🇮🇪 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

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

Share stage, decade and obsessions

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Details, awards, members and more

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.