U2 in the 80s - From Boy to the Joshua Tree | POP FIX | Professor of Rock
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- Опубликовано: 28 дек 2024
- A celebration of U2: I remember buying U2 the Joshua Tree with my own money as a kid. This album didn't get tired after a month. It was an album with layers upon layers of fire, intensity and veracity. Three chords and the Truth indeed, except that the Edge added a lot more to those three chords and played them unlike any other guitarist i'd ever heard, you combine that with the conviction and emotion of Bono's voice and you have something magical that simply can't be conveyed in a RUclips video, but we do it here! Anyone who has heard this album more than a few times and grew up with it, know's exactly what i'm talking about. It's transformative and utterly compelling. Included are my top 5 U2 80s songs.
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#5- "I Will Follow" from Boy, their debut album in 1980. We have to bow down to The Edge on "I Will Follow". The tune grips you from the opening lick of The Edge's two string guitar riff that permeates throughout the song. "I Will Follow" was also a revealing preview to discovering the depth of Bono as a lyricist. Bono wrote "I Will Follow" about his mother, who passed away when he was only 14. The prose is from the perspective of a mother, and is about the unconditional love a mother has for her child.
#4- "Pride (In the Name of Love)". The lead single from U2's 4th studio album Unforgettable Fire. It is U2's tribute to the great Martin Luther King, along with reverence to other non-violent leaders throughout history that crusaded for the equality of man. When elaborating on the song's meaning, Bono stated that the song speaks to how those leaders lived their life with an inner pride in all of humanity. The bridge of "Pride (In the Name Of Love) was turned into a touching remembrance of the fateful day when MLK was assassinated:
#3- From the 1983 album WAR.."This song is not a rebel song- this song is "Sunday Bloody Sunday". One of the greatest drum grooves of all time by Larry Mullen Jr. Larry's Double-handed hi hat pattern being played between the hi-hat and the snare drum creates a warlike marching effect that sets the tone for one of U2's most political tunes. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" recounts the gruesome massacre in 1972, where British paratroopers killed 13 Irish citizens at a civil rights protest in Derry, Northern Ireland.
#2- "Where the Streets Have No Name"- the 3rd single from Joshua Tree in 1987, the game-changing album we've previously discussed that by the way has sold over 25 million copies around the globe. Bono wrote the lyrics about the class structure of Belfast- a city where you can predict a person's religion, political affiliation, or income status, by the street they live on.
The song was extremely challenging to produce.
#1- "From 1987- "With or Without You". The lead single from the Joshua Tree, and the first of two songs that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in America for U2.
Bono delivers his finest, most versatile vocal performance in this song about the conflicting lives of a famous musician and a married man. It was another complex song that could've easily been relegated to a stack of forgotten demos, but a good producer can turn a diamond in the rough, into a blazing sparkler, especially when you have not one, but two superstar producers in Lanois and Eno.
Also pick this up on vinyl below or treat yourself to the Joshua Tree 30th Anniversary 7 LP SUPER DELUXE edition it includes the 11-track album, a live recording of The Joshua Tree Tour 1987 MSG concert; rarities and B-sides from the album's original sessions; as well as new remixes from Daniel Lanois, St Francis Hotel, Jacknife Lee, Steve Lillywhite and Flood; plus it has an 84-page hardback book of unseen personal photography shot by The Edge during the original Mojave Desert photo session in 1986. 7LP's pressed on 180G vinyl! or you can get it on CD. Both are on sale now There are only a few left, so click on the Amazon link below in the description. Also if you like this content, subscribe so you don't miss a thing. Help us keep the music alive. Until next time three chords and the truth my friends.
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I was 16 and a poor, gay, brown boy growing up in the Deep South; there wasn't much hope for a person like me and I didn't have much hope in my future. It wasn't until I heard the The Joshua Tree that I felt that I was going to be alright because if there were people like this in world that could create this kind of music then life couldn't be all that bad. The Joshua Tree gave me hope and as a 50 year old man, my condo in Chicago is a shrine to The Joshua Tree and U2. Until the day that I die, U2 will always be in my heart and soul. Thank you for this video.
Eli S. I was the same age as you and in similar in many ways as you except I was in TX as opposed to the Deep South. This album like the Professor said was the first time I actually “listened” to an album and tried to understand everything it would convey to me over the hundreds of times I would listen to it. It gave me hope but I also resonated with it’s dark overtones because many of those things were going on in my head. This album and Achtung Baby literally saved my life. U2 was a godsend to me for which I am very thankful for.
Bro, I just made 50 on June first, thank you for sharing your story, much appreciated. They are my ultimate rock band in the world! What they sang and played inspired me to play music, bass, guitar, and drums. Be safe and stay strong! Aloha!
Nice post, as an Irish man of the same age let me tell you in case no one else has that that album changed our country, gave my generation a new freedom and confidence and dignity, we weren't just bogland-Paddies anymore, we were equal to the Brits and the Yanks and everyone else at last.
Unfortunetely the media over-kill became too much and Bono didn't help matters with his cosying up to war criminals, he is still despised, but when it was good it was great.
@@markkavanagh7377 I don't care for football but the Republic of Ireland's success in the 1990 World Cup did a huge amount to boost the country and generate self confidence and self belief. No-one should take Bono seriously but unfortunately he does and there are some that have over the years. If Bono really cared, he would be calling for the rich to pay more taxes, including his own band.
I wish you a long and successful life, Eli.
When I was 15, I got to meet the entire band by accident. I was into airplane photography and would spend a lot of time down at the local airport with my dad photographing planes. Well, it was 2009 and the 360 Tour was in full swing. We knew they would be playing our city that night, and my dad said "lets go to the airport, maybe we'll see their plane." After about an hour at the airport, as we were about to leave, here comes their chartered A320 with full 360 motif on the tail. If that wasn't cool enough, the plane parked right next to the fence we were parked at at the local aviation service FBO. As I was standing by the fence, I first saw The Edge deboard and to my shock started walking over to me, with Adam Clayton not far behind. They came over and said hi! I had nothing for them to sign, so I had them sign my camera lens, lol! They didn't bat an eye at that and then they went back towards the plane. I could see Bono and Larry but they didn't come over. Once everyone was loaded up in the SUV's, they drove out the fence gate. I was now near the street and low and behold, an SUV stops and Bono rolls down the window. I took a picture with him and also had him sign my lens. Larry did the same thing. Me and my dad were beyond shocked and couldn't quite believe it. I still have the lens and photos to this day, a very cherished memory.
wow
That’s an awesome experience!! Thanks for sharing the details!!
