catapulted them to worldwide stardom and resulted in their only US number one singles to date.

The Joshua Tree’s follow up, Rattle and Hum (1988,) was met with critical backlash, who accused the band of getting above their station. The band responded to this with a minor reinvention for the next album campaign, Achtung Baby (1991), which introduced industrial, electronic, and alternative influences to the U2 canon. The group embarked on the Zoo TV Tour to promote the album, showing the public a less serious side to the band, and cementing them as one of the world’s best live acts.

Following a few lesser-received albums, the band was back on top with How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), a pure rock album, tailor-made for their increasingly epic live shows, most notably the 2009 U2 360° Tour, a high-tech arena spectacular, which is the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.

In recent years, it has become somewhat trendy to mock the band, not helped by the disastrous decision to place their 2014 album Songs of Innocence in every user’s iTunes library without their permission, but this is just an inevitable product of mainstream success. To deny U2’s legacy is to willingly ignore the enormous contributions they have made to rock music (and culture as a whole). The Edge is undeniably one of the most talented guitarists alive today, while Bono’s stunning, throaty voice leaves his rivals in the dust. Throughout their impressive career, U2 has crafted an unbelievable number of stellar tracks and, with no sign of retirement anytime soon, let’s hope there’s more to come.

# 10 – Elevation

Elevation was the third single released from 2000’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind, so its harsher sound was part of the band’s attempt to re-establish themselves as a more traditional rock act. Bizarrely, given these efforts, the track has subtle yet unmistakable hip-hop influences, especially in its rhythm, apparently a reflection of Adam Clayton’s affection for the genre.

The song begins with some wonderfully crunchy guitar chords, which are soon joined by the track’s utterly infectious “ohh ohh” vocal hook and some submarine sonar-like synth notes. There’s something really electric about the song, with its non-stop grind of guitar building to each chorus’ euphoric explosion of sound.

The single version of the track (which has slightly harder guitars than the album cut) was used during the promotion of the Angelina Jolie-led Tomb Raider film. The track’s music video – one of the most expensive ever made, plays into this, featuring Bono’s fictional twin brother as an evil genius.

Elevation was perfectly suited to soundtrack an action movie, especially one based on a video game, thanks to its larger-than-life vocals and non-stop assault of sound. Non-stop, that is, except for the song’s oddly subdued bridge, which seems to come from an entirely different song.

Still, despite this oddity, this otherwise huge track hits like a ton of bricks, fizzing with energy and excitement. This may not have been the first single released from All That I Can Leave Behind, but it’s a perfect illustration of the album’s rounded and robust rock sound.

# 9 – The Saints Are Coming

This collaboration with Green Day, released in October 2006, is a cover of The Skids’ 1978 song of the same name. The track was recorded as a charity single to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Re-examining the song’s lyrics through the lens of tragedy gives them an even more visceral poignancy and can be read as a critique of the government’s response to the disaster.

Bono and Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong take turns singing verses on the track during each chorus. The track begins with Armstrong singing a few lines from “House of the Rising Sun,” made famous by The Animals, a folk song that tells of the hard lives of residents of New Orleans. Bono and Armstrong’s distinctive voices are the perfect foils for each other; Bono’s is crisp, melodious, and soulful, while Armstrong is frantic and edgy.

It might seem odd to include a cover version and collaboration on a list like this, but that should give you some idea of just how truly special the track is. The voices of the two singers effortlessly spark off one another, while The Edge and Armstrong deliver some of the most frantic guitar licks of either of their careers.

This dark and moody track brings the best of both bands together, forging an effective and emotive way to raise awareness. It’s impossible not to hear the song’s central hook and not feel something – purposeful rock at its very best.

# 8 – Zooropa

Released in 1993 from the album of the same name, Zooropa is, without doubt, one of the band’s most experimental tracks. Inspired by cyberpunk literature and a utopian image for Europe (which, at the time, was in flux), this is a bizarre and dreamy alternative rock track, like the band had ever made before (or since).

