U2 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the Irish rock band. For other uses, see .
U2 are a from , .
Formed in , U2 have consistently been one of the most popular acts in the world since the mid-1980s. The band has sold upwards of 170 million worldwide. With six #1 albums in the and nine #1 albums in the , U2 are one of the most successful bands of all time.
They have won 22 .
The band was formed when ( and ), ( , and ) and ( ) answered an advert placed by ( and ); they were teenagers at the time with limited musical proficiency. By the mid 1980s, however, they had released four albums and developed a devoted international following, largely from extensive touring and from forging a trademark sound based upon The Edge's echoing guitar and Bono's impassioned vocals and introspective lyrics.
They reached a level of mega-stardom with their highly praised 1987 release . In the early 1990s, they replied to the dance and alternative music revolutions, criticism of their image, and their own sense of musical stagnation, with the critically-acclaimed and the groundbreaking . Although U2 had already developed a reputation for pursuing new musical paths with each new album, this time the band had ostensibly re-invented themselves; this experimentation was to continue for the rest of the 1990s.
In the early years of the 21st century, U2 have pursued a more traditional sound while maintaining some influence of their previous musical explorations, and continue to enjoy the highest level of commercial and critical success. In 2004, magazine ranked U2 number 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2005, U2 were inducted into the , the first year they were eligible.
The band is known for being politically active in and causes, such as , , the , , , Bono's (Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa) campaign, and The Edge's .
U2 formed in , on . , then fourteen, posted a notice on his secondary school notice board ( ) 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, on bass guitar, Paul Hewson ( ) on lead vocals, Dave Evans ( ) and his brother 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 musical 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.
In March 1977, the band changed its name to 'The Hype'. Dik 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 , which featured The Hype playing covers, Dik 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 , the ; however, the Dublin guru Steve Averill (better known as Steve Rapid of ) claimed it was chosen by the band from a list of ten names created by him and Adam Clayton.
In an interview with , Bono said "I don't actually like the name U2," and "I honestly never thought of it as 'you too'."
On Saint Patricks Day 1978, U2 won a talent show in for which the prize was £500 and funding to record a demo; 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, , who had earlier been introduced to the band by Hot Press journalist Bill Graham, agreed to be U2's .
U2's first release, the EP.
U2's early sound was influenced by bands such as and , and contains a sense of exhilaration that resulted from The Edge's "radiant chords" and Bono's "ardent vocals".
U2's first release, an Ireland-only EP entitled , was released in September 1979 and soon reached the top of the Irish charts. In December 1979, U2 performed in London, their first shows outside Ireland, although they failed to get much attention from audiences or critics. In February 1980, their second single " " was released on the CBS label but again only for the Irish market.
signed U2 in March 1980, and " " became the band's first internationally released single that May. The band's debut album, , followed that October. Boy 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, " ,". Boy's release was followed by U2's first tour beyond Ireland and the .
Despite their unpolished nature, these early live performances nevertheless helped demonstrate U2's potential, as critics noted that Bono was a very "charismatic" and "passionate" showman. U2 made their first appearance on television on , on , performing " " and "Twilight".
The band's second album, , was released in 1981.
The album contained spiritual lyrics; Bono, The Edge and Larry made little effort to hide their committed outlooks. The three band members had joined a religious group in called the 'Shalom Fellowship', which led them to question the relationship between the faith and the lifestyle. Although the has remained a major source of inspiration for much of Bono’s lyric writing, October is U2's most overtly religious album.
In February 1982, the band first met photographer , noted for his work with and . This was to be the beginning of a long relationship; Corbijn became U2's principal photographer and has had a major influence on their vision and public image.
Following the doubts of the October period, 1983 saw U2 with renewed purpose and the release of their third album .
The album included the song ," which expresses the band's reaction to in . Rolling Stone magazine wrote 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. The album's first single, " ", was U2's first international hit, reaching #10 on the UK charts, and almost breaking the Top 50 on the US charts.
placed the "New Year's Day" music video, on heavy rotation. This was to be instrumental in exposing U2 to an American mass audience.
For the first time, the band began performing to sold-out concerts in mainland Europe and the U.
