The Stories Behind U2 Songs, 22-25

In this segment of our list of stories behind 29 U2 songs, you will find information on "Elevation" and "Walk On."

22. "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (2001)

"Stuck," the second single from All That You Can't Leave Behind, reached only number 35 on U.S. charts. Nevertheless, this in-your-face number earned the boys another Grammy for Best Pop Performance.

Bono wrote the lyrics as a conversation he wishes he'd had with his friend Michael Hutchence to prevent the INXS singer from committing suicide in 1997. The lyrics are somewhat argumentative with Bono shouting: "You've got to get yourself together/You've got stuck in a moment and now you can't get out of it. . . ." Still, the words are very powerful and uplifting, reminding the downtrodden that "It's just a moment/This time will pass."

23. "Elevation" (2001)

"Elevation," also from All That You Can't Leave Behind, climbed to number eight on Billboard's Modern Rock chart and won the band a Grammy for Best Rock Performance. This crowd-pleaser is even better live, so it's not surprising that it appeared in every concert on the Elevation and Vertigo tours.

With Adam's head-bobbing bass line, Edge's grinding chords, and Larry's powerful drumming, "Elevation" is a rockin' tune that makes fans (and Edge) want to jump up and down during live shows. Some feel the song is simply about passion and sexuality. Others feel there is a deeper meaning and that Bono is referring to his spirituality when he sings the tune.

24. "Walk On" (2001)

"Walk On" scored U2 another Grammy for Record of the Year. This song was supposedly inspired by Aung San Suu Kyi, a nonviolent Burmese political activist who has been under house arrest off and on since 1989.

But many people feel the song is a tribute to someone nearing the end of his life (possibly Bono's father), who realizes that love is really the most important, and only, thing to take on his journey. ("You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been/A place that has to be believed to be seen . . ." and "Home . . . I can't say where it is but I know I'm going home.")

During the Elevation tour dates after 9/11, the band took NYC firefighters and police officers on tour with them and brought them onstage during this song, which adopted a special meaning after the terrorist attacks.

25. "Vertigo" (2004)

"Vertigo" was the first single from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, which is harder and more upbeat than their previous efforts. No mixed messages with this U2 powerhouse -- "Vertigo" is an adrenalized rocker about an evening at a nightclub.

The song reached number one on Billboard's Modern Rock chart, garnered the band two more Grammys (Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song), and was featured in a commercial for Apple's iPod. The fellas had so much fun playing the song that it was played at every concert of the Vertigo tour -- sometimes twice!

On the next page, you will find our final four stories behind U2 songs.

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