U2 LiveJournal

New album hopes?

2026-01-05T23:42:12Z

Rumours of a new album this autumn, with a single in the summer if all goes to plan. Are you hoping for anything in particular? (I'm not sure what I want musically or thematically but I hope Bono is making good use of his newly recovered falsetto!)

Live Aid at 40

2025-07-22T22:45:13Z

The recent 3-part Band Aid / Live Aid / Live 8 documentary is worth a watch, and features contributions from Bono. It's on BBC iPlayer for anyone who can access that: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002fp3t/episodes/guide

Larry interview

2025-02-05T22:33:47Z

If you haven't seen it already, Larry did an interview with ABC News recently: https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/documentary-left-explores-headwinds-solutions-living-dyslexia-117968331

Kind of amazing to see him talking so openly about personal family stuff. Or doing any kind of promo activity by himself, for that matter!

V-U2

2024-08-22T23:06:19Z

Great news: if you couldn't go to Vegas to see U2, you can now spend a similar amount of money to go there anyway and just pretend they're still there! (Or if you did go, you can pay a fortune all over again to see a partial recording of the show you've already seen.)

https://www.u2.com/news/title/v-u2-an-immersive-concert-film-at-sphere-las-vegas/

Christina Petro video

2024-03-09T23:28:08Z

I raised an eyebrow when Bono referred to the original ZooTV bellydancer Christina Petro as "this woman" in his book... and so did she! Christina sets the record straight in this funny and revealing video:

Atomic City + Vegas

2023-09-24T19:20:18Z

Thoughts on the new song Atomic City?

Also, the Vegas shows begin on Friday night! Anyone going, or planning to listen live? (I am hoping for Mixlr streams...)

Surrender

2023-04-10T10:31:22Z

I've just finished Bono's autobiography.

On the whole a really interesting read, from his working class Dublin background in the 70's (which I can relate to well) to musical success (which came pretty quickly in retrospect) to mixing with world leaders and involvement in political activism.

I must admit, I skim read a bit of the political interactions near the end of the book. I found the music and his creative process much more more interesting.

On the whole though, he's got a great writing style that crosses into poetry at times in a very natural way. There are some great monologues on life, his wife, God, death...

Not surprisingly, one of the best autobiographies I've read.

SOS + 40 Foot Man

2023-03-20T23:06:27Z

So..... any thoughts on Songs Of Surrender now it's finally out?

Also, unexpected new song! I like it!

Stories of Surrender

2022-10-04T22:22:54Z

Theatre dates for Bono's book tour:

New York City Beacon Theatre - Wednesday 2nd November
Boston Orpheum Theatre - Friday 4th November
Toronto Meridian Hall - Sunday 6th November
Chicago Theatre - Tuesday 8th November
Nashville Ryman Auditorium - Wednesday 9th November
San Francisco Orpheum Theatre - Saturday 12th November
Los Angeles Orpheum Theatre - Sunday 13th November
London Palladium - Wednesday 16th November
Glasgow SEC Armadillo - Thursday 17th November
Manchester O2 Apollo - Saturday 19th November
Dublin 3Olympia Theatre - Monday 21st November
Berlin Admiralspalast - Wednesday 23rd November
Paris Le Grand Rex - Friday 25th November
Madrid Teatro Coliseu - Monday 28th November

Tickets on sale Friday at 10am, with a U2.com subscribers presale on Thursday at 10am local times. Anyone planning to go, or not?

Songs Of Surrender (working title?)

2022-04-21T22:18:23Z

If anyone hasn't already heard, there will apparently be an album released in November consisting of new versions of old U2 songs. I wonder what on earth will be included and why. Their best stuff surely doesn't need redoing and I'm not sure what could improve the less good stuff...