This is an epic story. What a great fan experience.
It's cool they were so gracious.
Good story telling. Very nice of U2.
Joshua Tree is one of very few perfect albums in the world. Every song, the order they’re in, all of it. It’s a musical journey perfectly crafted. They deserved to become a worldwide sensation after that album. They’re also one of very few that have been able to keep that up from a point like that onward.
It was the sound engineers wife(Steve lillywhite) who put the order together. She passed on though.
@@sibitsabat
Err, afraid not. Steve Lillywhite's then wife was the sadly deceased Kirsty McColl. The tracklisting was put together by The Pretenders singer, Chrissie Hynde. The only stipulation was that it had to start with Streets and end with Disappeared.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
it’s a beautiful journey that album. ✌🏻🇦🇺😃
I have never fast forwarded through the beginning of Where the Streets Have No Name. That guitar sound is mesmerizing.
@@markleddie1588look it up, it was Steve lillywhites wife.
I think “Exit” from The Joshua Tree gets overlooked a lot.... I think it is full of dark brilliance and has such an awesome build up that just explodes into chaos and suddenly it just fades away
It sounds even better now...find a live version from the recent JT tour...Pasadena
I think you are absolutely right, same with Mothers of the Disappeared which if you listen to the lyrics no doubt makes you truly think about life
Agreed. But I really love the version from R&H movie the best. I just love how that song explodes with energy.
great in the rattle and hum movie
I applaud your sense of taste! Exit is my favorite song from that album and together with I will follow my 2 favorite U2-songs. The song has the same haunting intensity as 24 hours by Joy Division (a major influence on the young U2 lads).
For me, BAD was their best song of the 80's. It was the performance of that song at Live Aid that put U2 at the top.
Also Bono's very best vocal performance, in my opinion! :-)
Imagine that song was not even a single
Yes, Yes, Yes!! I totaly agree.
Yep!
So much better live, excellent song
"With or Without You" is the only radio song to give me chills right from the opening.
yep that's a plus 1 from me
“Where the streets have no name is what freedom sounds like”. Truer words have never been spoken.
1987 I went to a REM concert on a Tuesday and U2 that Thursday in Minneapolis. Awesome week for a 17 year old!!
I am a 42 (nearly 43) year old lifetime fan of U2 (and Depeche Mode & The Cure)! Your positive enthusiasm for my 4 favorite music making Dubliners brought a tear to my eye. Glad I found your channel! Achtung Baby is my favorite, with The Joshua Tree and The Unforgettable Fire in a close tie for 2nd. (Honestly, I like them all. Every album, imperfect but likable songs included, are in my music soul bloodstream.) Listening to U2 when I was young helped teach me about the marriage of justice and art. Thank you Professor, for all of great videos!
What you say at 1:00, I couldn't have said it better myself. I was introduced to U2 in 2000 with ATYCLB - and immediately binged on their previous 20 years. Now 20 years later, in a year when there's not much to be thankful for, I find this channel... Thank you Professor.
Two Hearts Beat as One. Gloria.
Yeah the early stuff is really good 👍
@@geotechmore8855 agreed! My favorite stuff by them is pre-Joshua Tree. My all-time favorite song by them is "Sunday Bloody Sunday". I've been lucky enough to see them in concert 3 times.
@@arladicey AWESOME! Yeah I've never seen them. Would have been awesome back in the day. I was too young in the early '80's to have seen them. I started going to shows in "87. Many smaller venue shows.. And by the early "90"s bigger venue shows.. The Rolling Stones two times at GIANTS Stadium.. That"s the biggest venue show that I've been to :)
War is an absolute masterpiece
I will follow
My first real U2 experience was watching on TV when they played the Super Bowl 36 halftime show and they had that amazing tribute to the victims of 9/11. My dad had been a fan of the band since the 80's and was almost in tears during the show. In fact he wore out his copy of "The Joshua Tree" on cassette because he played so much on the job as an over-the-road truck driver. One Time, when he made a run to L.A., he happened to find the liquor store where they filmed the video for "Streets" completely by accident and was so excited when he realized where he was. The band became one of the many things he and I bonded over through my teen years and whenever one of their songs came out the radio we'd jam like crazy. It's been a decade since my dad passed away, but listening songs like "Pride," "One Tree Hill," "The Unforgettable Fire," and especially "Where The Streets Have No Name" still bring back those memories of good times now long past.
I was 14 in '84 when I borrowed U2 live at Red Rocks on VHS and that changed everything. Truly magical performance. I saw U2 twice on the Joshua Tree tour in '87 and that is still the best concert I've ever been to. Bands like U2, the Smiths and Depeche Mode inspired me to become a drummer. First two songs I learned were New Years Day and Sunday Bloody Sunday. 5er: Running to Stand Still, Electric Co, Bad, Seconds, Bullet the blue sky.
Thanks Professor!
I was 14 in 1984 too and saw the full video on VHS(they were freezing their asses off on stage) and bits on MTV, which inspired me to play the bass and guitar then drums. Music is everything!
U2 is the only band that succeeded in being extremely successful for 40 years! In 2010s no artist earned more than U2! They deserve it because their music is special and unique
My U2 80's 5er:
5. God Part II (their sequel to John Lennon's God)
4. New Years Day (probably first song I heard from them)
3. Where The Streets Have No Name (the build up of the song makes it one of the best album openers ever)
2. Sunday Bloody Sunday (possibly their most important message)
1. Bad (Live Version) - studio version is fine, but the live version on Wide Awake in America is pure music magic
God Part II is such an underrated song, definitely one of my favourites!