S. on their subsequent . The image of Bono waving a white flag during performances of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" became a familiar sight.
U2 recorded the 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.
was the band’s fourth studio album and was released on 1 October 1984. Far more ambient and abstract than the hard-hitting 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 in by survivors of the atomic bombs at and .
We knew the world was ready to receive the heirs to . All we had to do was to keep doing what we were doing and we would become the biggest band since , 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.
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 , who along with his engineer eventually agreed to produce the record.
Island Records boss, , 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".
The initial recording sessions were at , Dublin; held in a Gothic ballroom built specially for music, the sessions had a relaxed and experimental atmosphere. A far more atmospheric album 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.
U2's performance at was a turning point in their career.
The saw U2 shows moving into indoor arenas in the United States, although in Europe they were not quite there 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 , which the band until then had been reluctant to use. They were used to overcome difficulties in live performance of sonically elaborate new songs such as "The Unforgettable Fire" and "Bad"; since then sequencers are now 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 concert at for famine relief in July 1985. U2's performance was one of the show's most memorable; during "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, 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."
Following the Unforgettable Fire Tour, the band had been exploring American , and in attempt to make up for the fact that up until that point they had 'no tradition', and that their music was from 'outer space'.
Irish influences were also being explored, with the band spending time with fellow Irish bands and . The band felt a sense of indigenous Irish music being blended with American folk music' Friendships with , and not only encouraged the band to look back into the roots of rock music, but focused Bono on his skills as a song and lyric writer. The band wanted to build on The Unforgettable Fire's atmospherics, but also work for 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, the imagery that pervades songs like "Bullet the Blue Sky," "In God's Country" and "Exit" (which drew its inspiration from , 's book about Gary Gilmore's murderous odyssey in the American West). Indeed, Bono says that "dismantling the mythology of America" is an important part of The Joshua Tree's artistic objective.
Taking place in the middle of their 1986 album sessions, U2 were a headline act on , but rather than a distraction to their album work, their tour experiences had the effect of adding extra intensity and power to their music, focusing the band on what they really wanted to say.
Bono’s 1986 travels in and , for example, where he saw first hand the distress of peasants bullied in internal conflicts, were a central influence on the album most noticeably on " " and " ". Antipathy towards America, including anger at , is juxtaposed against the band’s deep fascination with the country, its open spaces, freedom and what it stood for. The band aimed for music with a sense of location, or a 'cinematic' quality, with music and lyrics that drew on the imagery created by American literary writers that the band had been reading.
Named as a 'tribute' to, rather than a 'metaphor' for America, the album was released in March 1987. It debuted at #1 in the UK and quickly reached #1 in the U.S.
It won the and a Grammy for the . The rock roll " " and the rhythmic gospel " " quickly went to #1 in the U.S.
U2 became the fourth rock band to be featured on the cover of magazine (following , , and ), 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 sold out and around the world, the first time the band had consistently played venues of that size.
The documentary 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. A total of seventeen songs are on the album, including two non-U2 tracks. "Freedom For My People" is a live excerpt by Adam Gussow and Sterling Magee, and " " features .
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 in (along with , , ), with tracks performed with and , and a song about legend . Among the live recordings on the album were the Beatles' " " and a cover version of famous song " ".
Despite a positive reception from fans, Rattle and Hum received mixed-to-negative reviews from both film and music critics.
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.
, , , , , , , and Insekt were all in favour. 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.
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1992-1993s was a event, and showcased an extravagant but intentionally bewildering array of hundreds of video screens, upside-down flying cars, mock transmission towers, links, , and over-the-top stage characters such as "The Fly", "Mirror-Ball Man" and "(Mister) MacPhisto".
U2 used the show to mock the excesses of rock and roll by appearing to embrace these very excesses. Live prank phone calls to caused controversy, as did satellite uplinks to war-torn .
Recorded in 1993 during a break in the Zoo TV tour, the album continued many of the themes from the Achtung Baby album and Zoo TV tour.
Initially intended as an EP, 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 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.
After time off—and side projects including the and soundtracks, as well as the title song to the 1995 James Bond film (which was sung by but written by and )—the band released an experimental album in 1995 called . , producer of three previous U2 albums, this time contributed as a full partner including writing and performing. For this reason, and due to its 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 " " featuring , 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 .