Your Song Saved My Life

2021-11-05T21:56:00Z

New U2 song from the animated movie Sing 2:

Two new Bono songs

2021-05-22T16:55:01Z

waves

2020-12-06T23:39:40Z

If anybody out there is looking for somewhere to chat about U2 now the @U2 forum is gone... this place still exists. :p

U2 albums survey

2020-06-22T19:57:01Z

Posted on Zootopia a few months ago, posting again here in case anyone wants to steal it!

- List U2's studio albums in whatever order you want and number them from 1 to 14.
- Then answer the questions below!

THE QUESTIONS:
01. Which was the first U2 album you owned?
02. What were the first songs you heard from #3 and #13?
03. What were your initial opinions of #7 and #1, and have they changed since then?
04. Which album(s) are your favourite?
05. Which album do you prefer out of #10 and #4?
06. What are your favourite tracks from #6 and #12?
07. What memories do you associate with #14 and #8?
08. Which album would you listen to when feeling down?
09. Where would you rank #5 and #9 in your album preferences?
10. Which album has a better opening track, #2 or #11?
11. What are your favourite lyrics from #10 and #13?
12. Which album would you listen to when feeling happy?
13. How many songs from #7 and #2 have you heard live?
14. Which tracks from #8 and #5 should have been released as singles?
15. Which album do you listen to more, #11 or #3?
16. Which album has grown on you the most?
17. Which songs from #4 and #1 do you dream of hearing live?
18. Which album has a better closing track, #9 or #12?
19. Which album do you prefer out of #6 and #14?
20. Which album would you love to see played in full like on the recent Joshua Tree tours?

(You can repeat this as many times as you like just by listing the albums in a different order.)

Doctor WhU2

2020-01-07T22:35:52Z

LOL... remember that time I realised Edge is a Time Lord? (And volare illustrated it?)

It turns out someone else realised it too, and made a whole comic strip about it. :D

Song Of The Day

2019-10-01T23:11:02Z

I know I haven't written one of these since 2014, and I'm not sure if anyone is even still reading this community, but this is something I feel the need to write...

California (There Is No End To Love)

I am so tired of seeing how underrated this song is. Songs Of Innocence is a terrific album and this is one of my very favourite tracks on it - certainly the standout song on the first half for me - but it somehow came LAST in U2.com's Side 1 poll soon after the album was released. I've seen a number of fans speak very dismissively about it, as if its crappy worthlessness is self-evident. And even when people *do* love the song, they tend to say things like "It's straight-up light-hearted fun!" and "It really captures the feel of California!", which doesn't do it justice at all. There's so much more to appreciate here.

While it's set against the backdrop of the band's first trip to Los Angeles, this is a song about life after loss. Bono explained it briefly in a 2014 radio interview that I've never been able to find again since (probably one of these that's no longer available). He said they were all really excited about their adventure, but someone in their party - he didn't specify who - had recently suffered a bereavement and it was totally dragging the mood down for everyone. The result is this amazing juxtaposition of grief and joy that I can't recall hearing in any other song.

Let's start at the beginning, with that wonderfully atmospheric intro. There's already a mournful tone to it, with the sounds of pouring rain and a church bell tolling. (This is also an awesome callback to the Video Confessionals on ZooTV, which opened with the same bell sound! TV viewers in Ireland will recognise it as a sample of The Angelus.) Once the music fades in over the top, it's one of those great intros that just keeps on building as a variety of layers are added. I love the way it opens with that shuddering tremolo effect, which is very cool and unusual, and contrasts beautifully with the smooth, high "ooh ooh ooh" vocal that comes in a few seconds later. Then we have the band's little tribute to the Beach Boys, with a lengthy chant of "Ba-Ba-Barbara, Santa Barbara" intended to evoke their classic cover of 'Barbara Ann'. (Bono has spoken about wanting to see Brian Wilson's house with its piano-in-a-sandpit while they were out there.) This is the only part I wasn't initially keen on - I found it a bit clunky and overdone, and not enough like the Beach Boys sound to really work as an homage - but I don't mind it now, and there's something quite soothing about it. Other instruments begin to creep in almost imperceptibly: little string flourishes (or fake strings, I can't tell), a crescendo of pounding drums, a nice piano riff. A loud drum burst then launches us into another phase of the intro complete with driving bassline. It all comes together to create this rich wall of sound that completely envelops you (especially if you're listening through headphones with the volume right up) and is bound to have at least one body part nodding or tapping along by the time we reach the first verse. So good, and it hasn't even properly started yet!