Yes, I can't believe he missed Bad either. The song always brings me to tears.
."New Years Day (probably first song I heard from them." For me as well, I remember being transfixed when I saw the video on MTV.
U2 was my first concert - Joshua Tree Tour, RFK Stadium, Washington D.C., 1987. It was on my sister's 9th birthday, and I was 11. Still the best concert I've ever attended, hands down. My parents were awesome.
I saw them for the first time on that tour at Wembley Stadium in London. I was 13 & it was my first ever concert & 33 years later it still remains my all time favourite.
Two hearts beats as one, for me one of the best U-2 songs.
Cheers from Montevideo, Uruguay.
One of my favorite bands seen them in Atlanta 1995
My guy, you mustn't forget HEARTLAND. Thanks for honouring them, my favourite and influenced by my father since 1995.
I was 16 years old when the Joshua tree was released. To me this is the greatest album ever recorded. U2 has always been my favorite band. Thanks for the video!
Bono is legend. He still sounds fantastic, no small feat at his age. Obviously The Edge is an instantly recognizable guitarist, Adam is genius at leaving space for the other Sonics, and Larry is the single most underrated drummer on Earth. Without him U2 wouldn't sound like U2. One of the greatest bands ever. Period. The Joshua Tree is one of the greatest albums ever, but I have a soft spot for The Unforgettable Fire so I'd have to say that's my fave U2 album. My top 5:
5. Gloria
4. A Sort of Homecoming
3. Pride (In the name of love)
2. Where the Streets have no Name
1. In God's Country
I think "underrated" is massively overused, but in this case I think you're right. Larry's a lot like Ringo - he serves the songs perfectly without calling attention to himself.
One of my all time favorite bands! Loved this video and your 5’er.
Here’s my list:
1-With or Without You
2-I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
3-Where the Streets Have No Name
4-Beautiful Day
5-Magnificent
6-Pride (In the Name of Love)
7-Mysterious Ways
8-Bad
9-MLK
10-Sunday Bloody Sunday
I had older siblings so I got introduced to U2 with October. I was fortunate enough to see them on the War and Unforgettable Fire tours where they were still playing relatively small venues. Their early concerts were so incredibly intense and intimate. I understood the term "religious experience" for the first time after my first U2 concert. When the lights came up at the end everyone continued singing the final song "40" as one big entity and continued while filing out of the arena to the parking lot. It was such an incredibly moving experience. I lived in Texas when the Joshua Tree tour started and it began in the South and I saw them in either May or June and that concert was mindblowing. I moved to Boston in September for college which coincided with the end of U2's US tour. At this point, they had been upgraded to the stadium, although they had always had a huge following in Boston from their earliest days. I got incredibly lucky and was able to see them in Foxboro at the end of the tour. I was shattered as all the things I loved about them seemed to be lost in such a large venue. It wasn't even close to the same experience. I never went to any of their stadium shows after that. I did see them again years later when they were doing a kind of "reboot" and played a small arena in Providence.
This channel is CRIMINALLY under recognized.
Everyone must share each video on all the social platforms.
Be responsible for propelling the Professor into much deserved recognition.
Professor of Rock is the Shakespeare of rock. You are as much of a genius as those people you profile.
I had seen several bands perform, but U2 Joshua Tree was my first "real" concert. I still have my t-shirt. I still get ear-gasms with skin-chills when I hear the opening pedal-tones of the concert's opening of "Where the Streets have No Name." I had to sit down during "With or Without You" because my soul was stirred to tears. Then after BB King and several encores, they played out to "40." I have no idea howwww looooooong it takes to sing that song .... but we sang it until the houselights came up. We sang it leaving the areana ... down the street, and it continued to echo through the concrete parking garage. Watching Rattle & Hum totally transports me to that night in Fort Worth.
One day during lockdown my teenage daughter asked me for a recommendation of what to listen to while she was having one of her very long showers. I thought for a few seconds and then said `The Joshua Tree` by U2. As soon as the first guitar riffs of 'Where the streets have no name' blasted it it took me straight back to 87. Quite simply this is my favourite record of all time. Thanks for the video Professor!
U2 was one of the best bands in the 80s that’s saying a lot ! They still sound the same it’s unreal ! Once again it’s the Wounderful 80s! Great job PROFESSOR 🕵️♀️
Very fortunate that my very first concert was seeing U2 on the Joshua Tree tour in May of 1987 in East Rutherford NJ. The summer of 87 was pure magic and U2 helped to provide the soundtrack of my life at that time.
Funny we basically had the same introduction to U2. I remember hearing, "Pride" while sitting on the shore at Jenson's Grove listening to 99 Alive out of Pocatello. Living in Pocatello, we really didn't get the New Wave/Alternative music. Everyone listened to the pop music played on the radio which bored me. When I heard "Pride," I was in awe and had to hear more. The next day, I went to the Pineridge Mall and bought, "Unforgettable Fire." I was hooked from that moment.
Pineridge mall in the 80s!!! Take me back there now✌️
Kay bee toy store right next to Musicland and Waldenbooks on the left wing. Heavenly.
@@ProfessorofRock , spent many hours at Musicland, going through records and cassettes trying to find something new. People looked at me weird in Pocatello as I rocked out to B-52s, English Beat, The Cure and many others in the early to mid 80's. They just didn't get it. But, I loved it.
Children of the eighties were the most blessed of the last 50 years. We experienced all this great music in the prime of our lives and NOW we get to go broad and deep into it again from a different life point....all thanks to our beloved PROFESSOR OF ROCK!!