On 1997's album, U2 were once again experimenting. Utilization of , , rhythm sequencing and , gave much of the album a / feel. However, the diversity of material on the album is as broad as other U2 releases, with experimental tracks balanced with more traditional anthems and ballads.
Released in March, the album debuted at #1 in 35 countries, and drew mainly positive reviews. Rolling Stone even went so far as claiming 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.
Frontman Bono later admitted that the band was hurried into completing the album before the impending tour, which the band booked before even heading into the recording studio, and that the album "didn't communicate the way it was intended to".
For the subsequent , U2 continued the theme of decadence. The tour started in April 1997; the set included a 100-foot tall golden yellow arch, a large 150-foot long video screen, and a 40-foot tall mirrorball lemon.
Both the Popmart Tour and the Zoo TV Tour were intended to send a sarcastic message to those accusing U2 of commercialism. The shows were also intended to be shining a mirror back onto the world, taking subtle advertising and messages we are exposed to every day and blowing them up. Although the shows left some concert-goers wanting more, U2's "big " failed to entertain others, who were confused by the band's new image and elaborate sets.
In fact, one critic later recalled a "ludicrous hullabaloo" that was a departure from "Planet Reality".
Aside from the mixed reactions to both the music and the shows, Popmart itself was something of an up-and-down ride for U2. Although it was the second-highest grossing tour of 1997 (behind the ' ) with revenues of just under $80 million (U.
S. gross only; the tour grossed $170M worldwide), Popmart cost more than $100 million to produce. Also, having been booked before the release of Pop, the tour's early shows were negatively impacted by the band's choice to sacrifice rehearsal time in order to complete recording of their four-month-overdue album.
Popmart was not without its highlight however; U2 was the first major group to perform in after the . Bono later called the Sarajevo show "one of the toughest and one of the sweetest nights of my life." Larry Mullen, Jr.
called it "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."
Following the Popmart Tour, the band played a brief concert to an audience of about 2,000 in 's in May 1998, three days before the public voted in favour of the . Later that year, U2 performed on an Irish TV fundraiser for victims of the , which killed 29 and injured about 220 people earlier in the year.
In late 1998, " " previously a b-side from a The Joshua Tree single, was re-recorded and re-released as a single, and the band's first compilation record, .
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.
, was released in October 2000, and was considered by many of those not won over by the band's 1990s experimentation, as a return to the grace of their 1980s sound.
Regarded by many, including Rolling Stone magazine, as U2's "third masterpiece" alongside The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby, it was once again produced by and . It debuted at #1 in 22 countries and spawned a world-wide smash hit single, " ," which earned three of a total of six associated with the album. " ", " " and " " were other successful singles.
The album won the in 2002 and garnered two awards in consecutive years.
U2 performs at Halftime Show,
The 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. The nearly led U2 to have to cancel the last third of the tour but the band decided to continue the tour nonetheless;
and the new album's " " and "New York" gained added resonance.
Just weeks after the September 11th attacks, U2 performed a series of sold-out shows at in , bringing firefighters and rescue personnel on stage at the end of the show in tribute. In later interviews, Bono and the Edge, would call these New York City shows among their most memorable and emotional performances. The tour ended up as the top concert draw in in 2001, grossing more than $143 million in ticket sales.
Following the Elevation Tour, the band performed during halftime of . " ", " " and " " were played.
In 2002, U2 released their second greatest hits compilation, .
Four tracks were reworked in studio, most of them from , which the band said had been rushed to complete because of the pre-booked Popmart Tour. Two new songs were recorded - " ", which was written for the film , and " ".
Recording sessions for began late in 2003.
However, in July 2004, a rough cut of the album was stolen in , . In response, stated that should the album appear on networks, it would be released immediately via and be in stores within a month, although no such pre-release transpired.
The first single from the album, " ", was released for airplay on .
The song received extensive airplay in the first week after its release and became an international hit. It was featured on a widely-aired for the . Apple, in a partnership with the band, released a special edition iPod bearing their namesake.
, an iTunes-exclusive box set featuring previously unreleased content was released. Proceeds from the iPod and iTunes partnerships were donated to charity.