"California, then we fell into the shining sea. The weight that drags your heart down - well that's what took me where I need to be." The opening line sets the "fun holiday" scene, which is then immediately destroyed as we dive into the heavy stuff. They're all at the beach but someone can't stop crying. Bono seems to be trying to comfort the bereaved person by sharing his own experiences of grief (i.e. the loss of his mother) and how it sent him on this life-changing journey with U2; it's reminiscent of the line in Mofo, "Mother, you left and made me someone". This terrible event still led to good things. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. Don't let it go out.

"California, at the dawn you thought would never come. But it did. Like it always does." Light follows darkness, and life goes on. It's meant as a reassurance, but at the same time it illustrates the cold indifference of the universe that often makes a death feel even worse - the way the planet just carries on turning as if nothing has happened. There's a passage about this in Shalimar The Clown by Salman Rushdie: "The world does not stop but cruelly continues, the widows chorused in the hallways. At a time of tragedy you wonder at it, the world's capacity for continuing. When our husbands left us we expected the planet to cease its spinning so we could all float off into space, we expected silence, respect, but the traffic doesn't care what the heart needs, the billboards don't care, things move right along." I know exactly what he means. You feel like everything should pause for a while and acknowledge the depth of this loss ("Stop all the clocks..."), but of course it never happens, no matter how beloved the person was. I like how Bono pauses after every syllable of "Al. Ways. Does.", kind of emphasising the clockwork reliability of it. The whole song has a somewhat quirky melody that's so great to sing along with.

Speaking of which - what a chorus it's got! Those soaring vocals... I'm not a huge fan of Bono overusing whoa-oh-oh's in a lot of recent songs, but they are *perfect* here. My enjoyment of music is mainly tied to my love of singing, and this is a sheer delight to belt out at the top of your lungs. I adore that warm, uplifting synth sound, and I'm so thrilled to hear Bono nailing the high note each time he sings "need"!

Back to the grieving process... "It's just your light gets dimmer if you have to stay in your bedroom, in a mirror, watching yourself cry like a baby." That line really gets to me because I have seen myself crying in a mirror many times, when I'm alone and feeling at my worst. (The only time I don't mind crying in front of other people is at U2 concerts...)

"California, blood orange sunset brings you to your knees." Aside from the slightly weird description there (blood isn't orange... is he comparing the sun to a fruit??), the way he follows up this scene of hopeless misery with the image of a gorgeous sunset, and its overwhelming effect on the sufferer, is what makes this song resonate so strongly with me. The unbearable heartbreak that can make life so hard to deal with, right alongside the beauty and goodness in the world that makes you glad to still be alive... that contradictory blend of emotions is so familiar and so difficult to express, but this song gets it spot on. It's all in there.

The conclusion Bono comes to is also very relatable: "I've seen for myself, there's no end to grief... that's how I know, and why I need to know, that there is no end to love." How refreshing to hear someone admit "there is no end to grief", a whole 40 years after his bereavement. We are so often told that time is a great healer, and viewed as having a problem if we don't move on within an acceptable period of time. But I've never understood the concept of "getting over" the loss of someone you love. You might get used to it, find you don't think about it quite so much, and manage to smile at the happy memories, but the passing of time doesn't make their death any less sad. Indeed, it shouldn't, because they meant something to you and they'll always be a part of you. Bono does a fine job of summing that up in a single sentence. (It's probably one of those things where he's also singing about God, but does it cleverly so it appeals just as much to the non-religious among us!) How anyone can listen to these incredibly poignant lyrics and call it "straight-up fun" or write it off as cheesy pop, I will never know.