The track starts with atmospheric synth pads and garbled radio chatter, then an ominous piano riff begins. This is soon joined by deep guitar notes as the chatter picks up pace, but everything then drops away as a heavily flanged guitar begins, along with the drum beat. It’s not long before Bono’s vocals join the mix, sounding slightly more hazy and distant than usual. He cleverly incorporates various advertising slogans into the lyrics, creating the impression of a Blade Runner-like world of all-powerful futuristic neon advertisements.

There can be no doubt that the band achieved what they wanted with this song, crafting a tangible world in which listeners could really get lost in. Zooropa was received decently enough, and today is remembered fondly as a fascinating oddity. As such, the song has more than earned its place on this list.

# 7 – Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own

This double Grammy-winning song is a deeply personal track that was written in tribute to Bono’s dying father. It’s a moving masterpiece, full of conviction and raw emotion. Rather poignantly, the song begins with a ticking clock of a drum beat, which repeats non-stop until the song’s very final note.

Much of the song’s early instrumental consists of gentle and thoughtful acoustic guitar riffs, although, from the first chorus onwards, an electric guitar takes center stage, releasing mournful wails perfectly suited to the track’s atmosphere. The song’s lyrics suggest that Bono and his father didn’t have the easiest relationship, but, given the circumstances, he realizes none of it matters and will do everything he can to make his dad more comfortable. Much of the lyrics are tragically relatable, reminding listeners about what’s really important in life – cherishing those we love and not letting petty trivialities get in the way of meaningful relationships.

# 6 – Where the Streets Have No Name

The third single from The Joshua Tree, Where the Streets Have No Name is an impassioned call for the human species to integrate rather than be divided into fractured groups. Much of the song is a response to the idea that in Belfast, it is possible to identify someone’s religion based on the street upon which they live. Bono suggests that if streets had no names, there would be no way to make this identification, leading to a happier, more united world.

The song’s instrumental is ideal for the track’s message, full of glimmering, pulsing guitar and a churning, decisive drum beat. There’s something very life-affirming and uplifting about the instrumental, which effortlessly channels the song’s noble, idealistic themes. It’s hard not to be swept up by the track’s joyous atmosphere, which does a stellar job of stressing how the labels and dichotomies that humans adopt are meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

Appropriately, the song was played during the 2002 Super Bowl halftime show, where the names of the victims of the September 11 attacks were projected onto the stage. This is rightly remembered as one of the best halftime shows in Super Bowl history. There can be no doubt that Where the Streets Have No Name is an important song, not just to the U2 canon, but to the world. We’d all do well to remember its message, especially in the current political climate.

# 5 – With or Without You

With or Without You was the lead single from The Joshua Tree and is one of the band’s best-known and most successful songs, earning them their first number one on the Billboard Hot 100. One of the track’s trademark sounds is the syrupy, heavily sustained notes that recur throughout. This revolutionary technique is down to The Edge playing a prototype of the Infinite Guitar, a modification which, as the name suggests, allows notes to be sustained indefinitely.

These beautiful, tender notes create the impression of real, painful longing, which fits with the song’s lyrics. Bono sings about the strained relationship of a couple, where the song’s protagonist loves and needs his lover, yet paradoxically finds himself unable to find true happiness with them. This is a situation most people will find themselves in at some point in their lives (and those who don’t can just watch a rom-com to understand the heartrending confusion), so having such a ubiquitous song address it is a real help, and the band does so with class and sensitivity.

Bono’s voice is at its most delicate and pained on this track, perhaps most of all during the song’s recurring bridge, where his inner pain and anguish is palpable. The power of music is most obvious when it’s a reflection of relatable, real-life emotion, and nowhere is this more clear than in the authentic brilliance of With or Without You.

