From I Will Follow to With Or Without You: Why I Still ❤️ U2
Irish band U2—whose name originated from “I love you too”—rose to prominence in the early ’80s and experienced their true glory days during the late ’80s and early ’90s.
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.
Formed in 1976 under the name Feedback, then briefly called The Hype, they eventually settled on U2. Their debut album came out in 1980 and included I Will Follow, the one tune that stood the test of time. Overall, it 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. This 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 replies, “I thought we saved the world last time?”
In 1984, they began working with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno on The Unforgettable Fire. This was when U2 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, and that’s the highest goal for any band: to sound like nobody else.
In 1987, many fans believe U2 released their greatest album: The Joshua Tree. It includes 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 back, and by this point, U2 had become 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 songs themselves were strong.
U2 Post the ’80s: From Achtung Baby to Reimagined Classics
In 1991, U2 (in my opinion) peaked with the immense Achtung Baby. Here we get Mysterious Ways, One, Even Better Than The Real Thing, and one of my favourites—which was never even released as a single—Acrobat.
Following Achtung Baby was always going to be a tall order, but I applaud the effort made with Zooropa. There was confidence here—Numb pushed boundaries, and 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 at least include one gem: Sweetest Thing (1998), a genuinely great tune.
U2 did have another strong studio album in them—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 and Daniel.
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.
Their most 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 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.
I personally know plenty of artists today who grew up listening to U2 and now keep them as a secret guilty pleasure. Just listen to Paolo Nutini’s Rewind—the outro has U2 written all over it!
U2 Tunes | Related Pages
One | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play One by U2 using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Amadd4 | D7omit3 | Fmaj13 | Gadd4 |
Is it getting better? Or do you feel the same…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: One (U2) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
U2 on the web
