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U2 are a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. Formed in 1976, the band consists of Bono (vocals and guitar), The Edge (guitar, keyboards and vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar) and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums and percussion). U2 have consistently been one of the most popular acts in the world since the mid-1980s. The band has sold upwards of 175 million albums worldwide, and they have won 22 Grammy awards, the most of any rock artist.

U2 formed in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency. Over the course of the 1980s, the band released several successful albums and developed a devoted international following, largely from extensive touring. U2 became noted for its anthemic sound that emphasized Bono's vocals and The Edge's textural approach to guitar playing, as well as the band's political and social activism. The band reached a level of mega-stardom with their highly praised 1987 release The Joshua Tree. However, the band subsequently felt trapped by their image and set out to revamp their sound. The band's critically-acclaimed 1991 album Achtung Baby and the accompanying Zoo TV Tour were the results, with which U2 replied to the dance and alternative music revolutions, criticism of their image, and their own sense of musical stagnation. This experimentation continued for the rest of the 1990s.

In the early years of the 21st century, U2 have pursued a more traditional sound while maintaining influences from their previous musical explorations. They continue to enjoy the highest level of commercial and critical success. The band is active in human rights and social justice causes, such as Amnesty International, Make Poverty History, the ONE Campaign, Live Aid, Live 8, Bono's DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa) campaign, and The Edge's Music Rising.

History

Formation and breakthrough (1976–1979)

U2 formed in Dublin, Ireland on 25 September 1976. Larry Mullen, Jr., then fourteen, posted a notice on his secondary school notice board (Mount Temple Comprehensive School) seeking musicians for a new band. Seven teenage boys attended the initial practice in Mullen's kitchen. Known for about a day as "The Larry Mullen Band," the group featured Mullen on drums, Adam Clayton on bass guitar, Paul Hewson (Bono) on lead vocals, Dave Evans (The Edge) and his brother Dick Evans on guitar, as well as Ivan McCormick and Peter Martin, two other friends of Mullen. Soon after, the group settled on the name "Feedback", because it was one of the few technical terms they knew. Martin did not return after the first practice, and McCormick left the group within a few weeks.

We couldn't believe it. I was completely shocked. We weren't of an age to go out partying as such but I don't think anyone slept that night....Really, it was just a great affirmation to win that competition, even though I've no idea how good we were or what the competition was really like. But to win at that point was incredibly important for morale and everyone's belief in the whole project.

—The Edge on winning the CBS competition

In March 1977, the band changed its name to "The Hype". Dick Evans, who was older and by this time at college, was becoming the odd man out as the rest of the band was leaning towards the idea of a four-piece; he was 'phased out' in March 1978. During a farewell concert in the Presbyterian Church Hall in Howth, which featured The Hype playing covers, Dick ceremoniously walked offstage. The remaining four band members completed the concert playing original material as "U2".

The origin of the name "U2" is not clear. It is the name of a famous 1960s surveillance plane, the Lockheed U-2; however, the Dublin punk rock guru Steve Averill (better known as Steve Rapid of The Radiators From Space) claimed it was chosen by the band from a list of ten names created by him and Adam Clayton. In a 2002 interview with Larry King, Bono said "I don't actually like the name U2," and "I honestly never thought of it as 'you too'."

On Saint Patrick's Day in 1978, U2 won a talent show in Limerick, Ireland The prize consisted of £500 and funding to record a demo, which was an important milestone and affirmation for the fledgling band. The band recorded their first demo tape at Keystone Studios, in Harcourt Street, Dublin, in April 1978. In May, Paul McGuinness, who had earlier been introduced to the band by Hot Press journalist Bill Graham, agreed to be U2's manager. U2's first release, an Ireland-only EP entitled Three, was released in September 1979 and soon reached the top of the Irish charts. In December 1979, U2 performed in London for their first shows outside Ireland, although they failed to get much attention from audiences or critics. In February 1980, their second single "Another Day" was released on the CBS label but again only for the Irish market.

Boy, October and War (1980–1983)

Island Records signed U2 in March 1980, and "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" became the band's first internationally released single that May. The band's debut album, the Steve Lillywhite-produced Boy, followed in October and has been praised as one of the better debuts in rock history. Despite Bono's unfocused, seemingly improvised lyrics, the hopes and frustrations of adolescence ran through the album as a lyrical theme which touched on fear over sex, identity confusion, death and uncontrollable mood swings. The album included the band's first hit single, "I Will Follow". Boy's release was followed by U2's first tour of continental Europe and the United States.. Despite their unpolished nature, these early live performances helped demonstrate U2's potential, as critics noted that Bono was a very "charismatic" and "passionate" showman. The band's second album, October, was released in 1981 and contained overtly spiritual themes. Bono, The Edge and Mullen had joined a Christian group in Dublin called the 'Shalom Fellowship', which led them to question the relationship between the Christian faith and the rock and roll lifestyle.

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Resolving the doubts of the October period, U2 released War in 1983. A record where the band "turned pacifism itself into a crusade," War's sincerity and "rugged" guitar was intentionally at odds with the "cooler" synth-pop of the time. The album included the song "Sunday Bloody Sunday," where Bono had lyrically tried to contrast the events of Bloody Sunday with Easter Sunday. Rolling Stone magazine wrote that the song showed the band were capable of deep and meaningful songwriting. War was U2's first album to feature the photography of Anton Corbijn who remains U2 principal photographer and has had a major influence on their vision and public image. U2's first commercial success, the album debuted at number one in England and it's first single, "New Year's Day", was the band's first overseas hit.