My U2 80's Sixer
1. Unforgettable Fire - Title Track & -Bad live extended version
2. One Tree Hill
3. Refugee-War
4. Two Hearts
5. Red Hill Mining Town
Here are a few of mine, in no particular order:
Where the Streets Have No Name - The Joshua Tree
One Tree Hill - Joshua Tree
Bad - The Unforgettable Fire
New Year's Day - War
Angel of Harlem - Rattle and Hum
A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel - Angel of Harlem B-Side
Tomorrow - October
I'm gonna go far here. But U2 is my favorite band of all time, and Bono is my favorite singer and poet of all time. But I'm gonna go a step further, Bono has probably raised me just as much as my dad did. I am now 15, while I'm writing this (Not trying to say that I'm one of those "Wrong generation" kind of guys. This is context) But I'm 15 now. I'm in the middle of discovering myself. And U2 has helped me through it, A LOT of times. I've had crushes, as you do on this age, and therefor my heart has ached a couple of times. The first time that happened, I discovered U2. And that saved me (Not as in suicide, but that I do not waste my life as in doing nothing with it) Since then, which was two years ago, my life as been amazing and I found meaning. The lyrics that Bono writes give me life lessons and make me happy, angry, sad and just love. This is the band that I listen to every single day, and I do not care how I feel. There is always that one song that is perfect for what I''m going through. I get emotional while thinking that a group of four guys did that. I'm my complete self now and jumped out of my comfort zone because of them, my creative inspiration is also out of the roof. U2 has only did good to me, Bono only did good to me. His existence, is my answer that everything is gonna be alright. I get really angry when somebody hates on U2 or Bono. And I think that's because I am seriously in love with them, and I fall in love with some pretty girls because of them. U2 is not just a part of my life, U2 is a part of me. So if you hate on U2, I feel personally attacked. I don't know why I'm writing this, and I think most of it is just rambling. Just wanted to get this out there, and I need to know if other people feel the same about U2. Fun fact, my baby lullaby was MLK and my cat's name is also Bono. So they have been in my life for, well, my whole life!
Favorite 80's U2 songs (really hard to choose, might change in the following week. And I also listen to more 90s U2 so)
5. A sort of homecoming
4. Bullet The Blue Sky (Or Hawkmoon 269)
3. With or Without you
2. Streets
1. Bad
Bullet is such a great song.
The Joshua Tree changed my life. As a teenager I played this record every day for a year. EVERY DAY. Is the only record I bought first as vinyl, then as a cassette, as a CD and finally as digital. They shaped my passion for music that I still have today.
I first saw U2 as a underprivileged kid in 1985 in Adelaide for the Unforgettable fire tour. My music teacher took me and I was hooked. I got Under a blood red sky on Vhs for Xmas that year. The opening to that still brings shivers. I have so many stories
My favorite U2 albums are Boy and War, and my favorite U2 song is New Year’s Day. I have a tradition of listening to it on New Year’s Day every year.
I listen to War every New Year's Day as well. Cheers!
I turned 45 today Aug.2020. U2 is the first band I became fan of, and I hate fanaticism of any kind. More than 30 years of playing the song 'with or without you' to help me get through bad time in my life, I am here now listening to the Jasua tree album like if it is a brand new band. U2, I salute you for your excellency as artists and your humility. Bravo for bringing to new generations the successful story of four simple boys from Ireland and to show how relevant still is in 2020.
The Joshua Tree is definitely in my top 10 albums of all times. These guys brought a new sound and to this day sound amazing.
It's a journey. Put on the headphones, turn off the lights and let it flow.
In the Netherlands its still the most appriciated album of all time
A friend had me listen to Sunday Bloody Sunday when it came out. Amazing. Every time you discover a new band, especially when you're young, you're hoping and somewhat expecting that they'll make more great music forever for you to enjoy. It almost never happens that way. But it sure did with U2! I wish I could tell my young self, "These guys are going to be making great music you're gonna love for your whole life!"
I discovered U2 while in school in the early 80’s and was instantly hooked. They are my all time favourite band. Sunday bloody Sunday is my favourite song by them. I was a Catholic Englishman living in California at the time. I have relatives on both sides of the troubles back in the 70’s and 80’s. So to see a band that was a mix of both faiths coming together to make the greatest music ever was awesome. I saw them at every tour they did sometimes multiple times. Oakland cow palace and LA colosseum for Joshua Tree are my best memories. And don’t forget the 40 song. U2 Forever baby!
I live in Phoenix Arizona. In December of 87 U-2 came here to play at Sun Devil Stadium....and the tickets were only 5.00 each ( even then that was a great price). Turns out they wanted to sell it out as they were gonna film part of a documentary there ( all the color concert footage were from the two nights at Sun Devil Stadium) for the Movie Rattle and Hum. My late husband didn't want me to know that was getting tickets for U2. He and his best friend took two lawn chairs a cooler and their D&D stuff to stay in line all night. So I am in the audience in the color concert footage in Rattle and Hum. We were huge fans and newly in love. So the concert meant alot. My husband passed away in 2014 and when they took the 30th anniversary Joshua Tree Tour around my two kids and I went of course. in tribute to my late husband . Funny story......prior to the show during the Rattle and Hum filming, the sound engineer was playing All you Need Is Love. The two young men sitting behind us asked each other who that song was. And me being me( and a huge Beatles fan) I turned around and said "It's the Beatles and this song was one of the first global satellite broadcast. Awhile later I heard one kid ask the other "Who are the Beatles?" The other kid said "I think that was Paul McCartney's band before Wings. As my late husband heard me take a deep breath and about to turn around he grabbed my leg on the thigh and shook his head No. Then he whispered to me "They'll learn". He of course was right. I miss him everyday and With or Without you was our song .. And that concert and Album mean alot to me for obvious reasons.
One of my favourite bands of all time. Their songs are about human suffering and and the human condition and the hope we all have for a better world. The Joshua Tree is absolutely iconic. Their back catalogue a complex mix of genres, melody and lyrics and their live performances are beyond. A legendary band
I was a lukewarm U2 fan in the 80s. I owned "Joshua Tree" but didn't think much of "Achtung Baby." For the Zoo TV tour, a guy in my dorm had an extra ticket, so I bought it from him. We sneaked up to the front and got lucky that two empty seats were waiting for us on the 14th row. The day after that show, I got on my bike and picked up "Achtung Baby," and it's still my favorite album. Both it and "Joshua Tree" will be with me forever. Some albums I've grown out of, but these two albums will be there when I'm on my death bed.
