🇮🇪 Ireland · 1976–present

U2

When you listen to U2, you instantly notice that anthemic quality they create, right? It’s a trademark that has endured throughout their career. On one hand, there’s Bono’s voice, always expressive, reaching you directly. On the other, The Edge’s guitar sound, with its textures and effects that craft unique atmospheres. Bono’s lyrics, often laden with spiritual imagery, explore both the personal and social or political concerns. They are renowned for their live shows, and over the years they have staged spectacular tours that have become events in themselves.

They formed in Dublin in 1976, when the members were barely teenagers and still learning to play. Four years after starting, they had already signed with Island Records and released their debut album, Boy, in 1980. Albums like War (1983), which topped the charts in the UK, and singles such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)", helped cement their image as a band with a political and social conscience. It was with The Unforgettable Fire (1984) that they began working with producers like Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who brought a more abstract and ambient sound. By the mid-80s, they were already world-famous for their live performances, notably their participation in Live Aid in 1985. Their album The Joshua Tree (1987) catapulted them to international fame, becoming their biggest success up to that point. It sold 25 million copies and spawned their only two number-one singles in the United States: "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".

alternative dance alternative pop Alternative rock arena rock dance-rock 1970s

3 Albums

36 Songs

5,1M Listeners/mo

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Essential songs

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One

4:36 02

Where the Streets Have No Name

The Joshua Tree · 1987

5:38 03

I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

The Joshua Tree · 1987

4:38 04

With or Without You

The Joshua Tree · 1987

4:56 05

Bullet the Blue Sky

The Joshua Tree · 1987

4:32 06

Running to Stand Still

The Joshua Tree · 1987

4:18 07

Red Hill Mining Town

The Joshua Tree · 1987

4:54 08

In God’s Country

The Joshua Tree · 1987

2:57 09

Trip Through Your Wires

The Joshua Tree · 1987

3:32 10

One Tree Hill

The Joshua Tree · 1987

5:23

The full catalog on DoReSol

All songs

Acrobat

Achtung Baby · 1991

Beautiful Day

All That You Can’t Leave Behind · 2000

Bullet the Blue Sky

The Joshua Tree · 1987

Elevation

All That You Can’t Leave Behind · 2000

Even Better Than the Real Thing

Achtung Baby · 1991

Exit

The Joshua Tree · 1987

Grace

All That You Can’t Leave Behind · 2000

I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

The Joshua Tree · 1987

In a Little While

All That You Can’t Leave Behind · 2000

In God’s Country

The Joshua Tree · 1987

Kite

All That You Can’t Leave Behind · 2000

Love Is Blindness

Achtung Baby · 1991

Mothers of the Disappeared

The Joshua Tree · 1987

Mysterious Ways

Achtung Baby · 1991

New York

All That You Can’t Leave Behind · 2000

One

Achtung Baby · 1991

One Tree Hill

The Joshua Tree · 1987

Peace on Earth

All That You Can’t Leave Behind · 2000

Red Hill Mining Town

The Joshua Tree · 1987

Running to Stand Still

The Joshua Tree · 1987

So Cruel

Achtung Baby · 1991

Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of

All That You Can’t Leave Behind · 2000

The Fly

Achtung Baby · 1991

The Ground Beneath Her Feet

All That You Can’t Leave Behind · 2000

Trip Through Your Wires

The Joshua Tree · 1987

Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World

Achtung Baby · 1991

Ultra Violet (Light My Way)

Achtung Baby · 1991

Until the End of the World

Achtung Baby · 1991

Walk On

All That You Can’t Leave Behind · 2000

When I Look at the World

All That You Can’t Leave Behind · 2000

Where the Streets Have No Name

The Joshua Tree · 1987

Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

Achtung Baby · 1991

Wild Honey

All That You Can’t Leave Behind · 2000

With or Without You

The Joshua Tree · 1987

Zoo Station

Achtung Baby · 1991

3 album|s · 1987 — 2000

Full discography

2000 ★ Essential

All That You Can’t Leave Behind

12 song|s · Alternative Dance

1991 ★ Essential

Achtung Baby

12 song|s · Alternative Dance

1987 ★ Essential

The Joshua Tree

11 song|s · Alternative Dance

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More about U2

Biography

After feeling stagnant and facing criticism for their documentary and double album Rattle and Hum (1988), U2 reinvented themselves in the 1990s. With Achtung Baby (1991) and the groundbreaking Zoo TV Tour, the band explored new musical directions, influenced by alternative rock, industrial, and danceable electronic music, adopting a more ironic image. This experimentation continued with Zooropa (1993) and culminated in Pop (1997) and the PopMart tour, which divided opinions. Later, they returned to a more direct and conventional sound with All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000) and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), both critically and commercially successful. Although later album sales declined, they remained a highly popular live act. The U2 360° tour (2009–2011) set attendance and revenue records. In 2014 they released Songs of Innocence, and in 2023 they presented Songs of Surrender, an album of re-recorded versions, as well as launching the U2:UV Achtung Baby Live residency in Las Vegas. They have released 15 studio albums and sold between 150 and 170 million records. They have won 22 Grammy Awards, 8 Brit Awards, and 4 Ivor Novello Awards, among other accolades. Throughout their career, they have been active advocates for human rights and social justice, collaborating with organizations like Amnesty International.