For the first time, the band began performing to sold-out concerts in mainland Europe and the U.S. on their subsequent War Tour. The image of Bono waving a white flag during performances of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" became a familiar sight. U2 recorded the Under a Blood Red Sky album on this tour and a live video was released, both of which received radio and MTV play and helped expand the band's audience. With their generally unfavourable record deal with Island Records coming to end, in 1984 U2 signed an unusually lucrative extension. Forgoing a larger initial payment, they instead negotiated the return of their copyrights such that they owned the rights to their own songs, extending their contract, increasing the royalty rate, and a general improvement in terms.

The Unforgettable Fire and Live Aid (1984–1985)

We knew the world was ready to receive the heirs to The Who. All we had to do was to keep doing what we were doing and we would become the biggest band since Led Zeppelin, without a doubt. But something just didn't feel right. We felt we had more dimension than just the next big anything, we had something unique to offer. The innovation was what would suffer if we went down the standard rock route. We were looking for another feeling.

—Bono on The Unforgettable Fire's new direction.

The band feared that following the overt rock of the War album and tour, they were in danger of becoming another "shrill", "sloganeering arena-rock band"; the success of the Under a Blood Red Sky album and video, however, had given them artistic and—for the first time—financial room to move. Thus, rather than become another formula band, experimentation was sought; as Adam Clayton recalls, "We were looking for something that was a bit more serious, more arty." The Edge admired the ambient and 'weird works' of Brian Eno, who along with his engineer Daniel Lanois eventually agreed to produce the record.

The Unforgettable Fire was released in 1984. More ambient and abstract than the overt rock of War, it was at the time, the band’s most marked change in direction. The album took its name and much of its inspiration from an exhibition of paintings and drawings at The Peace Museum in Chicago by survivors of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The initial recording sessions were at Slane Castle, Dublin; held in a Gothic ballroom built specially for music, the sessions had a relaxed and experimental atmosphere. Much more atmospheric than the previous hard-hitting War, The Unforgettable Fire has a rich and orchestrated sound and was the first U2 album with a cohesive sound. Under Lanois' direction, Larry's drumming became looser, funkier and more subtle, and Adam's bass became more subliminal, such that the rhythm section no longer intruded, but flowed in support of the songs.

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The album's lyrics are open to many interpretations, together with the atmospherics, provides what the band often called a "very visual feel". Bono's recent immersion in fiction, philosophy and poetry, made him realise that his song writing mission—about which he had always been reluctant—was a poetic one. The final weeks of recording were, however, a panicked scramble to finish the lyrics, leaving Bono feeling songs like 'Bad' and 'Pride In The Name of Love' were incomplete "sketches". In the song "Bad", Bono tried to describe the rush and then come down of heroin use in the song . "Pride (In the Name of Love)", about Martin Luther King, was the album's first single and became the band's biggest hit at that point, being their first to enter the U.S. top 40.

The Unforgettable Fire Tour saw U2 shows moving into indoor arenas in the United States, although in Europe they had not quite attainted the same status yet. The tour commenced in Australia in September 1984, where translating the complex textures of the new studio-recorded tracks to live performance proved a serious challenge. One solution was programmed sequencers, which the band until then had been reluctant to use. They were used to overcome difficulties in live performances of sonically elaborate new songs such as "The Unforgettable Fire" and "Bad"; since then sequencers have been used on the majority of U2 songs in performance. Songs criticised as being "unfinished", "fuzzy" and "unfocused" on the album, made more sense on stage; Rolling Stone, for example, critical of the album version of "Bad", described its live performance as a 'show stopper'.

U2 participated in the Live Aid concert for Ethiopian famine relief at Wembley Stadium in July 1985. U2's performance was considered one of the show's most memorable. During the song "Bad", Bono leapt down off the stage to embrace and dance with a fan. Initially thinking they'd "blown it", it was, in fact, a breakthrough moment for the band, showing a television audience of millions the personal connection that Bono could make with audiences. In 1985, Rolling Stone magazine called U2 the "Band of the 80's," saying that "for a growing number of rock-and-roll fans, U2 have become the band that matters most, maybe even the only band that matters."

The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum (1986–1989)

Realising "that U2 had no tradition, we were from outer space", the band explored American blues, country and gospel music in the late 1980s. Furthermore, they spent time with fellow Irish bands The Waterboys and Hothouse Flowers and felt a sense of indigenous Irish music being blended with American folk music. Friendships with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Keith Richards encouraged the band to look back to the roots of rock music and focused Bono on his skills as a song and lyric writer. The band wanted to build on The Unforgettable Fire's atmospherics, but also sought a more hard-hitting sound within the strict discipline of conventional song structures, rather than The Unforgettable Fire’s often out-of-focus experimentation.

The wild beauty, cultural richness, spiritual vacancy and ferocious violence of America are explored to compelling effect in virtually every aspect of The Joshua Tree—in the title and the cover art, the blues and country borrowings evident in the music...Indeed, Bono says that "dismantling the mythology of America" is an important part of The Joshua Tree's artistic objective.