AB and JT have to be the 2 best U2 albums; both are simply incredible.
The Professor of Rock truly speaks my language and shares my passion and enthusiasm for great music. I'm inferring that I'm about 8 or 9 years older than he is, but like the Professor, I discovered the depth and magic of music during the 1980's. He caught my attention when I saw his broadcasts about Duran Duran and Tears for Fears. I've often taken a lot of heat for being a faithful follower of these bands, but the Professor seems to appreciate them as much as I do. U2 has been my favorite band and "The Joshua Tree" is both the most influential and favorite album of my life. Keep on broadcasting, Professor of Rock!
I'm with you .i love rock, but i like bands like duran duran as much as my fave rock bands...the memories of those early mtv bands are a major part of my youth
I still don’t understand why they never released “One Tree Hill” off of Joshua Tree. I always thought that track was the best on the album.
They did in New Zealand and Australia
I agree! Next to With or Without You it’s my favorite song from that album.
I saw U2 at Western Springs in Auckland in 1989. Bono sang it while looking at the actual One Tree Hill, and said at the end the Greg would have liked that one. Great moment.
Agreed, it is such a wonderful song.
Totally agree. Always lived that song.
You and I must have been leading parallel lives and about the same age, but on different sides of the US - I always love the artists you feature and your picks. I didn't have a TV for a lot of my childhood, but I did get to see MTV at friends' houses once in a while. But it was on the way to play in a softball game that I first heard "With or Without You" on the radio. I shushed everyone in the car and had it with me the rest of the day. Then I bought the cassette as swiftly as I could. "Red Hill Town" and "One Tree Hill" became two of my favorites from the album. Then U2 swiftly became my favorite band and still has that place in my heart, though there is so much music out there that I love.
I think one of the things that I really connected with U2 over was the depth of their music, both lyrically and sonically, as well as the fact that they cared about the world. I memorized the lyrics and went over them and over them in my head while at school especially, always finding new meaning, which I continue to do as I continue to grow up with them. And I think another point of connection for me was that even though this isn't marketed as religious music, which it shouldn't be, it has a uniquely Irish, both at once Irish Catholic spiritual (unique spirituality behind much of the religion as practiced in Ireland) and delightfully Irish Celtic perspective. There are also a lot of other Irish cultural themes in their music. I grew up in an Irish-American community with a wonderful Irish priest as our pastor and family friend, and also eventually made my way over there for school and just to travel and hang out, which will hopefully be a lifelong habit.
I really liked your Annie Lennox tribute, too. I was hooked on her ever since I saw and heard the Sweet Dreams video, which is what I wake up to in the morning via my phone. Any possibility of a Sinéad tribute video? She's my other favorite female vocalist.
Thanks for your videos, isights, and enthusiasm!
Wow...! I have been waiting for such a crisp review of my favorite band U2, for ages, Thanks Adam, you made my day...!!! The pristine selection of the words you chose to convey the prowess of this band of the ’80s which redefined the music is impeccable, and I want to give a big hug for this...! I was almost in tears when I saw this Vlog today and have already seen it twice back to back and feel as if you are speaking my heart out…this one goes down the hall of fame straight. About U2, I think it’s the greatest band of our times, not just for the music they gave but for all the charities they have been involved and setting an excellent example to the youth by not getting into any controversies for sex, drugs or violence in their entire carrier in the age and time where most of the rock artists vanished from the scene, died due to overdose or bands separated due to ego issues but 42yrs on, U2 is still going strong and have never tainted the rock music image with their lyrics which carries a soul, a purpose and a message that cuts through hearts of millions of people around the world… as for me, I was exposed to their music in late ’80s and since in those days we had so many great bands, so U2 was just one of them. But by the time it was late 90’s, I had given up on finding good music when in 2000 they came up with their album All that you can’t leave behind and I rediscovered the band all over again.. My favs are ONE, THE FLY, ULTRAVIOLET, WALK ON, OUT OF CONTROL (SLANE CASTLE VERSION 2001) and SO CRUEL... but agree with your 5’ers that top it all. The songs like- Yahweh, City of binding lights, Song for Someone, every breaking wave, the little things that give you away and landlady amazes me that they still have so much great music left in them after more than 42 years of melodious career… I had the lifetime privilege to attend their first-ever 'Joshua Tree Tour' concert in India last year in December which ticked my top bucket list item…! Thanks for your great review, Professor…god bless you...!!
Drowning Man
Running to Stand Still
A Sort of Homecoming
Like a Song
Out of Control
Fantastic account of one of the greatest bands in history. Thank you so much for putting this together! So well done.
I will always maintain that “Where the Streets Have No Name”, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, and “With or Without You” off of the Joshua Tree are the three best songs to start an album ever recorded. Period.
There's a few other albums I can think of where the first 3 songs would rival Joshua Tree's first 3... Led Zeppelin IV, Sticky Fingers, maybe Nevermind... but, yeah, JT has a pretty incredible lineup of songs. Heck, I would probly go 4 deep because "Bullet the Blue Sky" is incredible as well.
Top 5 U2 songs,
Out of control, see the live at Slane castle dvd for the best version.
The All I Want Is You with the best transition into Where The Street Have No Name from Slane castle dvd.
Then, Running To Stand Still
And New Years Day.
Saw them in 2017 for JT tour was awesome
Well said, my man! U2 is the reason I got into rock & roll...
Unforgettable Fire is my favorite album. Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For is my favourite song of all time. I found them early and they are the soundtrack of my life.
"It might get loud" video with the Edge, Page and White. Worth a watch.
My U2 80s 5er:
5. Shadows and Tall Trees
4. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
3. Seconds
2. Tomorrow
1. Drowning Man
Good to see another Drowning Man devotee! Incredible song.
Drowning Man.... Yeeeeees!!
Love drowning man
I love The Unforgettable Fire,it's underrated as hell. It's not the best U2 album,but it's probably the one I've played the most
Ian Robinson I'd argue it is the greatest U2 album, certainly in the conversation
100% agreed. This album changed many things for me.
