(Continued from Part Five)
U2 released the album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb in 2004. "Vertigo" hit #1 in the U.K. and Ireland, and was another single which topped one million in the U.S. but Billboard ranked at #31. Despite its astonishingly low peak on Billboard, "Vertigo" nevertheless won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Song, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Short Form Music Video and helped U2 win Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Rock Album. "Vertigo is another of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.
The video for "Vertigo" chalked up five nominations at the MTV VMA's, including Best Group Video and Breakthrough Video.
The video for "Vertigo" chalked up five nominations at the MTV VMA's, including Best Group Video and Breakthrough Video.
Bono wrote "City Of Blinding Lights" after the September 11 murders and the group played in New York City.
“Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” is another song about the relationship between Bono and his father, who died of cancer in 2001.
The Grammy win total for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb reached eight when "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" scored Song of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal honors and "City Of Blinding Lights" earned Best Rock Song. The album landed at #1 throughout the world and has topped three million in U.S. sales and nine million globally.
The band once again floored audiences on the Vertigo Tour, selling 4.6 million tickets and grossing $389 million, the second-highest grossing tour at that time.
In between albums, U2 performed with Mary J. Blige for their own cover of "One", featured on Blige's album, The Breakthrough. The superstars were nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the Grammy Awards.
The next year, U2 and Green Day combined for their remake of "The Saints Are Coming", nominated for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the Grammys. In addition to recording the song, the two groups performed together live during the Monday Night Football pregame show of the New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons game on September 25, 2006. This was the first game in the Louisiana Superdome since it was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina. All proceeds from the song went to aid victims of the disaster.
The band released the collaboration U2 18 Singles in 2006, which earned them Grammy nominations for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (for "Window In The Skies") and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (for their remake of John Lennon's "Instant Karma!").
The band released the collaboration U2 18 Singles in 2006, which earned them Grammy nominations for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (for "Window In The Skies") and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (for their remake of John Lennon's "Instant Karma!").
U2 released the album No Line on the Horizon in 2009. The album debuted at #1 in over 30 countries and has sold over five million copies. Bono explained the lyrics "Every generation has a chance to change the world/Pity the nation that won't listen to you, boys and girls" in "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" to The Observer Music Monthly in February, 2009:
Well, that is building up to the next line, "The
sweetest melody is the one we haven't heard."
That's just a nice thought. The solution to the
problems we find ourselves in will have to be
found by the new generation but often the
new ideas just aren't listened to.
The band was nominated for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song (for "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight") at the Grammy Awards.
This song resulted from improvised recording sessions with Eno and Lanois in Fez, Morocco in June, 2007. "The basic chord progression had a power that got everyone inspired," Edge explained. "I think we all knew that it was inherently joyful, which is rare." A group of percussionists from Morocco played on "Magnificent", and the song became a group favorite.
"Unknown Caller" is presented from the perspective of a drug addict who begins to get strange text messages. It was recorded in a single take.
Here is the somber but also beautiful and unforgiving "Cedars Of Lebanon".
In the song "Moment Of Surrender", there is the line "Vision over Visibility". The title is the term used in Alcoholics Anonymous for when an addict admits their helplessness.
The group recorded "Winter" for the movie Brothers, which was nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globe Awards.
U2 closed the decade second only to the Rolling Stones in total concert grosses. They were the only band among the top 25 touring acts of the decade to sell out every show they played.
From The Sky Down, a documentary about U2 and the making of their 1991 album Achtung Baby, was nominated for Best Long Form Music Video at the 2013 Grammy Awards.
In 2013, U2 recorded "Ordinary Love" for the movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and was nominated in the same category at the Oscars. The band was again nominated for Top Duo or Group and Top Touring Artist at the Billboard Music Awards. Later in the year, McGuinness, their manager for over 30 years, stepped down with Guy Oseary taking over.
U2 released the album Songs of Innocence in 2014, with the album reaching the Top 10 in every major country and earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album. Many of the tracks are about the group's experiences in Dublin before making it big.
"The Crystal Ballroom" was a club the group used to play at called McGonagle's in Dublin, but it used to be known as the Crystal Ballroom.
"Get Out Of Your Own Way" is addressed to Bono's daughters, but also mentions the crisis in the United States due to the election of Donald Trump, righting pointing out that Liberty got a slap in the face.
"Sleep Like A Baby Tonight" tackles child abuse by the Catholic church.
"Invisible" began a partnership between RED, an organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver, and Bank of America to fight AIDS.
Bono suffered fractures of his shoulder blade, humerus, orbit and pinky finger in a bicycle accident in Manhattan, New York's Central Park in November. After recovering, he and U2 performed 76 shows in North America and Europe.
In 2014, the Grammy Awards inducted the 1987 album The Joshua Tree into their Hall of Fame. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree, U2 performed the album in its entirety at each show of their 2017 tour.
In 2014, the Grammy Awards inducted the 1987 album The Joshua Tree into their Hall of Fame. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree, U2 performed the album in its entirety at each show of their 2017 tour.
The tour grossed over $316 million as the band played before over 2.7 million people, making it the highest-grossing tour of the year. In 2017, U2 released the album Songs of Experience. Bono pondered that if he could leave one message for his children, what would that be? The result was "Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way". As he told iHeart Radio:
I think everybody substitutes their own obstacles
for [what] gets in the way. You know, what gets in
the way of your realizing your full potential? What
gets in the way of a community realizing its full
potential? What gets in the way of the whole world
realizing its full potential. Love is bigger than it. And I
really believe that.
"The Blackout" is about how we look into the deep abyss and realize that it is you and I who are the light.
In 2019, the group celebrated the 32nd anniversary of The Joshua Tree with shows throughout the world.
U2 has 32 career hits to their credit, with five reaching the Top 10 and two #1 songs. That's not as many as some of the ones just down the countdown, but they more than make up for it with a plethora of superb album tracks.
According to CBS News, U2 has sold over 170 million albums worldwide. Heading into their album Songs of Innocence, the group has a winning streak of 12 consecutive Platinum studio albums.
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