The album was released on , debuting at #1 in 32 countries, including , the , and the .
It sold 840,000 units in the United States in its first week. This was a personal record for the band, nearly doubling the first-week sales of in the US. In 2005, inducted U2 into the , the last band for which he "would be able to name all of its members", in their first year of eligibility.
Using a similar setup and stage design as the previous tour, the band began the first leg of the in the United States in March 2005, followed by a European leg starting in June, before returning to North America between September and December. February and March 2006 saw the band play shows in . The tour featured a setlist that varied more across dates than any U2 tour since the Lovetown Tour, and a greater diversity of songs played each night including songs that had not been played since the early 1980s, including " " and " /Into the Heart".
Sold out shows for March 2006 in , , and were postponed due to a severe illness of an immediate family member of the band. The dates were rescheduled for November and December 2006. Much like the Elevation Tour, the Vertigo Tour was a large commercial success.
On , U2 won Grammy Awards for each of the five categories they were nominated: for How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, for " ," for Atomic Bomb, for "Sometimes...
" and for " ". "If you think this is going to go to our head, it's too late," said Bono as he accepted the award for "Song of the Year".
The band released an autobiography on entitled U2 by U2, pieced together from over 150 hours of interviews with contributing author/editor Neil McCormick.
In continuing with the retrospective theme, the compilation album was released on , containing 16 of the band's best-known songs, as well as two new recordings: " " with and " ". A single and double disc version of the album were released. The latter is limited edition and includes a bonus ten track live DVD filmed on the band's stop in Milan on the Vertigo Tour.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content could change dramatically as the album release approaches and more information becomes available. As of July 2006, U2 were reportedly recording a new album, although it is unknown at what point in the process the sessions are. According to Bono there are 24 songs that came out of the last album sessions, of which the band took 11 for their subsequent record.
Amateur recordings from the band's sessions in , suggest that the band are indeed preparing their next album. Producer has reportedly been working with U2 on new material for their next album in the south of France. On , it was reported on the official U2 website that the band was working on a new album in .
Bono has hinted that the new U2 material will be a reinvention of U2's sound. "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 , 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 is reported as saying "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."
In 1985, Bono recorded the song "In a Lifetime" with the Irish band , which was accompanied by a video co-directed by The Edge. The Edge recorded a solo soundtrack album for the film Captive in 1986.
Together with The Edge, Bono wrote the song " " for the , which was performed by . In 1987, the pair wrote the song "She's A Mystery To Me" for , which was released on his album , and Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. did a rework of the title track of the movie in 1996.
and U2 have recorded a cover version of the song " " by to benefit the charity. Bono has loaned his voice to "Joy" on 's 2001 album .
Aside from musicians, U2 have worked together with authors, including the U.
S. author , 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 and . In early 2000, with the release of the film , the band recorded two songs for its soundtrack, including "The Ground Beneath Her Feet", co-written by and motivated by his of the same name. also influenced some of Bono's songwriting, especially .
The band cites , , , , / and 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 , , , , , , , , , and .
U2 have enjoyed reciprocal influential relationships with artists including , , , and , as well as exerting influences on others.
Since their inception, U2 have developed and maintained a distinctly recognizable sound, with emphasis on melodic instrumentals and expressive, larger-than-life vocals, rooted in part in the early influence of 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 played against his syncopated melodies, that ultimately yields a well-defined ambient and atmospheric sound.
Bono has nurtured his 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. 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 and 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 , , and 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.
Social and political commentary, often embellished with religious and spiritual imagery, are a major aspect of U2's lyrical content.
Songs like " " and " " 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 " ", " " and " ". An emotional yearning or pleading is another frequent conveyance, in tracks such as " " and " ".
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.
Described by The Edge as a fundamentally live band, U2 has also taken full advantage of tours such as the to caricature social concerns such as media overload.
U2 are almost as well-known for their humanitarian work as they are for their music. Both as a band and individually, the members of U2 have collaborated since the early 80s with other musicians, artists, celebrities, and politicians to address issues concerning poverty, disease, and injustice in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
In 1984, Bono and Adam Clayton participated in , a brainchild of then frontman and fellow Irishman .
