U2

U2 formed in Dublin in 1976, when drummer Larry Mullen Jr. posted a notice on his school bulletin board seeking musicians. Paul Hewson, Adam Clayton, David Evans, and Mullen initially called themselves Feedback, then The Hype, before becoming U2. Hewson adopted the name Bono, Evans became the Edge, and the teenagers developed a partnership that survived major stylistic changes. Their release, the 1979 single “U2:3,” appeared on the Irish label CBS Records and reached number nineteen on Ireland’s singles chart.

In 1980, U2 signed with Island Records and issued Boy, produced by Steve Lillywhite. It introduced songs such as “I Will Follow,” while its successor, October, reflected Bono’s Christian faith and the band’s uncertainty about combining religious commitment with rock ambition. War, released in 1983, became a United Kingdom number-one album. Its track, “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” used a martial rhythm to condemn violence in Northern Ireland, rather than endorse either nationalist or unionist side. “New Year’s Day” became a hit.

Under producer Brian Eno, The Unforgettable Fire (1984) expanded U2’s sound with synthesizers and arrangements. “Pride (In the Name of Love)” honored Martin Luther King Jr., though its lyrics contain inaccuracies about King’s arrest. The Joshua Tree (1987) made the group superstars, reaching number one in twenty countries. Inspired by politics and music, it included “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” and “With or Without You,” their first US number-one single.

Rather than repeat that roots-rock formula, U2 reinvented itself for Achtung Baby (1991), recorded chiefly in Berlin and Dublin with Eno and Lanois. The album’s distorted guitars, electronic textures, and irony produced “One” and “The Fly.” Zoo TV, its tour, turned stadium concerts into spectacles featuring video walls, prank phone calls, and Bono’s alter egos. The 1993 follow-up, Zooropa, continued that experiment. Pop (1997) pushed dance and electronic influences further, but its reception was divided, demonstrating that U2’s scale did not guarantee approval.

In the 2000s, All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000) returned to direct rock and produced “Beautiful Day,” which won three Grammy Awards. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004) supplied “Vertigo.” U2’s 360-degree Tour, running from 2009 to 2011, used a huge claw-shaped stage. In 2014, Songs of Innocence became free through Apple’s iTunes, but automatic placement in users’ libraries provoked criticism. Songs of Experience followed in 2017, revisiting themes of aging, political anxiety, and its enduring identity.