Yes it is a great album. If it wasn’t for this album there may not have been a Joshua tree. In my opinion.
U2 were brilliant at Live Aid with " Bad " & the audience interaction. I thought Boy & October were amazing albums. They were just kids at that time. The Edge , even had hair. I give The Cure the nod of being Band of the 80's but early U2 is Awesome !
The cure were better at experimenting with sounds and being able to adapt to different styles. But sadly at the time The Cure weren't as popular as U2. I think the cure were better than U2, but people preferred U2 in the 80's.
Yeah early U2.. When they weren't rockstars yet. That's their best stuff👍
'Bad' at Live Aid is Bono's ultimate vocal performance, I reckon :-)
I'm 57, I love your channel. You have an incredible ear for good music. I don't always agree with your selection of 80's music but hey, I'm an old man who loves 70's rock and 70's pop. Keep up your passion and I'll keep listening.
I was a little older than you as U2 ascended in the 80's. For me, the moment they transcended from being a college band favorite to true rock stars was the Live Aid performance in '85. That showed the world just how good the band was and was huge in building up anticipation for "The Joshua Tree".
Love it professor! I was 13 when I discovered U2 in '88 with R n Hum. Quickly devoured their 80s catalogue and it became the soundtrack to my life. Joshua Tree stood as a towering masterpiece to me back then as it does now. It is hard, I find, to convey how different they sounded to what what was going on back then. Just watched the making of the Joshua Tree here on RUclips.. So good. So nostalgic. Eno sets the record straight on that infamous story of him attempting to wipe Streets. He claims out of sheer desperation at the mess the whole thing was in he was going to feign a mistake in erasing it, so they could just start from scratch with the whole track. He felt it would probably be easier and quicker to build it again from the bottom up instead of trying to tame what they already had. Flood or whoever stepped in and he does admit, in hindsight, he is glad he was stopped. Basically the same story but his intention was good. That song still gives me goosebumps. Bono talks about it in relation to their performing it at the Super bowl the year after 9/11. He said, "we play Streets when we need God to walk into the room". Amen.
Got to see the for the Popmart Tour in '98. The way the way the came in from behind the crowd was like a fight match. The Edge look like the Trainer and Bono like the fighter. Incredible performance especially for Bullet the Blue Sky and Where the streets have no name.
"War" was my first cassette tape in 1983 then went back to buy the "Boy" and "October" cassettes. Then later '80s, "Unforgettable Fire" and the blockbuster, "The Joshua Tree". I bought every album and CDs after. U2 fan forever!! The greatest band in the world as these guys projected Peace, Love, Harmony, anti-hate and anti-war into our hearts.
Streets is literally what freedom sounds like... I don't think I've heard that before, but that's a perfect description.
I respect U2 for the 80's output and there are a few tracks I like, but at heart I am mainly an Achtung Baby guy
That’s when I was really turned onto them also by some friends who were passionate about the group. (I was turned off by the hype in high school by all the preppy kids going on about the Rattle and Hum movie and Joshua Tree tour.) When I finally dove deep on those two albums after the fact, I later realized how much was in there. I got to see them live for the first time on the Zoo TV tour at the horse race track at Saratoga Springs New York. They had two opening acts; A hip hop band led by Michael Franti called The Disposable Heroes of Hiphopricy (their hit song was called Television; The Drug of the Nation) and the second opening band was Primus. ( Yeah, that Primus.) The entire concert was a wild event. From the lights, to the staging to the sound, it was sensory overload. The stage and lighting rigs
It took me a while to get into it after the 80s U2 but it's a masterpiece for sure. "One" is right up there with "Pride", "Bad" and "With or without you".
@@ewie9347 - Same here! I had lost interest in U2 after they released that 'Rattle And Hum' album and movie bollocks, after having been a massive fan throughout most of the 80's; Now when 'Achtung Baby!' came out, I'd only heard 'The Fly', which I thought was rather "meh" ... then my sister gave me the album on CD as a present; I didn't think it was a bad album, but it still underwhelmed me. It would spend the next few weeks on the shelf ... until one night, when I was feeling like listening to Music but didn't know exactly what, and I remembered that U2 album so decided to give it another try - and Oh Emm Gee, *this* time I actually fell in love with it! It obviously had just been waiting for the 'right' time :-))
My favorite pop fix so far. Could have listened to another 20 minutes. I expected the 5’er to be a 10’er or dozen’er...there’s that much great 80s music from them. thank you
They were arguably the biggest band in the world for quite awhile.
"Biggest" - Yes.
Best..?
Empress Touch Yes.
Empress Touch Yes
@@EmpressTouch Biggest does not carry the same meaning as best. That is why I used the word "biggest" & not the word "best".
They're still among the biggest (so are the Beatles, Stones, and Zeppelin, btw). U2 are one of only about a dozen bands in music history that could travel to any major city on any continent and sell out a 55,000 seat football stadium. And, yes, from the breakup of The Police in '84 to the rise of Nirvana and Pearl Jam in early '92 they were also the best band on the planet. There was no band better during that period. U2 was absolutely on fire in every way imaginable... artistically, commercially, critically, in terms of albums, in terms of singles, on both sides of the Atlantic... you name it.
Love U2 and have since a teen. Nothing was more thrilling than finding the Unforgettable Fire on vinyl years ago . By then I had it on cassette and CD but nothing like vinyl. I bought the Joshua Tree box when it was released in 2007, what a great box set. I got the cassette in 1987. I bought the U2 iPod and paid for the complete set on iTunes. Around this Time I bought How To Dismantle in the box set with a DVD and book. I have books, posters, buttons. and so much more. I was finally able to see them in concert in 2005 and what a great concert! My favorite member is Larry Mullen Favorite songs: so many but I've always liked Love Comes Tumbling, A Sort of Homecoming, and With or Without You, Sunday Bloody Sunday and I could go on. My favorite album has always been Joshua Tree but also loved the rest (second is probably Unforgettable Fire).
