As a music listener in general, it is hard to ignore the self proclaimed "biggest band in the world". As a fan of postpunk, new wave, and goth music, it is really hard to ignore that the "biggest band in the world" drop lines of Joy Division into the outro of their biggest hit. A couple of months ago I decided to take it upon myself to discover U2, the famous/infamous Irish rock group responsible for colossal hits, grossly grossing three year tours, and a natural relevance throughout the 80s and 90s, followed by a perceived forcible relevance throughout the 00s and 10s. I wasn't totally sure what I was getting into with U2, but what I got definitely surprised me.
You would have to live under a rock to not know any U2 songs. Maybe you didn't know the band, or you couldn't match the band with the song, but when With or Without You comes on, you would probably say, "oh yeah, that song." Even though I am among the youngest of Gen Z (sigh), this too was the case for me. From an early memory, I can remember my dad playing what I later learned was New Year's Day in the car. Unfortunately, I did not grow up in the 80s, the 90s, or even the 00s. I often thought (and still think) that I was missing out on some of the best cultural and musical decades, but what I was also missing out on was U2's reign. This may seem like a bad thing, but for my sake, it is actually beneficial. Many people I've heard complain about U2 say that a lot of the reason they dislike them is because they were practically crammed down your throats during those three decades, and played constantly on the radio and MTV. I know from experience that when you start off feeling moderately about a band or artist, but you hear a lot of their music without actively seeking it out, you begin to get sick of them, even if you didn't mind them initially. And don't even get me started on giving them a genuine shot at that point! As a teenager in the 2020s, this is not the case. U2's influence is absolutely still present, but it isn't omnipresent as it reportedly was. This makes it easier to start listening.
Like I said before, I remembered one or two U2 songs from being a child. I couldn't tell you the name of the band, or even the name of the song, but if it came on, I would recognize it. In my early teens, when I began to discover Depeche Mode on my own, I would hear about adjacent bands, on the internet or the Enjoy the Silence comments on their YouTube profile. The Cure always showed up (is there a fan of either band that dislikes the other?); I eventually got into them about a year ago and love it. Occasionally you'd see groups that I already liked, such as New Order or The Smiths, but more often you'd see these two names; Duran Duran and U2. The first thing I thought of when I saw this was, "these are weird names". I still haven't listened to Duran Duran, though I can name a radio hit or two, but my initial impression of them was, "what's a Duran?" In my head that word reminded me of a weird T rex like creature, greyish and dog size. Then I considered U2. I thought that the name was like a shorthand for saying "you too", but I later learned about the whole spy plane thing. I also wondered if they were the precursor to text message jargon. After some time, I remembered on my dad's old Mp3 player he lent me, I had a little bit of U2 on it. Just some album called the Joshua Tree, that's all. I never listened to it, and now I feel pretty silly about it. But I never really listened to U2, not until it was played for me as a music fan, that is.
I was at home with my dad one day in November last year, even though it was a school day. We were having some family stuff to deal with, and my parents decided that it was best for me to stay at home that day. I think that dad might have been trying to keep me busy, or to keep my mind off of things, so he played some songs to me. It seemed like the recurring theme was "overrated 'alternative' songs from the mid-late 90s that he did not like". He played Alice in Chains for me, Rooster specifically, and we both had a good laugh. Next was that big hit from Audioslave, I can't remember what it was called. Slightly better but still not great. Pearl Jam? So I guess we're making slow but steady progress in quality. Then he started to play me some songs by U2. There was that band again. U2. The first song he played me was With or Without You. I remember being blown away. Okay, first off, this guy's voice is heavenly. His name's what? Bono? What type of name is that? And that's a guitar I'm hearing? What type of pedal beauty madness is this? And then the song got big, you know, that really big part, the first "woah-oh-oh-oh". I thought it was awesome. Then Dad played me another song, called Sunday Bloody Sunday. It was a live version from the Under a Blood Red Sky video. This band can do pretty and they can do rock, awesome! Oh, and this Bono guy can actually move around onstage and still sound good? Nice! That guitar riff is pretty cool, I wouldn't mind learning it myself. The rhythm section is tight, I'm loving that drum beat. Suffice to say, my first impression of U2 was a very good one. Dad told me then that he thought that what made pop songs good was a combination of instant appeal and if they age well. When I learned that With or Without You came out in 1987, I think it met both criteria. Dad also said something I found kind of funny but also interesting; "I never thought I would miss the days when sold out U2 were 'the thing'." Or something like that anyways. As much as I prefer it when bands I like don't sell out, what I do know is that my dad would never play me sold out bands unless it was a joke, so I knew that those two songs were safe.
Using my internet access on my phone, I would play those two songs fairly often. The aforementioned family stuff occasionally left me sad or feeling like I needed some comforting, and With or Without You always helped. It's such a sweet song. Likewise, Sunday Bloody Sunday became routinely played during my "jam" time. I was enjoying U2 fairly frequently, but as I did with Gary Numan, I never listened to other songs besides those two, because I had decided that I would purchase a U2 album. Later, when my brother was borrowing CDs from my dad's massive CD collection, I had to try extra hard to not discover new songs, because one of the albums he borrowed was U2's Best of 1980-1990 compilation. Whenever he would play anything besides Without You or Sunday, I would either put my headphones on and listen to something else, or leave the room entirely, so that I did not spoil it for myself. Though I did catch a glimpse of the chorus of New Years Day, and that's when I remebered it. I waited for several months until finally, I got some money together and decided to purchase a U2 album.