—Rolling Stone

U2 interrupted their 1986 album sessions to serve as a headline act on Amnesty International's A Conspiracy of Hope Tour. Rather than being a distraction, the tour added extra intensity and power to their new music, providing extra focus on what they wanted to say. In his 1986 travels to San Salvador and Nicaragua, Bono saw first hand the distress of peasants bullied in internal conflicts, and this was a central influence on the album, most noticeably on "Bullet the Blue Sky" and "Mothers of the Disappeared". The album juxtaposes antipathy towards America, including anger at American foreign policy in Central America, against the band's deep fascination with the country, its open spaces, freedom and what it stood for. The band wanted music with a sense of location, a 'cinematic' quality; its music and lyrics drew on imagery created by American writers the band had been reading.

Named The Joshua Tree as a "tribute" to (rather than a "metaphor" for) America, the album was released in March 1987. It debuted at number one in the UK and also quickly reached the top of the charts in the U.S. It won U2 their first two Grammy Awards. The rock & roll bolero "With or Without You" and the rhythmic gospel "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" quickly went to number one in the U.S. U2 became the fourth rock band to be featured on the cover of Time magazine (following The Beatles, The Band, and The Who), who declared that U2 was "Rock's Hottest Ticket". The album brought U2 to a new level of mega-stardom and is often cited as one of rock's great albums. The Joshua Tree Tour sold out arenas and stadiums around the world, the first time the band had consistently played venues of that size.

The documentary Rattle and Hum featured footage recorded from The Joshua Tree Tour shows and the accompanying double album of the same name included nine studio tracks and six live U2 performances. Released in record stores and cinemas in October 1988, the album and film were intended as a tribute to American music. The film was recorded, in part, at Sun Studios in Memphis with tracks performed with Bob Dylan and B.B. King. Despite a positive reception from fans, Rattle and Hum received mixed-to-negative reviews from both film and music critics.

Achtung Baby, Zoo TV, Zooropa (1990–1993)

Buzzwords on this record were trashy, throwaway, dark, sexy, and industrial (all good) and earnest, polite, sweet, righteous, rockist and linear (all bad). It was good if a song took you on a journey or made you think your hifi was broken, bad if it reminded you of recording studios or U2...Berlin became a conceptual backdrop for the record. The Berlin of the Thirties—decadent, sexual and dark—resonating against the Berlin of the Nineties—reborn, chaotic and optimistic...

—Brian Eno on the recording of Achtung Baby

In November 1991, U2 released the often experimental and distorted Achtung Baby. Hurt by the mixed reaction to Rattle and Hum, the album was calculated change in musical and thematic direction; their most audacious shift since The Unforgettable Fire. Sonically, it incorporated both dance and industrial influences of the time; the band referred to it as the sound of "four men chopping down the Joshua Tree". Thematically, it was a more inward-looking and personal record; both darker, yet sometimes more flippant, than the band's previous work. Commercially and critically it was one of the band's most successful albums and, like The Joshua Tree, is often cited as one of rock's greatest. The album was a crucial part of the band's early 1990s reinvention.

The band initially worked on the Achtung Baby in East Berlin, again with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois producing. In the early sessions, conflict arose within the band over the direction of the album. While Adam and Larry preferred to keep a similar sound, Bono and The Edge were inspired by alternative and European dance music and advocated a change. Weeks of slow progress, argument, and frustration ended when Edge came up with a chord progression that the band quickly worked up into the song "One". Template:Sound sample box align left

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1992-1993's Zoo TV Tour was a multimedia event, and showcased an extravagant but intentionally bewildering array of hundreds of video screens, upside-down flying Trabant cars, mock transmission towers, satellite TV links, subliminal text messages, and over-the-top stage characters such as "The Fly", "Mirror-Ball Man" and "(Mister) MacPhisto" played by Bono. U2 used the show to mock the excesses of rock and roll by appearing to embrace these very excesses. Live prank phone calls to President Bush caused controversy, as did satellite uplinks to war-torn Sarajevo.

Recorded in 1993 during a break in the Zoo TV tour, the Zooropa album continued many of the themes from the Achtung Baby album and Zoo TV tour. Initially intended as an EP, Zooropa expanded into a full-fledged LP, and was released in July of 1993. It was an even greater departure from the style of their earlier recordings, incorporating techno style and other electronic effects. Most of the songs were played at least once in the 1993 leg of the tour through Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, with half the album's tracks becoming fixtures in the set.

Passengers, Pop and Popmart (1995–1998)

After time off—and side projects including the Batman Forever and Mission: Impossible soundtracks—the band released an experimental album called Original Soundtracks 1 in 1995. Brian Eno, producer of three previous U2 albums, contributed as a full partner including writing and performing. For this reason, and due to the record's highly experimental nature, the band chose to release it under the moniker "Passengers" rather than "U2" to distinguish it from their conventional albums. Commercially, it was a relatively unnoticed album by U2 standards and received generally poor reviews, although the single "Miss Sarajevo" featuring Luciano Pavarotti, and which Bono cites as one his favourite U2 songs, was a hit.