I Will Follow changed my life... just like Bono, I lost my mother in 1981 and was grappling with the grief and uncertainty of my loss when he gave me a voice to describe the loss of a mother's unconditional love that would be missing the rest of my life. I have always been and always will be a huge U2 and Bono fan. Years later Beautiful Day got me through a messy divorce so it seems Bono has had the pulse of my life in moments I needed it the most. I'm so grateful to have come of age in his generation.
The Unforgettable Fire - A Sort of Homecoming
Good video and selections man. The thing about the Joshua Tree record is, that for me, it's a pure organic sound in song. It's like, if you went into the dessert, knelt down and picked up some sand, soil, or mud like material, in it you would have the essence of that record; the fertility and the everyday like material of it. From it grew its songs and stories, and as a result it's very hard to deny its power and humanity.
Best wishes from Dublin.
The most AWESOME band from my life. My favorite
Numbers would say best band ever
Still grossing over 1 billion dollars the past decade of live touring.
Album sales
Most Grammys of any band (22)
Most important the quality and integrity of the songs/lyrics
U2 for me are the greatest ever band to grace the planet,Beatles were bigger but U2 is better.
I love U2 to death, but the numbers say The Beatles are not only the best-selling band ever, they're the best-selling band of the 21st century. Pretty incredible that a band who broke up 50 years ago has sold more records in the current century than anyone else.
I also think The Beatles prodigious output sets them apart from other bands. It took U2 about 20 years to put out as much great music as The Beatles put out in 8 years.
I don’t even like U2 but I own their 80’s output on CD. Their influence back then is too great to deny. They were the band that cool kids and jocks could listen to together then beat the shit out of each other afterwards...
Without a doubt. One of the greatest bands of all time. Never knew about “I will follow”. Thank you for your passion and the great content you and your team produce.❤️
I can't wait for you to hear that song!
The whole album "boy" is just amazing
saw U2 spring 1983, War Tour, in a small gym at a SUNY Tech college. I was touched.
First memory of U2 was in December 1983 watching the vhs tape of " Under A Blood Red Sky " which was their live concert at Red Rocks amphitheater in Colorado. The opening credits are accompanied by the Clannad song Harry's Game which is amazing traditional irish sounding music to go along with aerial views of the amphitheater on a rainy, misty, foggy night. It was the perfect start to a perfect concert film. U2 War had been out about 9 months so the band was gaining momentum. If you haven't seen this concert film, you really need to. They were raw, unpolished and powerful.
My second memory is seeing the Joshua Tree Tour on September 25, 1987 in Philadelphia with 86,144 other U2 fans. We were lucky to stand on the field of the now demolished John F. Kennedy Stadium for what was the greatest concert I have ever seen. It bordered on a religious experience to sing along as one with 86,000 other people to songs we all loved.
My Top 5...
5. Running To Stand Still
4. A Sort Of Homecoming
3. New Year's Day
2. Bad
1. Sunday Bloody Sunday
IMO Joshua Tree is one of the top 5 albums, start to finish, ever made.
my 80's 5'er for today mood:
#05. Like a Song...
#04. Love Comes Tumbling
#03. One Tree Hill
#02. Where The Streets Have No Name
#01. Another Time Another Place
A band before they could play their instruments. I saw them at the Agora in Columbus, OH in 1981, bought their cassette the next day at the only place I could find it: Singing Dog Records.
Seven years later I saw 10,000 Maniacs open for REM at Vets Memorial downtown. Also bought tickets for Pat Benatar downtown only because The Alarm was the opening act. The Alarm was awesome and "U2esqe." Anywho ...
I had the pleasure of being in attendance when U2 played the concert that was filmed for "Rattle and Hum". It was filmed in the 2 shows they played at the stadium on the ASU campus. U2 had already opened up a kind of music for me that validated the music that brought me to them, and prepared me for what was to come. And I also got to see the great B.B. King open for them! Two off the bucket list that hadn't yet been written!!
My U2 80s 5'er
- A Sort of Homecoming
- 40
- Two Hearts Beat as One
- With or Without You
- Three Sunrises
I like this, I would include A Day Without Me and Red Hill Mining Town instead of 40 and With or Without You
"40" is a masterpiece. I wish they would still finish every concert with it. I know that they won't....
1987.... I was 17. I was at a stage of finding out what I really liked musically. Big Country, a-ha and Depeche Mode was already in my favourites. I was already aware of U2 because of Live Aid and introduced has The Band of the Eighties.... and while on study leave from School in 1986 I was listing to Now that’s what I call music 4, and two songs I kept playing over. Big Country East of Eden and U2 Pride. A year on from that With or Without You was released... from Adam Clayton’s bass line... I was totally hooked. My birthday was coming up in April and I asked for the Joshua Tree for my birthday along with Level 42 Running in the Family. Needless to say I was very happy... but when I put the Joshua Tree on... I knew I was listening to something different. Something powerful and graceful. Hearing the intro the Where the Streets Have No Name just captivated me.... that continued all the way to Mothers of the Disappeared. It’s an album I still love listening too and I have been lucky to see U2 live 3 times. 1993 on the Zooropa leg of the Zoo TV tour and again in 1997 on pop mart tour both at Wembley Stadium. And more recently 2018 at the O2. Brilliant every time I’ve seen them. U2 have been a big part of the soundtrack of my life and I’m grateful they have been.
By my recent plays (the last 5 years), my top 5 are:
1: One Tree Hill - Joshua Tree
2: Seconds - War
3: Desire - Rattle and Hum
4: Like a Song - War
5: Two Hearts Beat As One - War
But I really think my Top Favorite of from the 80's are:
1: In God's Country - Joshua Tree
2: Running to Stand Still - Joshua Tree
3: Stories for Boys - Boy
4: I Will Follow - Boy
5: Pride - The Unforgettable Fire
I have just played them 100's of times from the 80's to the 10's...........:)
U2....I've been a big fan since hearing the War album when I was in high school. Saw them on that tour when they played Massey Hall (a great intimate venue) in Toronto. Fantastic show...with another great band...The Waterboys. Amazing.
