U2: 25 Years And Counting

1976-1980

It all started in October of 1976, when a 14 year old drummer named Larry Mullen Jr. posted a notice on the bulletin board of Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, Ireland advertising that he wished to start a band and was looking for musicians. Several hopefuls showed up, and a five-piece band was put together. The band included Larry on drums, Adam Clayton, age 16 on bass guitar, David Evans, age 15, and his brother Dick on guitars, and Paul Hewson, age 15 on vocals. At the time the band formed, Paul Hewson had no musical talent, he came to play guitar, but couldn't play very well. He tried to sing, but he couldn't sing very well either. He was given the chance to lead the band based on his charisma and energy. The band's first practice took place in the kitchen of the Mullen home.

The band were soon calling themselves 'Feedback'. There were other namings afoot. Paul Hewson was part of a gang of friends who called themselves Lypton Village. It was customary for the boys in this group to give each other nicknames, as they felt it was a bit silly to go by a name given to them by their parents. Paul Hewson was given the name 'Bono Vox' after the name of a hearing aid store.

Fittingly enough, the term meant 'good voice' in Latin. Bono also took it upon himself to rename Dave Evans. He began calling Dave 'The Edge' due mainly to the sharp features of his face, but also to his sharp mind.

After 18 months of rehearsals, came two changes. The Edge's brother Dick left the band (and later joined The Virgin Prunes, another Dublin band). It was also at this time that Feedback changed their name to The Hype. The band were beginning to get a local following, and in 1978 performed for a talent show. They won, and their prize included £500. One of the judges also worked for a record company, and offered them studio time to record a demo.

Another name change was in the workings. A friend and fellow musician suggested to the band that The Hype wasn't the best name for them. It wasn't long before the name "U2" was suggested. A U2 is also a type of spy plane and submarine. The band liked the name, and it became official.

Up until this time bassist Adam Clayton was serving as the band's manager. But soon, Paul McGuinness took over the job. The Edge also begun taking on the role of background vocalist and occasionally keyboardist. U2 released their first single U2-3 in 1979, and it topped the Irish charts. The band had begun playing shows quite often in Dublin and other Irish cities, and later England.

1980-1990

In 1980, Island Records signed the band, and they recorded their first album, Boy. Bono wrote lyrics concerning subjects most bands wouldn't touch, like faith, spirituality and death. Bono's mother died when he was just 14, and his lyrics have often reflected his regret at not having been able to spend more time with her.

In 1981, U2 released their second album, October. October has often been referred to as U2's "Christian record," and the lyrics did reflect the faith of the band members, but I wouldn't call it a Christian album. Bono writes about what he feels strongly about, be it his wife, his mother, his friends, politics, and yes, religion. But U2's lyrics have never been preachy and U2 has never been a Christian band.

In the year after October's release, conflicting faiths nearly tore the band apart. Of the four members, only Adam Clayton was not a Christian. The other three were having trouble choosing between their faith and a rock and roll lifestyle. Bono and Larry chose the band, but The Edge almost left. It was soon decided by all three though, that they could balance their career without subjecting their faith.

The band's third album, War, released in 1983 was heavily political. The album's most widely known track is Sunday Bloody Sunday, a song written about an incident in Northern Ireland in 1972 when thirteen innocent people were killed during a civil rights march. But it was New Year's Day, the album's most widely played single at the time, that opened them up to the eyes of a larger audience. Also in 1983, the band released Under A Blood Red Sky, an album of live-recorded tracks, which helped cement their status as a great live act.

In 1984, their fourth album, The Unforgettable Fire was released. This album continued the political songwriting of War, but in a less angry sense. The album's biggest hit, Pride (In The Name Of Love) was a very emotionally sung anthem of Martin Luther King Jr. By 1984, U2 had also obtained worldwide fame. Their shows had began selling out for the first time, and since then, have not stopped. They were featured in Rolling Stone as the Band Of The 80s, with the magazine quoted as saying: "For a growing number of rock-and-roll fans, U2 has become the band that matters most, maybe even the only band that matters."

