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U2
Irish rock band
U2 are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1976. They comprise Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr..
Initially rooted in post-punk, U2's musical style has evolved throughout their career, yet has maintained an anthemic quality built on Bono's expressive vocals and the Edge's chiming, effects-based guitar sounds. Bono's lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal and sociopolitical themes.
Popular for their live performances, the group have staged several elaborate tours.
members: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr., Dik Evans
formed in: Dublin
labels: Island Records, Interscope Records, Columbia Records, Mercury Records
genres: alternative rock, post-punk, soft rock, dance-rock, pop rock
influenced by: Pink Floyd, Motörhead, Joy Division, Television, The Velvet Underground, Guns N' Roses, Bob Dylan, The Beatles
awards: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, American Music Award for Artist of the Year, Ambassador of Conscience Award, Grammy Awards, BRIT Awards, Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, CASBY Award, MTV Europe Music Award for Global Icon
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
alternative rockrockpost-punkpop rockbig musicirish
The Static TimesExtra
Formation and early years (1976–1980)
In 1976, Larry Mullen Jr., then a 14-year-old pupil of Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, Ireland, posted a note on the school's notice board in search of musicians for a new band. For the first practice, which was held on 25 September in Mullen's kitchen, Mullen played drums and was joined by at least five other people: Paul Hewson ("Bono Vox") on lead vocals; David Evans ("the Edge") and his older brother Dik Evans on guitar; Adam Clayton, a friend of the Evans brothers, on bass guitar; and Ivan McCormick. Mullen later described it as "'The Larry Mullen Band' for about ten minutes, then Bono walked in and blew any chance I had of being in charge." Peter Martin, a friend of Mullen and McCormick, loaned his guitar and amplifier...
Bono's songwriting exhibits a penchant for social, political, and personal subject matter, while maintaining a grandiosity. The Edge has described U2 as a fundamentally live band. U2's early sound was punk-influenced alternative rock, and the group were associated with the post-punk movement. Their influences included acts such as Television, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Joy Division, and their resulting sound was described as containing a "sense of exhilaration" that resulted from the Edge's "radiant chords" and Bono's "ardent vocals". According to Bob Stanley, "U2 rejected post-punk's own rejection of pop as lingua franca, its hunkering down in regional particularity, and its raised finger to populist communication." U2 were initially...
The band cite the Who, the Clash, Television, Ramones, the Beatles, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Elvis Presley, Patti Smith, Kraftwerk, and the Associates as influences. Van Morrison has been cited by Bono as an influence, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame mentioned his influence on U2. U2 have also worked with or had influential relationships with artists including Johnny Cash, Green Day, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen, B.B. King, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan and Luciano Pavarotti. Bono said that David Bowie helped him discover the works of Bertolt Brecht, William Burroughs, Springsteen, and Brian Eno.
U2 have sold an estimated 170 million records worldwide, placing them among the best-selling music artists in history. The group's fifth studio album, The Joshua Tree, is one of the best-selling albums in the US (10 million copies shipped) and worldwide (25 million copies sold). With 52 million certified units by the RIAA, U2 rank as the 24th-highest-selling music artist in the US. U2 have eight albums that have reached number one in the US, the third-most of any group. They were the first group to attain number-one albums in the US in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. In the UK, the group have had seven number-one singles, tied for the 17th-most of any artist, and eleven number-one albums, tied for the 8th-most of any artist. The band's...
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin, formed in 1976. They began their legacy rooting their music in the political turmoil that was all around them.
After having Steve Lillywhite produce their first three albums, U2 looked for a more sophisticated and experimental sound. They hired Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno to produce "The Unforgettable Fire" and "The Joshua Tree" albums, which both put them onto the charts all over the world.
After the 80s ended U2 re-invented themselves once again. Incorporating elements of electronics into their rock construct, U2 created a new sound with "Achtung Baby". Bono and the band used their notoriety more than ever expressing their opinions on social matters on a global scale.
Inducted into Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 (Performer).
Paul David Hewson (aka Bono)
David Howell Evans (aka The Edge)
Adam Charles Clayton
Lawrence Joseph Mullen Jr.