I was at that show’. They played ‘40’ to close the show and I remember the members left the stage one at a time as the audience repeated ‘how long...to sing this song’ until Larry stopped drumming and left the stage last as the audience continued for what felt like another 10 minutes. Still gives me chills thinking about it! Was exactly like on ‘Under a blood red sky’! Incredible feeling to be part of!
Me and my friends discovered U2 during the War album. But we really fell in love with U2 with the Under the Blood Red Sky EP. ( Live from Red Rocks ) They were a different monster live. I was lucky enough to see them during the Unforgettable Fire and Joshua Tree tours.
My U2 5'er
1. Sunday Bloody Sunday
2. Bad (Wide Awake in America version)
3. Drowning Man
4. I Will Follow (Under a Blood Red Sky version)
5. Running to Stand Still
In my humble opinion; the eighties, with all that was going on, and U2 belong together. It almost felt to me that you could not have one without the other. The decade needed the band to document and record what the world was experiencing. The band needed the decade to provide them with material to write about. I was in my teenage years during that decade. What a great time to be alive.
Thanks for the great video. U2 is an amazing band, on so many levels. Their music makes me think, so much more than most 80's/90's songs ever did. One of the best of all time bands!!
Many great songs overlooked... Surrender and Red Light from War; Electric Co and The Ocean from Boy; I threw a brick through a window, Gloria and October from October; In God's country and Trip through your wires from The Joshua Tree; etc.
My 80s U2 5'er:
"Stories for Boys" (from Boy)
"Drowning Man" (from War)
"11 O'Clock Tick Tock" (live version from Under a Blood Red Sky)
"A Sort of Homecoming" (live version from Wide Awake in America)
"Bullet the Blue Sky" (from The Joshua Tree)
Another great analysis, Professor! I truly admire and appreciate how well you articulate how music makes us feel. The live album Under A Blood Red Sky made me a U2 fan for life in 1984. My roommates and I highly anticipated The Joshua Tree, and from the opening baseline of With or Without You, the album exceeded expectations. I loved how labels would release the first single from an album, before the album. The release of The Joshua Tree was highly anticipated. My Fiver:
1. Red Hill Mining Town
2. A Sort of Homecoming
3. New Years Day
4. Where the Streets Have No Name
5. Trip Through Your Wires
But I could go on...and on. Keep up the great work, Professor!
Great video. Sunday Bloody Sunday is the first song we played with my high school band in 92, such good memories. As a guitarist, still rocking at 45, there is no doubt the Edge is a genius.
I grew up listening to this band. Joshua tree still one of my favorite albums of all time. Fun story.... Around the time thier music came with an iPhone, my niece comes up to me and says "I found a new band and they are so good, you'll really love them". Im like alright play a song for me. Right when I hear bonos voice I'm like "is this u2?". The shock and confusion on her face lmao... And the argument to whether this was a new band or a band I knew for so many years. Priceless
I grew up on the Southside of Oklahoma City. In 1981, a friend took me over to a buddy of his that was way more progressive than us. I distinctly remember him being livid that the best band in the world today was going to play and the ticket sales were so bad they couldn't even give them away. They were called U2 or something like that. I wished he would have told me what stock to by back then. A year or so later, this channel started up that only played videos. I enjoyed watching the band that no one wanted to go see earlier and could appreciate them, but they were just okay. Then the world stopped when I saw the With Or Without You video. I hadn't heard anything like that before, it was nothing short of magic. The Joshua tree had arrived. It was the most important album of my 20's. To me at that time, years after I heard some guy that I barely knew proclaim them the most important band in the world, that was exactly what they were. I got to see them on the Joshua Tree tour at JFK stadium. Some guy named Springsteen showed up and got on the stage with them. I was so far from the band and so high up, it would have taken a week to mail a letter to the stage. Up to that point in my life, it was the best concert I had ever been to. Unfortunately, a few weeks later I went to see Pink Floyd live and left knowing what a religious experience live music could be, but that's another long story.
I really enjoyed your celebration of and perspective on U2. There are so many deep notes on Joshua Tree and for a band with their longevity everyone has a different entry point and the songs still cause a reaction today for anyone who was there when they were released. I do think their performance at Live Aid in '85 was a watershed moment for their popularity, especially "Bad" as the set closer, deserves a mention in their rise and set the stage for Joshua Tree to catapult them to arenas & stadiums. Your videos are great!
I have had several U2 experiences. Track team my freshman year in HS, riding home on a bus and the whole team is singing Sunday, Bloody Sunday. In ‘87, my buddy was also a big fan. He sent me a concert t-shirt from the show in Sun Devil Stadium, which was also featured in the movie Rattle and Hum. Finally, I got to see them live in Ames, Iowa, supporting the Achtung, Baby album.
If With or Without You was the only song I had to listen to for the rest of my life, I would still not get sick of it. And I agree-that extra verse in the Rattle and Hum version is pure bliss. And Larry’s drumming in that version is tops.
Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree, Rattle & Hum. Might be fun to do an episode on artists with 3 consecutive classic albums.
I remember my first encounter with U2 music in 86. That day I knew rock bands from magazinen only, no TV or radio. I was very eager to watch rock band performing visually. Until one day my friend lend me his VHS tape that contain many music video from lot of rock bands including Maiden, scorpion, Bon Jovi ect. But one song that capture my attention deeply was Pride by U2. Wow what an amazing music that realy made me their instant fan. The wailing high voice of Bono and Edge guitar were still ringing in my head days and days after that.
I've always loved U2!As you said,they write alot about social issues and actually put their money,where their convictions are!All the money they've raised for example,AIDS research,has now made it become a "chronic illness", instead of an immediate death sentence!Every member of U2 are the very best at what they do, individually and collectively! Please do more on them,Prof!
From 1984 to this day the first song of every year for me is New Years Day. As soon as midnight passes whether out at a party or home on my own I listen to this song. I plan to keep up tis tradition until my last New Years Day..........