It's not enough to write a great lyric; it’s not enough to have a good idea or a great hook, lots of things have to come together and then you have to have the ability to discipline and screen. We should give this album to a re-mixer, go back to what was originally intended, so that 'Mofo' is on top of the stickiest groove with a proper plastic attack, 'Do You Feel Loved' is done as a liquid base line hook that carries the intimacies whispered on top of it, 'If God Will Send His Angels' should be diamonds and pearls.

—Bono on Pop

On 1997's Pop, U2 continued experimenting; utilising tape loops, programming, rhythm sequencing and sampling to gave much of the album a techno/disco feel. Released in March, the album debuted at #1 in 35 countries, and drew mainly positive reviews. Rolling Stone stated that U2 had "defied the odds and made some of the greatest music of their lives." Although highly regarded by some, many others, particularly American fans, felt that the album was a major disappointment and it was commercially disappointing by U2 standards. The band was hurried into completing the album in time for the impending pre-booked tour, and Bono admitted that the album "didn't communicate the way it was intended to".

The subsequent tour, Popmart, commenced in April 1997, and continued the Zoo TV theme of decadence. The set included a 100-foot tall golden yellow arch, a large 150-foot long video screen, and a 40-foot tall mirrorball lemon. Like Zoo TV, it featured advertising influences and was intended to send a sarcastic message to those accusing U2 of commercialism. U2's "big shtick" failed, however, to satisfy many seemingly confused by the band's new kitsch image and elaborate sets. The late delivery of Pop meant that rehearsal time was severely reduced, which impacted on the quality of early shows. A highlight of the tour was the concert in Sarajevo where U2 was the first major group to perform following the war. a concert which Larry Mullen described as "an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life, and if I had to spend 20 years in the band just to play that show, and have done that, I think it would have been worthwhile." Although the tour was the second-highest grossing of 1997, costs meant that the tour's net profits were modest.

"Reapplying for 'Best Band In The World" (2000-present)

All That You Can't Leave Behind is easy to relate to, full of solid songs that appeal to a wide audience with its clear notions of family, friendship, love, death, and re-birth. More Lanois than Eno on first impression, the sounds on this album come from a band that has digested the music it started to consume while making Rattle and Hum. This time they are neither imitating or paying tribute. This time it's soul music, not music about soul.

—Caroline van oosten de Boer

In the early years of the 21st century, U2 have pursued a more traditional sound while maintaining influences from their previous musical explorations. All That You Can't Leave Behind, which reunited U2 with the production team of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, was released in October 2000. All That You Can't Leave Behind was considered by many of those not won over by the band's 1990s experimentation as a return to the grace; Rolling Stone regarded it as U2's "third masterpiece" alongside The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. The album debuted at #1 in 22 countries and spawned a world-wide hit single, "Beautiful Day," which earned three of six Grammy Awards associated with the album. "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of", "Elevation" and "Walk On" were other successful singles.

The Elevation Tour saw the band performing in a scaled-down setting, returning to arenas after nearly a decade of stadium productions, with a heart-shaped stage and ramp permitting greater proximity to the audience. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks the new album gained added resonance; in October, U2 performed a series of sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In later interviews, Bono and the Edge, would call these New York City shows among their most memorable and emotional performances. In early 2002, U2 performed during halftime of Super Bowl XXXVI.

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How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was released in 22 November 2004. Sonically, the band were looking for harder-hitting rock than the previous All That You Can't Leave Behind and thematically, Bono asserts that 'A lot of the songs are paeans to naiveté, a rejection of knowingness.' The first single "Vertigo" was featured on a widely-aired television commercial for the Apple iPod in conjunction with the release of special edition U2 iPod and an iTunes U2 box set. The album debuted at number one in 32 countries; first week sales in the US doubled that of the previous album and set a record for the band. Claiming it as a contender for one of U2's three best albums, Bono said 'There are no weak songs. But as an album, the whole isn't greater than the sum of its parts, and it fucking annoys me'. Using a similar setup and stage design as the previous tour, the Vertigo Tour featured a setlist that varied more across dates than any U2 tour since the Lovetown Tour including songs not played since the early 1980s. Much like the Elevation Tour, the Vertigo Tour was a large commercial success although non-US dates were played in stadiums.

In 2005, Bruce Springsteen inducted U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On 8 February 2006, U2 won Grammy Awards for each of the five categories they were nominated (see list of U2 awards). The band released an extensive autobiography on 25 September 2006 entitled U2 by U2 from interviews with contributing author/editor Neil McCormick. A compilation album U218 Singles was released on 21 November 2006, containing 16 of the band's best-known singles and two new recordings: "The Saints are Coming" with Green Day and "Window in the Skies". In October 2006 the band switched to Mercury Records after 26 years signed to Island Records, both of which are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group.

Next album

U2 are reportedly working on a new album. Producer Rick Rubin has been working with U2 on new material. and the band has been working in the Abbey Road Studios. The band have said that the new material is heading in a new direction from the last two albums.In an RTE report, Bono has said:"We're gonna continue to be a band, but maybe the rock will have to go; maybe the rock has to get a lot harder. But whatever it is, it's not gonna stay where it is", he says. In the December 2006 issue of Q Magazine, The Edge said that the new album will be a very melodic record: "A new found appreciation for pure melody. That seems to be what we're all interested in at the moment." In the April 2007 edition of Rolling Stone Magazine, Bono said that "We've reached the end of where we've been for the last couple of albums. I want to take it to the next level."

