U2 Essentials

No band has embodied the belief that rock ’n’ roll can change the world quite like U2. Emerging from Dublin’s late-’70s post-punk scene, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. redirected that wiry energy to more impassioned, altruistic use, transforming themselves into a generation-defining band that combined the idealistic fervor of The Clash with the pop-cultural omnipotence of The Beatles. U2’s 1983 breakthrough, War, featured the fiery “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” which embodied the futility of the Troubles. The following year’s The Unforgettable Fire shifted toward ethereal rapture with “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and the haunting “Bad.” On 1987’s The Joshua Tree, hymns like “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “Where the Streets Have No Name” paired spiritual grace with arena-ready heft. The 1990s saw U2 push boundaries with Achtung Baby’s edgy “One” and Zooropa’s electronic explorations. Post-millennial highlights like “Beautiful Day” and “Walk On” reasserted U2’s power to unify and elevate, while 2023’s strident “Atomic City” celebrated bright futures by nodding to the band’s youthful punk roots.