1984 was also the year of Band Aid. A supergroup of Irish and British recording artists that got together to record the track Do They Know It's Christmas? to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. U2's Bono and Adam Clayton were involved in the recording, along many other famous names, such as Paul McCartney, Sting, and George Michael.

Band Aid was followed in the summer of 1985 by Live Aid, a global concert put together for famine relief in Ethiopia. U2's performance gained them wide attention. Like other bands there, they were originally slated for three songs, but only had time for two (Sunday Bloody Sunday and Bad). U2 stretched their performance of Bad to 13 minutes, when mid-way through the song Bono leapt from the stage to go down and dance with women in the audience.

It was a totally unexpected moment, and afterward Bono felt like an idiot for doing it. But it helped gain them massive media attention, and even more fans. It also earned U2 a headlining spot for 1986's Conspiracy Of Hope tour for Amnesty International. Bono had gained a soft spot in his heart for Africa, and after Live Aid, he was one of only two people involved that actually went to Africa (the other being Bob Geldof, the organizer of the event).

U2's fifth album The Joshua Tree, in 1987, has long been considered their greatest yet. The sound had gotten stronger, the lyrics had gotten deeper, and the album was a #1 hit. Hits from the album include With Or Without You, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and Where The Streets Have No Name. At this time, U2 became the fourth band ever to be featured on the cover of TIME magazine.

U2 again gained wide media coverage with the unorthodox video for Where The Streets Have No Name. U2 decided to film the video on the one story rooftop of a liquor store in downtown Los Angeles. U2 wanted a crowd present, and so they made sure that the information about the filming was leaked to the media. Surely enough, a huge crowd formed in the street below to see the band. The L.A. police were not amused, and shut down the recording. All of this can be seen in the music video.

U2 followed the album with a massive tour, which sold out tickets worldwide. During The Joshua Tree tour, U2 began filming shows, as well as a documentary of themselves on the road, as they traveled across America. This footage would be seen in 1988 as the film U2: Rattle And Hum. The movie was also coupled with the release of their sixth album, Rattle And Hum. But at the time, the idea of a band making a feature film of themselves was unheard of, and U2 were criticized for being grandiose.

1990-2000

After taking some time off, the band got back together in 1990, in Berlin, Germany to record their seventh album, a 1991 release that would eventually become Achtung Baby. U2 were experimenting with their sound. The finished album would eventually be described by Bono as "The sound of four men chopping down the Joshua tree." But at the same time U2 were reinventing themselves, they were also having trouble. Bono and The Edge were having trouble writing music. Larry and Adam were getting frustrated, and the entire band was ready to give up on each other...

...Until something broke through and saved them. I've heard conflicting stories on how it actually happened, but somehow Bono came up with the line "We're one, but we're not the same". From that, the song One was born, it saved the band, saved the album, and is often referred to as their most powerfully written song. A beautiful but bitter song of love and relationships, and the way people treat one another.

The album also included Even Better Than The Real Thing and Mysterious Ways. The album is still considered by fans as a favourite. The lyrics had fallen away from the political lyrics of the 80s, to more intimate personal songs.

The album was followed in 1992 by the beginning of U2's ZooTV tour. It was in this tour that U2 seemed to have changed entirely. Bono had taken on two alter-egos. The Fly was an egomaniac dressed in shiny black leather and huge black fly-eye sunglasses. Mr. MacPhisto was Satan in a gold-sequined suit and platforms. The tour was an over-the-top mock of rock and roll and the media. The stage set included dozens of TVs, from huge to tiny, spitting out subliminal messages at the audience. Some people missed the point entirely that U2's egomaniacal behaviour on stage was a joke, and lost respect for the band.

Despite their holier-than-thou attitude on stage, the band were still the same men inside, and continued their political work, joining Greenpeace demonstrations and continuing work in Africa.

During a break in the tour, U2 went back to the studio and recorded their seventh album, Zooropa, released in 1993. This album was even more experimental than Achtung Baby had been, including a lot of techno style sounds. The album recieved mixed reviews, but still did well with fans.