Musical style

Since their inception, U2 have developed and maintained a distinctly recognisable sound, with emphasis on melodic instrumentals and expressive, larger-than-life vocals. This appraoch is rooted partly in the early influence of record producer Steve Lillywhite at a time when the band was not known for its musical proficiency. The Edge has consistently used a rhythmic echo and a signature delay to craft his guitar work, coupled with with an Irish-influenced drone played against his syncopated melodies, that ultimately yields a well-defined ambient and atmospheric sound. Bono has nurtured his falsetto operatic voice and has exhibited a notable lyrical bent towards social, political, and personal subject matter while maintaining a grandiose scale in his songwriting.

Despite these broad consistencies, with each album U2 have introduced new elements into their musical repertoire. U2's early sound was influenced by bands such as Television and Joy Division, and have have been described as containing a "sense of exhilaration" that resulted from The Edge's "radiant chords" and Bono's "ardent vocals". Beginning from their post-punk roots and minimalistic and uncomplicated instrumentals heard on Boy as well as their second album October, their sound evolved through War into one more versatile and aggressive, with aspects of rock anthem, funk, and dance rhythms. The two albums were labelled "muscular and assertive" by Rolling Stone, influenced in large part by Lillywhite's producing. The Unforgettable Fire, which began with the Edge playing more keyboards than guitars, as well as follow-up The Joshua Tree had Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois at the production helm, and with their influence, both albums achieved a "diverse texture" according to Rolling Stone. The songs from The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum placed more emphasis on Lanois-inspired rhythm as they mixed in distinct and varied styles of America-derived gospel and blues that stemmed from the band's burgeoning fascination with America's people and places. In the 1990s, U2 reinvented themselves, as they began using synthesizers, distortion, and electronic beats derived from alternative music, dance music and even hip-hop, in both Achtung Baby and Pop. The 2000s had U2 returning to more of a stripped-down sound with less use of synthesizers and effects, and a more traditional rhythm. While the band's sound has shifted on record over the years, The Edge has described U2 as a fundamentally live band.

Lyrics and themes

Social and political commentary, often embellished with religious and spiritual imagery, are a major aspect of U2's lyrical content. Songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Mothers of the Disappeared" are based on real-life events and they find their emotional impact from the compelling reality of those situations. Furthermore, Bono's personal conflicts and turmoil related to family are showcased in songs like "Mofo", "Tomorrow" and "Kite". An emotional yearning or pleading is another frequent conveyance, in tracks such as "Yahweh" and "Please". More generally, the investigation of loss and anguish coupled with hopefulness and resiliency, central in The Joshua Tree, has motivated much of U2's songwriting and music. Some of this lyrical ideation has been amplified by Bono's personal experiences during his youth in Ireland, as well as his campaigning and activism later in his life. U2 has also taken full advantage of tours such as the Zoo TV to caricature social concerns such as media overload.

Influences

The band cites The Who, The Clash, The Ramones, Joy Division/New Order and The Beatles as their major influences. Other musicians have in turn been influenced by the work of U2. Cover versions of U2 songs have been made by performers such as Mary J. Blige, Johnny Cash, The Chimes, Joe Cocker, Pearl Jam, James Blunt, Pet Shop Boys, Radiohead, Keane, The Bravery and The Smashing Pumpkins. U2 have enjoyed reciprocal influential relationships with artists including Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, R.E.M. and Anton Corbijn, as well as exerting influences on others.

Campaigning and activism

U2 has long been interested in social and political issues inside and outside the scope of their music. Both as a band and individually, the members of U2 have collaborated since the early 1980s with other musicians, artists, celebrities, and politicians to address issues concerning poverty, disease, and social injustice.

In 1984, Bono and Adam Clayton participated in Band Aid to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief. The initiative produced the hit charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and would be the first among several collaborations between U2 and Geldof. In July 1985, U2 played Live Aid, a follow-up to Band Aid's efforts. An emerging force in rock-and-roll at the time, U2 contributed to the internationally televised event with a memorable performance of the song "Bad". Invited by World Vision, Bono and his wife Ali visited Ethiopia whereh Bono witnessed the famine first hand. Bono would later say this laid the groundwork for his Africa campaining and some of his songwriting.

In 1986 U2 participated in both the A Conspiracy of Hope Tour in support of Amnesty International, and in Self Aid for unemployment in Ireland. The same year, Bono and Ali also visited Nicaragua and El Salvador on the invitation of the Sanctuary movement and saw the effects of the El Salvador Civil War first hand. These 1986 events greatly influenced The Joshua Tree album being recorded at the time.

In 1992, the band participated in the "Stop Sellafield" concert with Greenpeace during their ZooTV tour. Events in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war inspired the song "Miss Sarajevo", which premiered at a September 1995 Pavarotti and Friends show at which Bono and the Edge performed at War Child.. A promise in 1993 saw them play Sarajevo as part of 1997's Popmart Tour. In 1998 they performed in Belfast days prior to the vote on the Good Friday Agreement, bringing Irish political leaders David Trimble and John Hume on stage to promote the agreement. Later that year, all proceeds from the release of "The Sweetest Thing" single went towards supporting the Chernobyl Children's Project.

