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Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this How Stuff Works article:
Publications International, Ltd., the Editors of. "The Stories Behind 29 U2 Songs." 13 September 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/the-stories-behind-29-u2-songs.htm> 09 May 2008.
The Stories Behind 29 U2 Songs
Inside This Article
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The Stories Behind 29 U2 Songs
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September 1976: A 14-year-old drummer posts a notice at school that he's looking to start a band. Rehearsals are held in his
parent's kitchen in Dublin, and The Larry Mullen Band is born.
The name didn't last, but more than 30 years and 22 Grammys later, the band, which would eventually be called U2, has proven it has what it takes to stay on top.
The keys to U2's longevity include respect for each other and their fans; the ability to continuously reinvent themselves and their musical style; and powerful music with a message.
But the meanings of most U2 songs are subject to interpretation. Bono is a genius at writing ambiguous lyrics, allowing listeners to decide what each song means to them. Read on to take a musical journey with the band that Time magazine once named "Rock's Hottest Ticket."
U2's Boy album contained hits like
"I Will Follow" and "Out of Control."
1. "I Will Follow" (1980)
This peppy 1980s tune, released on the Boy album, is still as fresh today as when it debuted nearly three decades ago. The song is charged with Edge's gritty guitar riffs and a pounding drum beat by Larry Mullen, Jr., still played with the intensity of an 18 year old. According to Bono, the lyrics are about the unconditional love between mother (or God) and child. Whatever the child does, whatever his or her faults, a mother (or God) still loves her child.
2. "Out of Control" (1980)
Another toe-tapper from Boy, "Out of Control" has the distinction of being the first song the guys heard played on the radio. Bono wrote the lyrics in the wee hours of the morning following his eighteenth birthday. "It was one dull morning/I woke the world with bawling/I was so sad/They were so glad . . ." The song is about being born -- or rather objecting to it -- and feeling that you have no control over your life.
3. "Gloria" (1981)
No, it's not a cover of fellow Irishman Van Morrison's 1960s hit. This one comes from U2's sophomore album, October, which was heavy-laden with references to religion and spirituality. Bono has said he had a difficult time writing the lyrics, so he turned it into a psalm, complete with verses in Latin. The music is quite edgy considering the subject matter, which is what makes it classic U2.
4. "Tomorrow" (1981)
Most U2 lyrics are pretty heavy. But with "Tomorrow," from October, Bono was truly speaking from the heart. When he was 14, his mother suffered a brain hemorrhage at her father's funeral and died a few days later. Bono would later state that the melancholy lyrics to "Tomorrow" were a description of her funeral.
On the next page, you will find more stories behind U2 songs, including "New Year's Day" and "Bad."
The name didn't last, but more than 30 years and 22 Grammys later, the band, which would eventually be called U2, has proven it has what it takes to stay on top.
The keys to U2's longevity include respect for each other and their fans; the ability to continuously reinvent themselves and their musical style; and powerful music with a message.
But the meanings of most U2 songs are subject to interpretation. Bono is a genius at writing ambiguous lyrics, allowing listeners to decide what each song means to them. Read on to take a musical journey with the band that Time magazine once named "Rock's Hottest Ticket."
U2's Boy album contained hits like
"I Will Follow" and "Out of Control."
1. "I Will Follow" (1980)
This peppy 1980s tune, released on the Boy album, is still as fresh today as when it debuted nearly three decades ago. The song is charged with Edge's gritty guitar riffs and a pounding drum beat by Larry Mullen, Jr., still played with the intensity of an 18 year old. According to Bono, the lyrics are about the unconditional love between mother (or God) and child. Whatever the child does, whatever his or her faults, a mother (or God) still loves her child.
2. "Out of Control" (1980)
Another toe-tapper from Boy, "Out of Control" has the distinction of being the first song the guys heard played on the radio. Bono wrote the lyrics in the wee hours of the morning following his eighteenth birthday. "It was one dull morning/I woke the world with bawling/I was so sad/They were so glad . . ." The song is about being born -- or rather objecting to it -- and feeling that you have no control over your life.
3. "Gloria" (1981)
No, it's not a cover of fellow Irishman Van Morrison's 1960s hit. This one comes from U2's sophomore album, October, which was heavy-laden with references to religion and spirituality. Bono has said he had a difficult time writing the lyrics, so he turned it into a psalm, complete with verses in Latin. The music is quite edgy considering the subject matter, which is what makes it classic U2.
4. "Tomorrow" (1981)
Most U2 lyrics are pretty heavy. But with "Tomorrow," from October, Bono was truly speaking from the heart. When he was 14, his mother suffered a brain hemorrhage at her father's funeral and died a few days later. Bono would later state that the melancholy lyrics to "Tomorrow" were a description of her funeral.
On the next page, you will find more stories behind U2 songs, including "New Year's Day" and "Bad."
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Inside This Article
1.
The Stories Behind 29 U2 Songs
2.
3.
4.
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Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this How Stuff Works article:
Publications International, Ltd., the Editors of. "The Stories Behind 29 U2 Songs." 13 September 2007. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/the-stories-behind-29-u2-songs.htm> 09 May 2008.
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