[Closed] Best U2 song

I liked The Fly, One and The unforgettable fire

That one about losing his keys.

A sort of Homecoming

Bad (Wide awake in America)

I Will Follow. Or maybe Sunday Bloody Sunday

If I listen to a sort of homecoming on an autumn evening, with the light fading gracefully and the wind gently bristling the trees outside my window, I feel I can almost reach out and touch the faces of my mother and father, despite them being a thousand miles away.

Probably one of my alltime favourite ballads.

One.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

One Tree Hill

Red Hill Mining Town

But mostly Sunday Bloody Sunday, an important and great song.

Loads in truth. But a few that spring to mind are Bad, Numb, Angel of Harlem, One Tree Hill, Running to Stand Still, 40, October, New Year's Day.

Of those I'd have to say Bad

A Sort of Homecoming is a great call. Which brings to mind The Unforgettable Fire. Subtle and strangely beautiful.

It's looking like they peaked with Unforgettable Fire album

Vertigo

Ultraviolet or Acrobat both from the Achtung Baby album. Sadly, must agree with the OP that they lost it from here on.

Pride (In The Name Of Love)

On a side note my fave U2 cover is 2 Cellos With Or Without You live at Arena Pula

Last time i listened to them (about 1984) it was I Will Follow and probs Rejoice

Sunday, Bloody Sunday for me.

With or without you one of my favourite songs ever

Where the streets have no name . About the only u2 track I like though

Either The Unforgettable Fire or Bullet the Blue Sky for me.

All I want is you

Running to Stand Still

One

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Huge difference between concerts in '87 and '93

Not really a fan but think I recall andy weatherall doing a mid 90s mix of a track that was decent. Cant seem to find ="2020-10-04T17:35:45+00:00">

"All I want is you" is probably my favourite

Electric Co(mpulsive Therapy). I don't like U2 but grudgingly like the song in the sort of way I like Tempelhof airport.

I have a few ,Red hill mining town, Bad,Unforgettable Fire , All I want is you and New Years day .
When I first heard Bullet the blue sky I hated it but my reaction to that track changes when I saw it performed live and it took on a much rawer , angrier form.

Never liked them, but if I had to choose, New years day. Raw and rockin'

Not listened to U2 in any meaningful way since I saw them on the Zoo TV tour and instantly went off them. I was raging that I missed PJ Harvey as support the previous night because we went on the Sunday. Also I only really liked them because of a girl.

Anyhoo, put a gun to my head and the Achtung Baby still stands up, this is still a favourite:

Bullet the blue sky by an absolute mile!

As Nick and others have said, it's Bad.

Totally not a fan to be honest but I’ve just been scanning through 18 the singles album and I wouldn’t rush to turn most of the tracks off.

It's this isn't it?

I thought New Years day was their best, until they released Unforgettable Fire/Bad

Are we allowed to do Alan Partridge quotes? Oh well.

I'm not really a fan, the only song I really like is The Sweetest Thing, which isn't much like anything else I've heard by them. I like the video too.

Oh, and I like the Pet Shop Boys cover of Where The Streets Have No Name. Apparently when U2 heard it they sent the PSBs a message saying "What Have We, What Have We, What Have We Done to Deserve This?", which made me like it even more.

Their best performance of Bad, in my opinion, was at the Amnesty International 'Conspiracy of Hope' tour at Giants Stadium in 1986.

Pretty much anything from Joshua Tree, and Bad.

I agree with your comments, SR. I was a huge fan when they started out and saw them live 3 times. My favourite tracks:
With or Without You
Gloria
Drowning Man

One is a fantastic piece of songwriting.

On a similar vibe, I like Stay (Faraway, So Close!) too.

For me Its 'Bad' , I loved them up until the popmart pish. They were always good live but the final straw was forcing their bloody album on iphone users.

Bad, Sort of Homecoming and One.. but there are a few good tracks on the Joshua Tree and Rattle & Hum.

I saw the live a couple of times in the early 90s - musically they were great but Bono trying to phone the Prime Minister live on stage ensured i never went to see them again.
I've no interest in anything post Rattle and Hum, but was properly obsessed in the late 80s - had the whole back catalogue on Vinyl, etc.

