Why I Still ❤️ U2
Irish rock band U2 have had the origins of their name debated over the years. The commonly told story is that it came from a suggestion by Steve Averill, a family friend and musician, who liked the name because it was open-ended, ambiguous, and open to interpretation.
The story was given a more playful twist in the movie Killing Bono, where it is suggested that Bono realised “U2” could be read as a pun on “I love you too”.
Before they even had the name, the band formed in Dublin in 1976 under the name Feedback. They briefly became The Hype before eventually settling on U2 — a name that, whatever its original intention, would become one of the most recognisable in music.
Unfortunately, since the late ’90s, they’ve become the uncool band to like. But let’s not worry about that. Let’s focus on what made them great in the first place, starting from the beginning.
Their debut album arrived in 1980 and included I Will Follow, the one tune from the album that really stood the test of time. The debut was more of a glimpse of what was to come than a defining statement.
The follow-up, October (1981), featured Gloria—again, more of a signpost than a classic.
With their third album, War (1983), U2 made their first real impact. Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year’s Day became defining tracks, both engaging with the political tension in Northern Ireland.
That political angle would become a recurring theme for the band, and later, a source of criticism. Some fans felt they overplayed the “donate now to save the world” message at every gig.
Comedian John Bishop has a great line about going to a U2 show: they ask for donations and he ponders, “I thought we saved the world last time?”
In 1984, U2 began working with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno on The Unforgettable Fire. This was when they started to truly find their sound.
Pride (In The Name Of Love) stood out—an undeniable hit that only U2 could have written. It was unmistakably them, they’d reached greatest goal for any band: to sound like nobody else.
Then came 1987 and, for many fans, U2’s greatest album: The Joshua Tree.
Here we get Where The Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, and With Or Without You. Eno and Lanois were at the mixing desk, catapulting U2 into one of the biggest bands in the world.
The follow-up, Rattle and Hum, was a live album but still managed to deliver three solid tracks: Angel of Harlem (a tribute to Billie Holiday) Desire, and When Love Comes to Town, featuring B.B. King.
Perhaps the live format took some of the shine off, but the tunes themselves were strong.
U2’s Masterpiece
Four years after the minimalistic triumph of The Joshua Tree, U2 released, in my opinion, their best album.
Achtung Baby (1991) struck the perfect balance between songwriting, band dynamics, and great production. Before they ventured further into production-heavy territory with Zooropa, they had somehow managed to make an album where there was so much going on while still sounding completely focused.
Tracks like Mysterious Ways, Even Better Than The Real Thing, Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses, and Acrobat are all true gems. But the standout—the jewel in the crown—is One.
Even those who dislike U2 can’t deny that this is a remarkable tune.
I vividly remember living with this album for months, captivated by how U2 managed to have so much going on yet still sound so focused. To this day, I still put on Achtung Baby and marvel at what they created.
In my opinion, this is U2 at their absolute best.
From Zooropa to Reimagined Classics
Following Achtung Baby was always going to be a tall order, but I applaud the effort made with Zooropa (1993).
There was confidence here. Numb pushed boundaries, while Stay (Faraway, So Close!) was a clear highlight. Still, it was obvious the band had already reached their peak.
Other tracks like Lemon and Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car were cool in their own right, but hardly among the band’s best work. Daniel Lanois didn’t participate in this release, though Brian Eno was still on board, joined now by Flood.
Following Zooropa, U2 released a string of live albums and greatest hits collections before returning with their next proper studio album, Pop, in 1997.
A remarkable six singles were released from Pop, but none of them felt like proper U2 classics. This was followed by another compilation, which did include one gem: Sweetest Thing (1998), a genuinely great tune.
U2 did have another strong studio album in them with All That You Can’t Leave Behind. To be fair, Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of, Beautiful Day, and Elevation all had something about them.
Perhaps that was down to the return of producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. And while I wouldn’t put these songs alongside the band’s best work, most bands would be thrilled to reach that level of quality.
What followed were diminishing returns. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (2004), No Line On The Horizon (2009), Songs of Innocence (2014), and Songs of Experience (2017) didn’t contain material that matched the greatness U2 had once consistently delivered.
A recent release, Songs of Surrender (2023), was produced by The Edge and featured reimagined versions of their earlier classics. Some of the reinterpretations worked better than others.
Ironically, the standout for me was Bad, an early track from the same album that gave us Pride (In The Name Of Love).
If the later chapters of their discography don’t quite do it for you, don’t let them overshadow what U2 once achieved. The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby truly are two of the finest albums ever made.
And although U2 may no longer be considered cool by some people, I personally know plenty of artists today who grew up listening to them and now keep them as a secret guilty pleasure. Just listen to Paolo Nutini’s Rewind—the outro has U2 written all over it!
For guitarists, that’s perhaps the most interesting thing about U2. Their greatest songs don’t sound like exercises designed to show off the guitar. The parts are there to serve the song, the atmosphere and the band—and somehow, that combination produced a catalogue that still sounds unmistakably like U2.
If you don’t believe me, chekc out the stem seperation I did on their best tune, One, with the guitar gone it’s terrible. You really need everyone in this band.
And that’s ultimately what makes their best material worth learning: not just because the songs are famous, but because they show how four musicians can develop a sound that belongs entirely to them. Remove one of them and it all falls apart.
Bono once that the secret to their success is that they all individually believe it’s their band.
U2 Tunes | Related Pages
One | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play One by U2 using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, TAB, and backing tracks.
| Amadd4 | D7omit3 | Fmaj13 | Gadd4 |
Is it getting better? Or do you feel the same…
U2 on the web