Also known as: Clayton/Evans/Mullen/Hewson (U2), U - 2, U 2, U-2, U.2.
From Discogs (free to use). Their entry
Liner notes
U2, the records, oldest first
Three
1979 ep
Boy
1980 album
October
1981 album
War
1983 album
The Unforgettable Fire
1984 album
Wide Awake in America
1985 ep
The Joshua Tree
1987 album
Tear Down the Walls
1987 album
Pride
1990 album
Achtung Baby
1991 album
Rubber Ball And Liquor
1992 album
Live, Vol. 3
1993 album
Zooropa
1993 album
Wanted
1993 album
Numb
1993 ep
Zooropa '93
1993 album
Classic In Concert: Live at the Hammersmith Palais 1982
1994 album
Two Hearts and Other Strange Things
1994 album
Street Mission
1995 album
Pop
1997 album
World Ballads Collection
1999 album
All That You Can’t Leave Behind
2000 album
Elevation 32: Toronto
2001 album
7
2002 ep
Records from MusicBrainz; covers from the Cover Art Archive.
"Every Breaking Wave" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the second track from their thirteenth studio album, Songs of Innocence, and was released as its second single.
It was produced by Danger Mouse and Ryan Tedder, with additional production from Declan Gaffney.
Writing and recording
Lead vocalist Bono said that the band began recording "Every Breaking Wave" in Sydney, Australia, but "then it went down the drain for seven years, up the arse, as these things do." The song was originally intended to be included on U2's 2009 studio album No Line on the Horizon. In an article previewing the album several weeks before release, Rolling Stone called the song a "swelling soul-pop song, with bright synth sounds influenced by OMD". However, the track was ultimately left off the album at the advice of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who told the band that the song "deserves to be finished." Speaking of material the band were working on, Bono said the song was producer Jimmy Iovine's favorite. Bono mentioned tentative plans for...
Music video
The song's official music video is a truncated, four-and-a-half-minute version of the 13-minute short film Every Breaking Wave, which was directed by Irish director Aoife McArdle. The film dramatizes the violence of The Troubles in Northern Ireland during the 1980s by depicting a teenage couple on opposing sides of the conflict. McArdle used the album and acoustic versions of "Every Breaking Wave" in the film, along with another track from Songs of Innocence, "The Troubles". The film premiered on 12 February 2015 before the music video was released on 23 February.
Reception
Ben Patashnik of NME said that "Every Breaking Wave" is "characterised by restraint rather than bombast and is another obvious highlight, concerned with relaxing into calmness rather than killing yourself trying to take every opportunity out there. It's subtle and sensitive, and it shows that U2 are still capable of true wonder". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine cited the Edge's "whining guitar strains" on the song as one example of his "melodies and atmospheric licks" being "the real star of the album". Kenneth Partridge of Billboard said the track is "strong enough to keep fans from messing with their iPhones" and suggested it could be paired with "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" for live performances. Evan Sawdey of...
"Song for Someone" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fourth track from their thirteenth studio album, Songs of Innocence, and was released as its third single on 11 May 2015.
It was produced by Ryan Tedder and Flood. Lyrically, "Song for Someone" is a love song dedicated by lead vocalist Bono to his wife Ali.
Composition
Lead vocalist Bono described it as a love song dedicated to his wife, Ali. He told Rolling Stone, "Before I even knew what commitment was, I ended up as a young man in the arms of this young woman, in a world somewhat hostile to the concept of the childhood sweetheart and a first love." Rolling Stone compared the track to the band's single "Walk On", stating that the song "begins with gentle acoustic guitars before gradually building up to a "Walk On"-style crescendo."
Music video
The music video for the song is a short film featuring Woody Harrelson and his daughter Zoe. A second video was released 27 August 2015 and premiered exclusively on Facebook for 24 hours. The clip quickly amassed close to a million views. The video was directed by Matt Mahurin, who had worked with the band on previous videos such as "Love Is Blindness" and "With Or Without You".
Release and promotion
To promote the single, the band performed "Song for Someone" on The Graham Norton Show.
Reception
Consequence of Sound cited "Song For Someone" as one of the "essential tracks" of Songs of Innocence.
