Favorite U2 Songs

I have been a U2 fan since 1988.  My parents took my sister and I to the UK and the rental car we had had a CD player.  Nicole and I pooled some money and bought “The Joshua Tree” and listened to it over and over for the entire summer.  As a result I became a U2 fan, and over the next few years I went back through their catalogue from their earliest EPs onward.  Years later I took my family to the Zoo TV tour which was amazing since it was the first and only time I got to go to a concert with my parents. When I asked them what they thought, my mother noted how different it was from the Joshua tree.  And that is what I love about U2.  They are not afraid to try something new and change things up a bit.  Here is my list of the top 10 U2 Songs.

One – Recorded on the 1991 album Achtung Baby, this song apparently held the band together after creative differences threatened to break them apart.

“At the instant we were recording it, I got a very strong sense of its power. We were all playing together in the big recording room, a huge, eerie ballroom full of ghosts of the war, and everything fell into place. It was a reassuring moment, when everyone finally went, ‘oh great, this album has started.’ It’s the reason you’re in a band – when the spirit descends upon you and you create something truly affecting. ‘One’ is an incredibly moving piece. It hits straight into the heart.” ~ The Edge

Still Haven’t found what I’m looking for – From the Joshua Tree album in 1987 the video was filmed in Las Vegas, which was just perfect. Produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, it is a wonderful blend of pop and soul.  Many critics mention it is the band’s quest for spirituality while on tour in the U.S. Listen and decide for yourself.  You can watch the video on U2’s website.

Desire – Desire came off of the Rattle and Hum album in 1988 and is the one of the strongest songs on the album. It was the first #1 for the band in the UK and Australia.  Produced by Jimmy Lovine, they filmed the video in Hollywood and the song has been revamped numerous times for subsequent tours.  Personally I love the original, from the way the song starts with “ya” to the harmonica at the end.

Beautiful Day – This song came from the 2000 album, all that you can’t leave behind which came out while I was travelling around the world. Bono explained that the upbeat track is about losing everything but still finding joy in what one has.  Which was apt since while I travelled I carried everything I owned in a backpack.  I love the way the drums beat through the vocal harmony.

Sunday Bloody Sunday – One of the most instantly recognizable drum beats kicks off this masterful protest record like a call to arms. It’s an song about war, from the album title “War”. The song is about the Bloody Sunday incident in Derry where British troops shot and killed unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders. U2 briefly stopped performing it after the video below because as Bono put it, the song was “made real” and could never be surpassed. Take a listen and see what you think.

All I want is you – Another great song from Rattle and Hum is “All I Want Is You.” The slower pace makes it a ballad I guess.  I don’t really know.  I do tell my husband this whenever he asks if I want anything from Japan.  I especially love the way U2 combines is it in medleys with other songs.  The way the song slowly increases in volume and intensity makes it especially good for that. Watch this example where all I want is you transitions into Where the streets have no name.

Bad – by far my favorite U2 song. It is the pen-ultimate example of the Edge’s delay use and the Eno/Lanois dreamy atmospherics work so well it is hard to not love this song. It is apparently about heroin addiction and someone who died of an overdose.  The song is about letting go. I would say it is U2’s “Let it be”. While the studio version is good, the live versions are mind blowing.

I am going to include 3 here actually.

The first is the 12 minute version from Live Aid includes reference to Lou Reed, and the Rolling Stones.  Bono apparently also saved the woman he pulled from the crowd as she was being crushed by the throngs behind her. The last lines of the song are really what make it so good though…”I’m wide awake, I’m not sleeping.”

The Second is from Paris in 1987. It feels a little more raw than the Live Aid version. It it tough to overlook the ridiculous mime-esque outfit and long hair but if you just listen to the song itself…

The last one was shot in Paris. The reason I include it is the band, older now slows it down just a bit, Patti Smith comes out and the sing a few bars of “Gloria” as well.