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U2 History - Part 5

U2 continued on with their new found success by showcasing some of their new songs on "War" in Europe, using their strength in live performances to promote their album. Their hard work paid dividends, with "New Years Day" going to number 10 in the UK while earning a top 60 position in the US charts, and their new album going to number 1 in the UK.

As predicted, "War" provided a slightly different sound from both "October" and "Boy", showing U2's determination in making a different kind of music while trying to discover their musical roots. Since their formation, they have developed their own rock style, with the Edge being the pioneer. At the making of their new album, the time had come for them to look at other styles and perhaps use them at any opportunity. This became clearly apparent with "Seconds" where the Edge used an acoustic guitar. But in "New Years Day" and "Two hearts beat as one", the bass and much of the rhythm section dominated the first producing an awe-inspiring number while the other producing an obvious rhythmic sound.

Furthermore, "War" departed from the other two albums by becoming more direct and confrontational in delivering the messages on war and conflict, a similar style also employed by the Clash. This is especially so in "Sunday Bloody Sunday" which employed a heavy edged sound and very direct clear lyrics to convey its message on the violence in Northern Ireland - so much so that it was labeled a "rebel song". At the end, U2 had to spend the whole "War" tour to clear up this false impression. And ironically for Bono, this song was written as a reaction against the honoring of Bobby Sands in the St Patrick?s Day parade - "When Bobby Sands was dying on hunger strike, the American audiences were virtually throwing money on stage, I wanted to write something that wasn't a rebel song, but which said 'we're sick of it'". But unlike the album version, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" has gone on and matured, stripped down to the point where only the Edge and his guitar performs the song in the Pop Mart tour, thus fortunately giving a more universal and emotional feel to the song.

But it is songs like "New Years Day" which may have made the album successful. The dominant and well controlled bass and rhythm section, with some lead guitar sections, successfully conveys the message U2 delivers about the power of love and determination at times of conflict where Solidarity activist Lech Walesa becomes imprisoned in Poland. At the same time, we are also treated to the hard reality of attempting to change - "Nothing changes on New Years Day".

U2 Articles The History of U2 The History of U2 - Part 1 The History of U2 - Part 2 The History of U2 - Part 3 The History of U2 - Part 4 The History of U2 - Part 5 The History of U2 - Part 6 The History of U2 - Part 7 The History of U2 - Part 8 The History of U2 - Part 9 The Story of U2 The Story of U2 - Part 1 The Story of U2 - Part 2 The Story of U2 - Part 3 The Story of U2 - Part 4 The Story of U2 - Part 5 The Story of U2 - Part 6 The Story of U2 - Part 7 The Story of U2 - Part 8 U2 News & More U2 - January 1993 U2 - Worlds Most Popular Rock Act U2 Earnings - 2001 U2 In Africa U2 Performs for iPod Commercial U2 Gets Replacement Recording Studio U2 Article Index