For me, the very best moment comes after the second chorus. The music falls quiet for a few seconds and you start to hear distorted fragments of the intro again, almost like the song itself is struggling to move forward. But the band come to the rescue, with Edge's gentle reminder "There is no end..." completed passionately by Bono ("...ennnnd to lo-ove!"), and there's a momentary halt before we plunge into the guitar solo. That vocal fills my heart with utter euphoria every time I listen to it, making me want to cry happy tears instead of sad ones.

I really wish this had been the lead single (or released as a single at all - I'm so disappointed with the songs they chose to promote that album). It would have sounded fantastic on the radio, and must be an excellent driving song, it has so much energy and momentum. I'm also gutted they only played it live a handful of times so I didn't get to see it! (My other favourites from SOI, The Troubles and Volcano, weren't played at my shows either. Still can't believe they deprived me of all three!!)

In short, California is absolutely brilliant and doesn't get the credit it deserves.

LYRICS

Ba-Ba-Barbara, Santa Barbara (x 10)

California
Then we fell into the shining sea
The weight that drags your heart down
Well that's what took me where I need to be
Which is here
Out on Zuma
Watching you cry like a baby
California
At the dawn you thought would never come
But it did
Like it always does

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
All I know
And all I need to know is there is no
Yeah there is no end to love

I didn't call you
Words can scare a thought away
Everyone's a star in our town
It's just your light gets dimmer if you have to stay
In your bedroom
In a mirror
Watching yourself cry like a baby
California
Blood orange sunset brings you to your knees
I've seen for myself, there's no end to grief
That's how I know

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
That's how I know
And why I need to know that there is no
Yeah there is no end to love
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
All I know
And all I need to know is there is no
Yeah there is no end to love

There is no end
End to love

(Guitar solo)

Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
All I know
And all I need to know is there is no
Yeah there is no end to love
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
We come and go
But stolen days you don't give back
Stolen days are just enough

(Further reading: Karen Lindell's analysis of the song on @U2.com, which I just came across while looking for something else and found she had many of the same thoughts. I'm glad someone else recognises what's so special about it!)

The Joshua Tree Tour 2019

2019-07-15T11:59:48Z

Anyone going to the Joshua Tree shows this year? It's great that they are finally visiting some countries they haven't been to in ages, or ever!

Favourite recent tour?

2019-01-30T18:08:36Z

Seen this asked in a few different places - which was your favourite tour out of Innocence + Experience, The Joshua Tree 2017, and Experience + Innocence?

I find it impossible to answer because I liked different things about each one - IE had the most impressive production and narrative, JT was the most enjoyable experience, and EI had MacPhisto!

Experience + Innocence Tour

2018-08-16T20:16:36Z

Just over a fortnight until the European leg of the EI Tour... anyone here going to a show?

Esquire article

2018-03-08T21:53:22Z

I just stumbled across this slideshow and found it quite amusing:

50 Photos of Bono Being Bono-y!

North America ticket sales

2017-12-12T19:06:53Z

So.... has anyone tried to buy tickets for the North American shows? How did it go?

MTV Europe Music Awards

2017-10-05T16:18:52Z

U2 are nominated for 'Best Live' and 'Best Rock' at the MTV EMAs. You can vote here - no sign-up required, and there doesn't seem to be any limit as to how many times you can vote?

The Best Thing video

2017-09-27T22:37:12Z

The proper video for 'You're The Best Thing About Me' is here, and features U2 being goofy in NYC. The editing style is a bit too frantic for my taste, but it's kinda cute. :)

U2 on The Tonight Show

2017-09-08T15:14:23Z

Performing the new single and a topical version of Bullet The Blue Sky:

You're The Best Thing About Me

2017-09-06T23:15:54Z

So, the new single is here. Which song do you prefer, The Blackout or You're The Best Thing About Me?