In 2001, the band dedicated "Walk On" to Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. In late 2003, Bono and the Edge participated in the South Africa HIV/AIDS awareness 46664 series of concerts hosted by Nelson Mandela. The band played 2005's Live 8 concert in London and the band and manager Paul McGuinness were awarded Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award for their work in promoting human rights.

Since 2000, Bono has done a significant amount of solo campaigning; he was involved in the Jubilee 2000 campaign with Geldof, Muhammad Ali, and others with the aim of cancelling third world debt during the Great Jubilee. In January 2002, Bono, along with activists from Jubilee 2000 founded a multinational NGO called DATA, with the aim of improving the social, political, and financial state of Africa. He continued his campaigns for debt and HIV/AIDS relief into June 2002 by making high-profile visits to Africa. Product Red, a 2006 for-product brand seeking to raise money for the Global Fund, was also founded, in part, by Bono. The ONE Campaign, the US counterpart of Make Poverty History, has been shaped by his efforts and vision. Bono has also teamed up with Yahoo! to promote the ONE Campaign, which Yahoo! has helped to re-develop.

In late 2005 following Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, The Edge helped introduced Music Rising, an initiative to raise funds for musicians who lost their instruments in the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast. In 2006, U2 collaborated with pop punk band Green Day to record a cover version of the song "The Saints Are Coming" by The Skids to benefit Music Rising.

Other projects

The members of U2 have undertaken a number of sideprojects, sometimes in collaboration with some of their bandmates. In 1985, Bono recorded the song "In a Lifetime" with the Irish band Clannad and The Edge recorded a solo soundtrack album for the film Captive in 1986. Bono and The Edge wrote the song "She's A Mystery To Me" for Roy Orbison, featured on his 1987 album Mystery Girl. Together with The Edge, Bono wrote the song "Goldeneye" for the 1996 James Bond film GoldenEye, which was performed by Tina Turner. Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. did a rework of the title track of the movie Mission: Impossible in 1996. Bono has loaned his voice to "Joy" on Mick Jagger's 2001 album Goddess in the Doorway.

Aside from musical collaborations, U2 have worked with authors, including American author William S. Burroughs, who had a guest appearance in their video of "Last Night on Earth" shortly before he died. His poem "A Thanksgiving Prayer" was used as video footage during the band's Zoo TV Tour. Other collaborators included William Gibson and Allen Ginsberg. In early 2000, with the release of the film The Million Dollar Hotel, the band recorded two songs for its soundtrack, including "The Ground Beneath Her Feet", co-written by Salman Rushdie and motivated by his book of the same name.

Discography

Studio albums

• Boy (1980)
• October (1981)
• War (1983)
• The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
• The Joshua Tree (1987)
• Rattle and Hum (1988)
• Achtung Baby (1991)
• Zooropa (1993)
• Pop (1997)
• All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000)
• How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)

Awards

References

Sources

• Chatterton, Mark (2001). U2: The Complete Encyclopedia. Firefly Publishing. ISBN 0-946719-41-1
• Flanagan, Bill (1995). U2 at the End of the World. Delacorte Press. ISBN 0-385-31154-0
• Parra, Pimm Jal de la (2003). U2 Live: A Concert Documentary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-9198-7
• McCormick, Neil (ed), (2006). U2 by U2. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0-00-719668-7
• Wall, Mick, (2005). Bono. Andre Deutsch Publishers. ISBN 0233001593 (Promotional edition published by Paperview U.K is association with the Irish Independent)

