hey out there! I wrote this U2 biography last year for my research report. I got the highest grade (that I know of) out of the whole class! I also had to do a timeline and an outine. But here's my report....it took me forever to write it but i did it! if you see a mistake in dates or something feel free to comment!~U2: The Music Behind the Legend~
U2’s music is unique and spiritual. “The Band of The Eighties” says Rolling Stone, April 1985. They are one of Rock’s Music Legends. U2 has come a long way in popularity and in their music from when they first began.
After Bono, The Edge, Larry, and Adam formed U2 in 1976, their first break finally came in 1978 in Limerick, Ireland. They had won a talent contest on St. Patrick’s Day. Jackie Heyden of CBS Records was a judge who was impressed by their performance. She set up their first demo session but it didn’t turn out well. They were inexperienced and they had never rehearsed in a studio before.
U2 slowly began to gain success. Bill Graham, a journalist for “Hot Press” and an early U2 fan, introduced them to their manager, Paul McGuinness. They soon signed a 3-year contract with CBS Ireland. Shortly after they released their first single called “U23”.
“U23” was released in September 1979. It had three songs: “Out of Control”, “Boy/Girl”, and “Stories for Boys”. They made a second single called “Another Day” and then signed a worldwide contract with Island Records in March 1980. The rest of 1980 was spent touring. They also came out with 3 EPs in 1980: “11 O’ Clock Tick-Tock” in May, “A Day Without Me” in August, and “I Will Follow” in October.
While touring, U2 still found time to record their first LP. “Boy” received widespread critical acclaim. In 1981 they released 2 EPs called “Fire” and “Gloria”.
They released their second LP in September 1981. “October” was more calm and spiritual than “Boy”. U2 released a single in August 1982 called “A Celebration”. In January 1983 they also released the “New Year’s Day” single.
U2 hit it big with their “War” LP. Released in February 1983, “War” reached #1 in the UK. It was a big success because it had their single “New Year’s Day” on it. Also in February, U2 released their single “Two Hearts Beat as One”.
U2 did more tours in the US and Europe. The songs for the mini live LP, “Under A Blood Red Sky”, were recorded. It was the last record before Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois worked on future LPs. Their next LP was “The Unforgettable Fire”, which was released in October 1984. It was a more complex album than “War”, but it did well in tours. The mini LP, “Wide Awake in America”, had 2 new tracks and 2 live recordings from their European tour.
During the summer of 1985, U2 played the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium in London. At the concert “Bad” ran over 12 minutes. At this point Bono considered leaving because he would leave the band to play while he went to dance in the audience. His friend who told him that it was one of the high points of the concert reassured him to stay. “Pride” had to be dropped because of the lack of time.
U2’s 7th LP was “The Joshua Tree”. It was released in March 1987 and was produced by Eno/Lanois. It was the fastest selling record ever in the UK and reached #1 in 22 countries. “The Joshua Tree” tour soon followed. They played 100 shows. “Rock’s Hottest Ticket” said Time. “The Joshua Tree” won 2 Grammys in 1987: Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. In 1987 they released 4 singles: “With or Without You”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, “Where the Streets Have No Name”, and “One Tree Hill”, which was only released in New Zealand. “Where the Streets Have No Name” won a Grammy in 1988 for Best Performance Music Video.
During their tour, Phil Joanou was chosen to direct “Rattle and Hum”. It captured U2’s live shows and their views on America. “Rattle and Hum” was shot in Denver, Colorado and Tempe, Arizona. The “Rattle and Hum” LP and movie were released in October 1988. Their single, “Desire”, hit #1 in the UK. It was U2’s first #1 UK single. “Desire” won a Grammy in 1988 for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. They released their single “Angel of Harlem” in December 1988. The song “When Love Comes to Town” was performed with B.B. King. He went on the Love Town Tour in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan with them.
At the end of the 80’s, U2 played a series of 4 concerts. They performed at The Point Depot in Dublin. On New Year’s Eve they preformed on a live worldwide broadcast. In 1989 they made 2 singles: “When Love Comes to Town” in March and “All I Want is You” in May.
“Achtung Baby” was released in November 1991. It was a more electronic album than previous ones. The ZooTV tour followed. It was a huge musical show, which used giant video screens to create an amazing visual spectacle. “Achtung Baby” won a Grammy in 1992 for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. In November 1991, U2 released 2 singles: “The Fly” and “Mysterious Ways”. They released the singles “One” in February and “Even Better Than the Real Thing” in June 1992. “Numb Video Single” and “Stay (Faraway, So Close!)” were singles released in 1993.
After their tour, they recorded “Zooropa”. It was released in July 1993 and was less commercially successful than their other albums. “Zooropa” won a Grammy in 1993 for Best Alternative Music Album. In 1994, ZooTV: Live From Sidney won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Long Form. In June 1995 they released their single “Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me”.
It was 4 years until their next LP was released, but they all worked on side projects. “Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me” was on the Batman Forever soundtrack. Adam and Larry worked on the Mission Impossible soundtrack. Bono and The Edge worked on Goldeneye. U2 also donated songs to the AIDS fundraiser like “Red, Hot and Blue” and “A Very Special Christmas”.
In March 1997 they released “Pop”. The PopMart tour had the world’s largest video screen that was 15 feet wide and 15 feet tall. It showed live pictures of the band performing and had computer generated animation sequences. Their tour also had a giant lemon shaped mirrorball for encores and a huge olive on a 100-foot high cocktail stick. In 1997 they also released 6 singles: “Discotheque”, “Staring at the Sun”, “Last Night on Earth”, “Please”, “Mofo”, and “If God Will Send His Angels”. In 1998 U2 released the “Sweetest Thing” single.
“All That You Can’t Leave Behind” was released on October 31st, 2000. It reached #1 in British album charts in the first week but it didn’t do as great in the US. It had 1 bonus track in the UK and Ireland because CDs were expensive and they had been their earliest fans. The Elevation tour started in Florida on March 24th, 2001 and went through all of North America, Europe and back to North America. In 2000, U2 won 3 Grammys for “Beautiful Day”: Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” won Best Rock Album at the Grammys in 2001. They released 5 singles from 2000-2002: “Beautiful Day”, “Stuck in A Moment You Can’t Get Out of”, “Elevation”, “Walk On”, and “Electrical Storm”. In 2001 “Walk On” won a Grammy for Record Of The Year. “Stuck in A Moment You Can’t Get Out of” won a Grammy in 2001 for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. “Elevation” also won a Grammy in 2001 for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.
On February 3rd, 2002, U2 played at the Super Bowl Half Time Show. At Super Bowl XXXVI they performed “Beautiful Day”, “MLK”, and “Where the Streets Have No Name”. Their backdrop was a tribute to the victims of 9/11.
In November 2004, U2 came out with their latest album, “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb”. They are currently on their Vertigo Tour and will come back to the Staple Center on November 1st-2nd. They released their single “Vertigo” in August 2004. In 2005, “Vertigo” won 3 Grammys: Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, Best Rock Song, and Best Short Form Music Video. On March 14th, 2005, U2 was one of 5 musical groups that were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, Bruce Springsteen presented U2 into the Hall of Fame and later on that night he performed with them. U2 was recognized that night for their 25 years of dedication to the music industry.
U2 has come a long way with their unique and spiritual music. Through the years, they have released 14 LPs and about 40 singles. It took a lot of hard work and effort to become as successful as they are now. U2 is definitely a great influence on today’s music.