The one I inevitably chose was the Best Of 1980-1990 mentioned earlier. I used the fact that Dad's skipped regularly (his was a victim of those CD binder things) to justify my own purchase; really I just wanted to have one of my own. After a prolonged time of waiting due to the winter storm that gripped the continental US in late January, it finally arrived. Usually whenever my CDs get here, I usually wait until the weekend to listen to them for the first time, as then I am fresh and can really focus on the music. Not that time. I was so excited to explore the world of U2, I unwrapped it, put it in the stereo, put on my headphones, and listened to the entire thing.
To be totally honest, I was a little bit afraid. I was kind of expecting, due to the Internet's hatefulness, that there would be 3-4 really good songs on it, and then a lot of mediocre ones. That was not the case at all. I liked every track on there right off the bat, except perhaps for Sweetest Thing. It's grown on me now, though. There were the familiar faces of WoWY, Sunday, and New Years on the 15 song album (15 if you count the hidden track October at the end of the album, which I missed the first 3 times I listened to it), but there were a lot of new ones. I immediately liked Bad. Even though I later learned that the band thought it was unfinished when they released it, I found it very uplifting. Especially the -ation part where the music is building the whole time up to the "Let go!" part, I found brilliant. Elsewhere on the album was Where the Streets Have No Name, which has about the most awesome intro I've ever heard. The synth building up to the rich, chiming guitar before the drums kick in was awesome. Then there's The Unforgettable Fire, which has the atmospherics of a Cure song, with a bit more cinematics and melody to make it a hit. It's a great tune. The last several tracks on the album came from U2's blues/gospel/roots rock project concieved during the Joshua Tree tour, Rattle and Hum. It reminded me of Depeche Mode's SOFAD album, albeit a bit more obviously blues. BB King's prescence was helpful for that reason. I particularly liked All I Want is You, for the simple acoustic ballad that builds with electric guitars and strings. Even though the outro was about 2 minutes too long and began to sound like movie credits music after the big credits song plays, with the orchestral arrangements and all, I still really liked the song. U2 were a very good artist for me to discover.
In the following weeks, I would play the Best Of CD at least once every weekend. Several times, I have sat in my darkish room, lit only by the early morning light through the window, sit in the corner near my stereo, and listen to the album with my headphones. I would get really excited about my favorites but still be happy to be there during songs I didn't enjoy as much. Don't get me wrong - I still like and liked all of the songs on the album. The album quickly became not just comfort music, but comforting music, a more positive alternative to drowning my sorrows in Robert Smith's murky musings. It was uplifting, spiritual but not necessarily religious, and full of life. That about takes you to the present day. This is where I'm still at.
I would consider myself a U2 fan. Laugh all you want, you're just afraid of sincerity and conviction. I also feel like I need to address a lot of the controversy around the music and the members, well mostly Bono. I've heard so many folks on the Internet saw how they think that U2 are "fine" or "mediocre", saying that they're alright but that there are 100 other bands that can do what they do better. As I mentioned earlier, I probably haven't had the same experience as they had, because by the time of my musical coming-of-age, U2 had mostly vanished from relevance. It's really an opinion matter, I guess, but I can still try to convince you. Maybe just put your headphones on and listen to a U2 song you haven't heard a billion times. Try Unforgettable Fire. Maybe you'll start to get it then. Another thing; Bono. People often criticize him for being really pretentious, preachy, or just plain arrogant. At times they are right. His infamous concert speeches and projected image of spirituality and wisdom can get on anybody's nerves, mine included. But think about what he has done. Barring his incredible vocals and lyrics, his charity work has done some good in the world. His activism aims to help out people who really need it. How many multi-millionaire performers can say the same? And from what I've heard from people who have met him and talked to him personally, he's a cool but down to earth, human individual. Ever stop to think that perhaps he's putting on for the sake of showmanship? He is a performer, after all. Just some thoughts.
Obviously I like U2, so naturally I want to explore their music more. I'm heading to a record store this weekend, so I'll definately look for some U2. I'm hoping I'll find either one of the albums from Best Of that isn't Joshua Tree, such as War or The Unforgettable Fire, or even something from the reported "sellout" perioid, maybe Achtung Baby or All That You Can't Leave Behind. The reason I'm avoiding the Joshua Tree for now is because most fans I've heard say that's their best album, and from the songs on it, it looks like it may be. So I'm saving it ;)
U2 may not be the greatest band in the world. They may not be the most skilled or the ones with the best singles, and they may not be the most pertinent (as much as they want to be). But they are a good band. Listen to them again.
Favorite songs: With or Without You, Bad, Where the Streets Have No Name, New Years' Day, The Unforgettable Fire