This initial collaboration, formed to raise money for , produced the hit charity single " " and would be the first among several between U2 and Geldof. Less than a year later, in July 1985, U2 played , a follow-up to 's efforts with similar purposes. As an emerging force in rock-and-roll, U2 contributed to the success of , offering up memorable moments during their televised performance to more than a billion people.
A 1986 visit to Ethiopia by Bono and his wife Ali by way of an invitation from allowed Bono to witness first hand some of the human tragedies that occurred due to the Ethopian famine and local corruption. This visit in particular would lay the groundwork for some of Bono's future songwriting and personal and professional campaigning for African aid. It was after this visit that U2 participated in both the , in support of , and , in order to highlight unemployment in Ireland.
Around this time, Bono and Ali also visited and to "vacation" in the Central American countries upon invitation of a member of the .
In 1992, the band donned radiation suits for a photo-op and a "Stop " concert to benefit while in the middle of their ZooTV tour. A few years later, events in Sarajevo during the inspired the song " ", which premiered at a September 1995 and Friends show at which Bono and the Edge performed to benefit .
. A promise U2 had made as well as the end of the Bosnian war compelled them to perform a 1997 show during the Popmart tour in Sarajevo, where they left feeling a sense of accomplishment in bringing "some semblance of normality" to the area. 1998 saw U2 performing in days prior to the vote on the and bringing Irish political party leaders and on stage to promote the agreement.
Later that year, all proceeds from the release of " " single went towards supporting the .
In 2001, U2 offered their support of by producing and dedicating the song " " to her activism and fight for freedom. Bono and the Edge participated in the series of concerts hosted by to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa in late 2003.
Less than two years later, in 2005, the entire band participated in the concerts, another collaboration with Bob Geldof that ran in parallel with the campaign, a UK member coalition of the organization. 's primary purpose was to raise awareness of and put pressure on the to further assist Africa.
In 2005, U2 and their manager Paul McGuinness were awarded 's for their work in promoting human rights.
U2 and Bono's social activism have not been without its critics however, as the political newsletter have often carried articles critical of their being too close to power and their attempts to help as doing more harm than good.
Since 2000, Bono has done a significant amount of campaigning apart from the band. He was involved in the campaign with Geldof, , and others with the aim of cancelling third world debt during the .
In January 2002, Bono, along with activists from founded a multinational called , 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. , a 2006 for-product brand seeking to raise money for the , was also founded in part by Bono.
In addition, the counterpart of in the US, , has been shaped by his efforts and vision. Bono has also teamed up with to promote the ONE Campaign, which Yahoo! has helped to re-develop.
In doing so, Bono has also joined in the "Ask the Planet" campaign of Yahoo! Answers, in which celebrities pose questions to users.
The Edge has also taken his own brand of humanitarian work solo.
In late 2005, after and hit the region of the US, The Edge introduced , an initiative to raise funds for musicians who lost their instruments in the storm-ravaged region.
Chatterton, Mark (2001). U2: The Complete Encyclopedia. Firefly Publishing.
Flanagan, Bill (1995). U2 at the End of the World. Delacorte Press.
Parra, Pimm Jal de la (2003). U2 Live: A Concert Documentary. Omnibus Press.
McCormick, Neil (ed), (2006). U2 by U2. HarperCollins Publishers.
Wall, Mick, (2005). Bono. Andre Deutsch Publishers. (Promotional edition published by Paperview U.K is association with the Irish Independent)
. Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone.
Wall, Mick, (2005). Bono. Andre Deutsch Publishers. (Promotional edition published by Paperview U.
K is association with the Irish Independent), pp.45
Reynolds, Simon. Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984. Penguin, 2005. p. 368
Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr (2006), p. 127
^ Parra, Pimm Jal de la U2 Live: A Concert Documentary, pp.52-55, 1996, Harper Collins Publishers, " " Time Magazine Archive, April 1987. Retrieved on .
Keywords: Rolling Stone, Joshua Tree, Adam Clayton, Unforgettable Fire, Larry Mullen, Zoo Tv, Rolling Stone Magazine, Achtung Baby, United States, Stone Magazine
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