Notes

1. Vallely, Paul."Bono: The Missionary". The Independent, May 2006. Retrieved October 15 2006.
2. GRAMMY Winners List grammy.com. Retrieved October 15 2006.
3. Chatterton (2001), p. 130
4. McCormick (2006), p.30
5. McCormick (2006), pp.46-47
6. Parra (2003), p. 6
7. ^ McCormick (2006), pp.46-48
8. Larry King Interview Transcript CNN.com. Retrieved October 15, 2006.
9. Wall, Mick, (2005). Bono. Andre Deutsch Publishers. ISBN 0233001593 (Promotional edition published by Paperview U.K. is association with the Irish Independent), pp.45
10. Lynch, Declan. Boy. Hot Press, October 1980. Retrieved 15 October, 2006; Boy New Music Express review U2.com. Retrieved 15 October, 2006; Boy Billboard review U2.com. Retrieved 15 October, 2006; Boy The Washington Post review U2.com. Retrieved October 15, 2006.
11. Boy Rolling Stone Review Rollingstone.com. Retrieved October 16, 2006
12. The Meaning of U2 Lyrics (U2MoL). Retrieved 3 November, 2006.
13. Parra (2003), pp.16,17
14. Voice of Influential U2 Frontman bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2006.
15. Flanagan (1995), pp. 46-48
16. Reynolds, Simon. Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984. Penguin, 2005. p. 367. ISBN 0-14-303672-6
17. Graham, Bill (2004). U2: The Complete Guide to their Music. London: Omnibus Press. pp. p.14. ISBN 0-7119-9886-8. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
18. McCormick (2006), p135.
19. Rolling Stone worte that the ability to use a range of powerful images, taking a song initially about sectarian anger, and turn it into a call for Christians to unite and claim victory over death and evil, showed that the band was capable of deep and meaningful songwriting. Rolling Stone War review JD Considine. Retrieved 15 October, 2006.
20. McCormick (2006), p. 127
21. "New Year's Day" reached number 10 on the UK charts, and received extensive radio coverage in the US, almost breaking that country's Top 50.Songfacts: New Year's Day by U2 Songfacts.com. Retrieved 31 October, 2006.
22. Net Music Countdown:U2. netmusiccountdown.com. Retrieved November 6 2006.
23. Connelly, Christopher (14 March 1984). "Keeping the Faith". Rolling Stone. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
24. McCormick (2006), p.147
25. ^ Pond, Steve (9 April 1987). "The Joshua Tree Album Review". Rolling Stone. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
26. ^ Parra, Pimm Jal de la U2 Live: A Concert Documentary, pp.52-55, 1996, Harper Collins Publishers, ISBN 0-7322-6036-1
27. Graham, Bill (2004). U2: The Complete Guide to their Music. London: Omnibus Press. pp. p.21. ISBN 0-7119-9886-8. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
28. McCormick (2006), p.147
29. Island Records boss, Chris Blackwell, initially tried to discourage them from their choice of producers, believing that just when the band were about to achieve the highest levels of success, Eno would "bury them under a layer of avant-garde nonsense". (McCormick (2006), p.151)
30. McCormick (2006), p.151
31. ^ Stokes, Niall (1996). Into The Heart: The Story Behind Every U2 Song. Australia: HarperCollinsPublishers. pp. pp.50-51. ISBN 0-7322-6036-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
32. Stokes, Niall (1996). Into The Heart: The Story Behind Every U2 Song. Australia: HarperCollinsPublishers. pp. pp.55. ISBN 0-7322-6036-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
33. McCormick (2006), p.151
34. McCormick (2006), p.152
35. Henke, James (18 July 1985). "''Wide Awake in America'' Album Review". Rolling Stone. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
36. Live Aid: A Look Back At A Concert That Actually Changed The World MTV.com. Retrieved 31 October, 2006.
37. Parra (2003), pp. 72-73
38. U2, the Only Band that Mattered in the '80s? about.com. Retrieved January 31, 2007
39. Bono in McCormick (2006), p.169
40. McCormick (2006), p.172
41. McCormick (2006), p.179
42. DeCurtis, Anthony (27 March 1987). "U2 Releases The Joshua Tree". Rolling Stone. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) cited in Gardner, Elysa (ed) (1994), U2: The Rolling Stone Files, London: Sidgwick & Jackson, ISBN 0-283-06239-8 {{citation}}: |first= has generic name (help)
43. DeCurtis, Anthony (7 May 1987). "Truths and Consequences". Rolling Stone. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
44. McCormick (2006), p.174
45. McCormick (2006), p.186
46. Graham, Bill (2004). U2: the Complete Guide to their Music. Omnibus Press. pp. pp.27-30. ISBN0-7119-9886-8. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
47. McCormick (2006), p.186
48. Grammy Award for Album of the Year and a Grammy for the Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal.GRAMMY Winners List grammy.com. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
49. Pond, Steve (9 April 1987). "The Joshua Tree Album Review". Rolling Stone. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
50. "Rock's Hottest Ticket" Time Magazine Archive, April 1987. Retrieved on 20 January, 2007.
51. The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 15 October, 2006.
52. Allmusic.com Rattle and Hum review. Retrieved 3 November, 2006; Christgau, Robert. "Rattle and Hum. robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 3 November, 2006.
53. Eno, Brian (28 November 1991). "Bringing Up Baby". Rolling Stone. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
54. Flanagan (1995), pages 4-6; Graham, Bill (2004). U2: The Complete Guide to their Music. London: Omnibus Press. pp. p.43. ISBN 0-7119-9886-8. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
55. Deep Cuts: U2, Part I
56. The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 15 October, 2006.
57. Graham, Bill (2004). U2: The Complete Guide to their Music. London: Omnibus Press. pp. p.44. ISBN 0-7119-9886-8. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
58. Flanagan (1995), pages 6-11
59. Flanagan (1995), page 30; Graham, Bill (2004). U2: The Complete Guide to their Music. London: Omnibus Press. pp. p.49. ISBN 0-7119-9886-8. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Stokes, Niall (1996). Into The Heart: The Story Behind Every U2 Song. Australia: HarperCollinsPublishers. pp. pp.102. ISBN 0-7322-6036-1. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
60. Parra (2003), pp. 153, 166
61. McCormick (2006), p.261-262
62. McCormick (2006), p.269