U2 was quiet during the mid 90s, working on smaller projects, such as the song Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me for the Batman Forever soundtrack in 1995.

U2's next album Pop arrived in 1997, and it lived up to it's name. Pop was heavily electronic and techno. But hidden beneath all of the disco music were some of the Bono's deepest lyrics. He was once again singing about his mother, and also about his faith. But the album was rushed to be released on time, and it was later stated by the band that it never got finished as well as they would've liked. The album did well in sales, but many fans were disappointed by the entire feel of the album. It wasn't the U2 they knew and loved.

The album was followed by U2's PopMart world tour; this time the band went even farther over the top. The set included a 100 foot tall golden arch, a 35 foot tall lemon shaped disco ball (from which the band would emerge during shows), a 150 foot video screen, and a 12 foot illuminated olive perched on a 100 foot toothpick. The tour was a flood of bright colours and a sensory overload of extravaganza.

The time after the tour was spent quietly. The band's first compilation The Best of 1980-1990 was released in 1998, and the band was back in the studio by 1999 to record their next album. It was at this time that Bono was becoming a full-fledged activist. When not in the studio, he was devoting his time to various causes such as debt cancellation for third world countries, and AIDS relief in Africa. He was rubbing elbows with presidents and prime ministers, and meeting Pope John Paul II.

2000-2003

The band's 10th album All That You Can't Leave Behind hit stores in 2001. Much to the relief of longtime fans, it was a return to a more classic sounding U2. Gone were the electronica of Pop and Zooropa. The first single, Beautiful Day earned the band three Grammy awards.

True to form, the tour was followed by a tour. The Elevation tour tore down the glamour of PopMart and brought the audience closer than ever to the band. The stage included a heart shaped ramp extending into the audience, allowing fans to be right in the middle of the action. Following September 11th, the band nearly cancelled the tour, but stayed on, using songs such as Stuck In A Moment (You Can't Get Out Of) and New York as tributes.

Such as 1984 saw Bono and Adam working on Band Aid, 2001 saw Bono and The Edge working with Artists Against Aids Worldwide on a re-recording of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On? Other artists included Britney Spears, P. Diddy, Gwen Stefani, and many, many other big names.

In 2002, U2 played the halftime show for the 36th SuperBowl. The show included a tribute to 9/11, and Bono opening his leather jacket to reveal the American flag lining inside.

This image would later appear on the cover of TIME with the caption "Can Bono change the world?" Bono was more politically involved than ever, meeting with President Bush, and spending more time in Africa. Also at this time, he founded DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) to raise awareness of issues in Africa.

The band's second compilation, The Best Of 1990-2000 was released in 2002. Meanwhile, fans were beginning to anxiously anticipate a new U2 album, which couldn't seem to come fast enough. Bono's attempt at juggling the double career of both rock star and activist didn't help much.

2004-2005

Finally it came in 2004. The first single, Vertigo was released in September, and was became widely known after being featured, along with U2, in an Apple iPod commercial.

U2 were criticized for their affiliation with Apple. They were accused of being sellouts. But what most people didn't realize is that they recieved no money and no royalties for the commercial. To date the only money U2 has recieved from Apple is from the sell of their songs on iTunes, just like any other band.

The album, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, was released on November 24th, 2004. However, it was preceded by a few events.

First U2 performed on Saturday Night Live on the 20th. Musical guests on SNL normally perform two songs, U2's were Vertigo and Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own (a tribute to Bono's father, who died in 2001). However, as the show ended, the band performed a surprise third song, their first hit from their first album, I Will Follow (a tribute to Bono's mother). Afterwards, the cameras stopped rolling, but U2 continued playing, performing All Because Of You for the audience.

Two days later, on the 22nd, with a taste of their 1987 recording of the video for Where The Streets Have No Name, U2 recorded the video for All Because Of You in another rather unorthodox way. This time the band was performing on the back of a flatbed truck traveling through New York City's Manhattan, while fans cheered and followed the truck on foot. The performance continued all the way across the Brooklyn bridge, where U2 performed a free concert for over 3,000 fans.