@oreetmon Lemon. Great dance track.

Bad, Acrobat, Electric Co.

One and the story behind it as it was made in "From the sky down" at the Hansa studio, Berlin.

Sometimes you can't make it on your own.

Edit. Actually forget that- it hasn't aged well.

I used to play SbS repeatedly at work. When work was a barracks in Ulster. And I’d use the conflicts that that act invited to educate others on the nuances of the situation we were in. It was worth the bruises.

Not their best though, that’s unforgettable fire. Running to stand still always hits me too, due to a loss that way.

I love Gone, from Pop. Excellent Edge-ism, one of the first basslines I learned to play, randomly self-aware lyrics... I know nobody likes Pop but I loved it at the time and I think it still stands up better than most.

Also, it gained extra poignancy after Bono had that horrible mountain bike crash after he took some steps that made him feel dizzy. Though he did not get to like the way it felt.

They had their moments up until Achtung Baby, One, bad,a new song,Hawkmoon...loads more actually.

Again.... not a fan as I think they lost their way very early on, but I do like probably the only track where Bono is joined in vocals by The Edge. 'Numb'

I'd probably put Silver and Gold in 3rd place after Bad and New Years Day.

I love Ultraviolet, but it must be played loudly.

I was once the world’s biggest fan, but lost interest after Zooropa (1993). In the meantime, I agree with anyone who says:

a) The band should have packed it in years ago
b) The band was never the most technically accomplished in the world
c) Bono’s public persona could stand with some adjustment

I'm with this 100%, they were the backdrop to some interesting teenage times

Sunday Bloody Sunday for its infectious rabble rousing sound - their first one I really got introduced to them through

Was a huge fan in the 80`s and still listen to Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum now..

Could list many tracks from both of those albums All I Want Is You, Red Hill, Silver and Gold, etc

But no-one yet has said Mothers of the Disappeared. Its such a haunting sad yet beautiful song. Was always one of my favs.

Edit, and Running To Stand Still, how could i forget that....

And so she woke up
Woke up from where she was
Lying still
Said I gotta do something
About where we're going
Step on a steam train
Step out of the driving rain, maybe
Run from the darkness in the night
Singing ha, ah la la la de day
Ah da da da de day
Ah la la de day
Sweet the sin
Bitter than taste in my mouth
I see seven towers
But I only see one way out
You got to cry without weeping
Talk without speaking
Scream without raising your voice
You know I took the poison
From the poison stream
Then I floated out of here
Singing ha la la la de day
Ha la la la de day
Ha la la de day
She runs through the streets…

What's the difference between God and bono?

God doesn't walk around thinking he's bono.

Bit late to the party, but ... early stuff was great, Under a Blood Red Sky was the one that got me into them and lost interest around about Achtung Baby - a friend and I were really into them and then we got Achtung Baby and just looked at each other and thought 'something's missing'. Still listen to everything else before that. If you like early raw stuff listen to the 'U2 Hammersmith Palais 1982' concert that was recorded for Radio 1, can find it on youtube, it's like Under a Blood Red Sky on caffiene, I've got it on MP3 and I swear when I listen to that on a mtb ride I go a lot faster and feel 20 years old again!

‘U2 Hammersmith Palais 1982’ concert that was recorded for Radio 1

I had completely forgotten about that concert! It was broadcast on the CBC (whether simultaneously or not I don't remember), and I recorded it on my tape player. I can not begin to think of the number of times I listened to it.

Thanks for the reminder!

I'll go with either New Years Day or I Will Follow.

Until the End of the World.

I had completely forgotten about that concert! It was broadcast on the CBC (whether simultaneously or not I don’t remember), and I recorded it on my tape player. I can not begin to think of the number of times I listened to it.

Thanks for the reminder!

I have that on vinyl with a BBC label on the plain white cardboard sleeve.

Angel of Harlem.

So many, but I reckon One, brilliant when I watched them live. 40 and With or Without You. Kite too.

Sunday Bloody Sunday
New Year’s Day
Where The Streets Have No Name
Really great, rousing rock anthems.