63. (U2 have) relaxed sufficiently to allow a certain funk into their music... NME Retrieved 31 October, 2006; U2 have not reinvented themselves so much as rediscovered themselves... Sunday Times (UK) Retrieved 31 October, 2006
64. "Rolling Stone Pop Review". Rolling Stone (756). March 1997. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
65. U2 Set to Re-Record Pop contactmusic.com. Retrieved 31 October, 2006.
66. U2 live: Play-by-play of the concert lasvegassun.com. Retrieved 29 December, 2006; U2, Brute? spin.com. Retrieved December 29, 2006; U2:Pop : Music Reviews Rollingstone.com, Dec 1997. Retrieved 29 December, 2006.
67. Parra (2003), pp. 193-202
68. Rock On The Net: U2 rockonthenet.com. Retrieved October 31, 2006,
69. U asked U2! msn.com. Retrieved 15 January, 2007; Furthermore, Bono described the show as "one of the toughest and one of the sweetest nights of my life."(Bono in Conversation The Independent. Retrieved 15 January, 2007)
70. U2 Biography therockradio.com. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
71. Graham, Bill (2004). U2: the Complete Guide to their Music. Omnibus Press. pp. pp.70-71. ISBN 0-7119-9886-8. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
72. Time to Get the Leathers Out Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved on 31 October, 2006
73. Hunter, James (26 October 2000). "Review: All That You Can't Leave Behind". Rolling Stone Magazine (RS 853).
74. The Rock Radio: U2 biography therockradio.com. Retrieved 31 October, 2006.
75. Parra (2003), p. 268
76. Wenner, Jann S (February), "Bono On The Records", Rolling Stone (648): pages 74, 75 {{citation}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
77. Rock On The Net: U2 rockonthenet.com. Retrieved October 31, 2006.
78. Wenner, Jann S (February), "Bono On The Records", Rolling Stone (648): pages 74, 75 {{citation}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
79. U2's Vertigo Leads Year's Top Tours billboard.com. Retrieved 31 October, 2006.
80. U2 stars enter rock Hall of Fame bbc.co.uk. Retrieved January 17, 2007; Transcript: Bruce Springsteen Inducts U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame u2station.com. Retrieved January 17, 2007
81. On accepting the awards, Bono said "If you think this is going to go to our head, it's too late,".U2, Clarkson steal Carey's spotlight at the Grammys cbs4boston.com. Retrieved 15 October, 2006.
82. 'U218 Singles...' U2.com. Retrieved 15 October, 2006.
83. U2 New Album Information @U2.com. Retrieved 15 October, 2006.
84. "Update: The Edge Talks Rock Auction, New U2 Album". Rolling Stone Magazine. 29/03/07. Retrieved 04 May, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
85. Montgomery, James (22-09-2006). "Green Day, U2 Take Historic Collabo One Step Further By Re-Enacting Beatles' Abbey Road LP Cover". VH1.com. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)Green Day, U2 Take Historic Collabo One Step Further By Re-Enacting Beatles' Abbey Road LP Cover
86. RTE report;Greene, Andy; et al. (April), "When Bono Comes To Town", Rolling Stone Magazine, no. 664, p. 12 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Explicit use of et al. in: |first= (help)
87. u2boy.nl (Quote from the printed magazine)
88. ^ Top 10 U2 Songs of the '80s about.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007
89. U2 Dissect "Bomb" rollingstone.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007
90. A Study of the Edge's (U2) Guitar Delay amnesta.net. Retrieved February 18, 2007
91. ^ U2's Leading Edge Musician Magazine. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
92. Column: off the record..., vol. 6-201 atu2.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007
93. Reynolds (2005), p. 368
94. Rolling Stone: War: Review rollingstone.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007
95. U2: Achtung, Baby: Music Reviews rollingstone.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007
96. ^ Under A Golden Arch, Sincerely U2 nytimes.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007
97. U2: The Catharsis in the Cathedral nytimes.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007
98. U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb Review uncut.co.uk. Retrieved February 18, 2007
99. McCormick (2006), p.113
100. Clash Star Strummer Dies, BBC news, 27 December 2002
101. About U2 Influences: The Ramones by Daniel Walker, October 2004
102. NewOrderStory . Warner Bros., 2005.
103. "This is a song Charles Manson stole from The Beatles, we're stealing it back!"
104. NME's 10 Most Influential Bands/Artists. NME Magazine, 2002; Angels & Airwaves - Between the Blinks musicOMH.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007
105. Bono time.com. Retrieved January 16, 2007; McCormick (2006), p.289
106. McCormick (2006), p.238
107. McCormick (2006), p.262
108. McCormick (2006), p.277
109. McCormick (2006), pp.285-286
110. McCormick (2006), pp.295-296
111. Ambassador of Conscience Award 2005 artforamnesty.org. Retrieved February 5, 2007
112. Kagan Daryn."CNN Access: Bono backs 'effective aid' for Africa" CNN.com, May, 2002. Retrieved 31 October, 2006; Bono and O'Neill in Africa: Summing up the trip CNN.com. Retrieved October 31, 2006; "Bono wins Chirac aid boost pledge". CNN.com, June , 2002. Retrieved 31 October, 2006.
113. The Edge (U2) Announces 'Music Rising', a Campaign to Aid Musicians Affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita modernguitars.com. Retrieved January 16, 2007
114. Hiatt, Brian (25 Sep 2006). "U2, Green Day Unite". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 4, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
115. McCormick (2006), p.169
116. McCormick (2006), p.211
117. Parra (2003), p. 141
118. Parra (2003), p. 132
119. Wenner, Jann S (December 6, 2001). "Goddess In The Doorway Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 4, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
120. William S. Burroughs dies at 83; Beat Generation godfather Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 31, 2006; How Mystical 23 Changed Course Of History mirror.co.uk. Retrieved February 25, 2007.
121. U2 Connections: William Gibson atu2.com. Retrieved October 31, 2006; American Masters: Allen Ginsberg PBS.com. Retrieved October 31, 2006.
122. Salman Rushdie's Words Become U2 Lyrics CNN.com Retrieved November 6, 2006.

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• U2.com Official website

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