To further promote their new album, U2, once again in partnership with Apple, licensed a special U2 iPod. The iPod contrasted from the standard white iPod by being black with a red clickwheel, to match the colours of the new album. The back was silver with the signatures of all four band members engraved.

2004 also saw the 20th anniversary of Band Aid being acknowledged with a re-recording of Do They Know It's Christmas?, this time with updated artists like Busted and Joss Stone. Bono, Paul McCartney and George Michael were the only three Band Aid participants asked back for the rerecording.

In March of 2005, as soon as they became eligible to be, U2 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It was also at this time, the ONE campaign was established. The campaign is the American chapter of the international Make Poverty History campaign. Backed by Bono, as well as others such as Michael W. Smith, Brad Pitt, and Nelson Mandela, the campaign urges poverty awareness to be raised by the wearing of white wristbands, and by urging congress to donate at least 1% of the federal budget to fighting AIDS and poverty in third-world countries.

U2 kicked off their Vertigo tour, and each show included a speech about the ONE campaign. The tour was similar to the Elevation tour, as it continued the setup of a ramp jutting out into the audience. This time the ramp was circular. The tour also featured Bono wearing a white blindfold with the word "CoeXisT" written on it using religion symbols (a crescent moon for the C, a star of David for the X and a cross for the T). U2 are currently on the European leg of their tour, but will return to the United States this fall.

U2 are scheduled to perform at Live 8 this Saturday. Live 8 will follow the same form as Live Aid did, with artists performing all over the world in an effort to double aid, cancel debt, and deliver trade justice for Africa. The 8 in the name comes from it's convergence with the G8 summit, a regular event during which the leaders of the eight most powerful countries in the world meet.

Editor's note: Let's just say that by the time you read this, Live 8 will have become history for one whole day. :P

As for which three songs U2 will perform? I've no idea, though I've heard rumours that Crumbs From Your Table will be performed. And it would make quite a bit of sense for One to be performed as well (as it's been used during the Vertigo tour to introduce the ONE campaign). Other probable songs include Vertigo, Sunday Bloody Sunday, and Where The Streets Have No Name. Let's wait and see if I'm right.

Now, I know this has been a long article, and if you actually stuck around long enough to read it all, I thank you. It's long yes, but as it spans nearly 30 years, it should be. U2 really are the biggest band in the world? How many other bands have been together for 29 years, with a professional career of 25 years, have never broken up, have kept all four of the same members, and have only gotten more and more popular over time? I can't think of any.

And now, I'll close with some random personal facts:

Bono is only 5'6". This makes me feel better about being short. He's 45 now, and has been married to his high school sweetheart, Ali since 1982. The couple have four children, the oldest is 16, the youngest is four. Bono has often described himself as being a hyperactive child. Throughout his adult life, Bono has been called Bono by everyone, including his wife. However, his father continued to call him Paul, and was the only person in his life to do so. Bono began wearing large sunglasses as The Fly during ZooTV in 1992, and has continued to since.

The Edge will be 44 this coming August. He married his first wife, Aislinn, a U2 groupie in 1983. The couple had three daughters and separated in 1991. He met his second wife, Morleigh, during the filming for the Numb video in 1993 (she's the belly dancer). They have a daughter and a son together, and married in 2002. The Edge has been described as being a science geek, and is said to be called The Edge by everyone, even his mother. During the PopMart tour he wore a shirt stating "Mr. The Edge 2 U". The Edge has been wearing hats since the late 80s to cover his receding hairline.

Larry will be 43 in October. He's never married, but has remained with the mother of his three children, Ann for well over twenty years. He's an Elvis fan, and enjoys riding motorcycles.

Adam is now 45, has never married, and has no children. He was briefly engaged to supermodel Naomi Campbell in the 90s. He's been described by Bono as the poshest member of U2.

Ok, I think that's quite enough, don't you? I'm planning on seeing U2 live and in concert this December, so hopefully I'll be back with a review for you all.

Thanks go to:

@U2.com and U2Wanderer.org for technical facts, as well as the lovely people of the U2 LJ community