Not a fan but saw them at Slaine Castle the night engerland stuck 5 past the Hun. The announced the German goal to much cheering but none of the England goals. But I digress, out of the set Bullet in the Blue Sky was head and shoulders above everything else.

Another one that I’ve always loved is Drowning Man from War.
I know it’s really easy to criticise Bono, and God knows he’s an easy target, but really, what’s he guilty of? Basically, he’s incredibly passionate about a number of things, and never misses an opportunity to go on about them, not unlike another Irish rock singer, Bob Geldof.
But seriously, to lay into him the way some people do when you’ve got the likes of Morrissey or the bloke from Lost Prophets is more than a little over the top; ‘cos let’s face it, who has he actually harmed?

Another vote for Stay (Faraway, So Close).

Unforgettable fire

Never went off them the way some people have, although I don't listen to them nearly as much as I used to.
One of the most evocative tracks for me is In God's Country - I remember driving up to glenshee to go skiing in the 80s, with that track as the playing rising sun caught the cliffs of Lochnagar, and it felt like a song couldn't be more perfect. So many other good memories that have U2 as their soundtrack.

I was a huge U2 fan from early 80s thru to probably late 2000s. Then it got a bit stale

Looking back at what they recorded, the concerts, the support acts they helped get bigger e.g. Elbow 2009 tour. They are simply a great band. Great lead guitarist, great lead singer, good drummer & great bassist. Bono rightly gets pilloried as he's a pretend Geldoff but Crikey he can sing when he's not indulging himself.

I'm going to play a lot of the back catalogue over the weekend... Very loud.

But no-one yet has said Mothers of the Disappeared. Its such a haunting sad yet beautiful song. Was always one of my favs.

I love that too - One Tree Hill is also amazing.

As for after Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby it went downhill - I disagree somewhat... They did have a dip on quality - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is a record I just don’t play, the last two albums have been great. Songs of Innocence is a great semi-autobiographical record. The tours supporting the last two albums have been great, the last one especially so. The sonics of Zoo TV was back but with more anger.

To be honest, I love most of what they have done and I think that whilst Bono might be a bit annoying - he doesn’t deserve the amount of stick he gets... well apart from moving the bands corporate headquarters to the Netherlands thing.

My older sister was a big music influence on me from about 1985 onwards, ie from when i was about 10 and started an interest in music.

She introduced me to the joshua tree first.

Id sit for hours with a walkman and tape and later a cd player listening to where the streets have no name, that incredible riff and intro blew my mind... then i got rattle and hum and loved the film, the sun valley stadium version of streets is still my favourite.

Streets, Still havent found what im looking for, Bad and All i want is you, are my favourites from my favourite time of the band, almost entirely because of the guitar

I play guitar because of the edge, and this is one of my most fundamental loves in life (wish i was better!) so they as a band were incredibly important and influential on me as a kid and adult.

Then theres bonos lyrics, which can be incredible...

"She wears my love like a see through dress"

When everyone else was wearing happy mondays baggies i was in a biker jacket waist coat and pointy boots trying to be bono from the rattle and hum film....

Id agree that they started to turn after zooropa (love stay!),

Pop i still like very much. That velvet dress has a great Bridge section to it and the playboy mansion i like also for its simplicity.

But unlike radiohead (whom as i age i like more and can find new stuff in the their entire back catalogue, even the bleepy stuff) started to slide after Zooropa, and definitely should have stopped after Pop.

Anything newer is repetitious, derivative and lacking in soul or creativity imho.

I have that on vinyl with a BBC label on the plain white cardboard sleeve

jamj1974 - How did you manage to get that? I thought there wasn't anything released? I got bootleg mp3 of it years ago.

Maybe I'll try some of their latest stuff. I found after Achtung Baby I'd like maybe a few tracks on the albums, anything before that I could happily listen to the whole album. Of course these days I can just make my own playlists with favourites back then you had to press buttons to skip tracks on your CD player.

For me, currently their best one for me is their next one as I haven't heard it yet. That will one day be superseded by the next one they haven't made.

One Tree Hill