# 4 – Vertigo

Given his famous dislike for capitalism, it was a curious choice for Bono to allow Vertigo to soundtrack one of Apple’s iconic iPod silhouette adverts. If being generous, rather than the band selling out you can view this as part of their wish for Vertigo to get as big an audience as possible, fuelled by the belief that it’s a song that gets better and better each time you hear it. Regardless of whether or not you believe this explanation, it is impossible to deny that a rock song as monumentally huge as this doesn’t deserve a massive audience.

It seems Bono’s plan paid off, as the track became a worldwide hit. It’s not surprising the song did so well, it’s a broad and brilliant track, full of exceptional guitar riffs, stunning chops, and, thanks to the song’s Spanish elements, some great opportunities for audience participation.

The song’s titular Vertigo could refer to either a bad nightclub or a sort of limbo, but when the chords are this electric, who has time to concentrate on lyrics? The song’s music video depicts the band performing in a desert with some kind of jet stream shooting out of them. This is the perfect image to accompany this track, capturing its incessant, thunderous dynamism.

# 3 – Beautiful Day

This is one of the band’s most iconic songs, and easily the most popular track amongst the general public. As the title suggests, it’s a celebratory summer song about rejoicing in and embracing the present. The track begins with light, merry synth-string chords, setting the song’s peaceful, laidback vibe, while the bouncy, glossy guitars make it the perfect addition to any summer playlist. Bono’s vocals are exemplary on Beautiful Day, managing to be euphoric without losing his distinctive scratch.

There’s something very empowering about this song, which highlights the importance of living in the present and finding happiness in the smallest of natural things. The track’s final chorus is particularly thought-provoking, with its anti-materialistic message underlining the fact that there’s more to life than just things. If this wasn’t enough, the band sneaks some of their politics into the song’s bridge as well. While most of the things they list are natural beauties, the mention of over-fishing is a somber reminder of the negative effects humanity has had on the world.

Beautiful Day won three Grammy awards and has been performed at every U2 concert since 2001. Seeing this track live is a real moment, delivering the delirious ecstasy unique to a rock concert every single time the song’s famous chorus kicks in. Clearly, the band has as much affection for Beautiful Day as fans do, and, with a song as transcendent as this, it’s not hard to see why.

# 2 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

Often cited as one of the greatest songs of all time, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For was the second single released from The Joshua Tree and earned the band their second US number one. The track concerns itself with Bono’s search for something. It isn’t clear just what he’s pursuing, be it love or enlightenment, but ultimately this doesn’t matter since the track focuses on the journey he’s been on and the fact that he still hasn’t reached his goal. Clearly, it’s quite some path he’s set himself on, with Bono utilizing almost-biblical imagery throughout the track. Indeed, it has been suggested that the lyrical stylings are inspired by King David of the Old Testament (as well as poet/novelist Charles Bukowski.)

The epic, heroic quest that the song paints is reflected in Bono’s superlative vocals, which are sweet, strained, and world-weary – you can really hear the journey he’s describing in every pained syllable. In many way’s Bono’s voice – often joined by gospel-esque backing singers – is the key instrument on this track, which otherwise features some light, rousing guitar chords and capable, minimalist drums. While the instrumental is perfectly pleasant, its relatively stripped-back nature allows Bono’s vocals to take center stage, giving listeners a showcase of his immeasurable skill.

I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For is an impressive and atmospheric track, with every sparkling second full of gorgeous, evocative imagery and the levels of grandiose only U2 can deliver.

# 1 – I Will Follow

This may very well be a sentimental pick because it’s the first U2 song that I ever heard. I was actually in a record store when I heard this and never had heard of the band before. No one really did because I was in the store when the album first arrived. I’ve written about this multiple times already on the site but when I think about this band I will always go back to this song as being my favorite. It was released on the band’s first album. There’s a sound on it especially the guitar sound that I had never heard before in my life. This song, this album, was very instrumental, in shaping the sound of the early 80s rock and roll scene.