U2: Elements of a Great Rock Band

Rock and roll or rock is a style of music "characterized by electronically amplified instrumentation, a heavily accented beat, and relatively simple phrase structure" ("Rock 'n' Roll"). U2 is a band from Dublin, Ireland that has been penning, performing, and perfecting rock songs for over thirty years establishing a benchmark in the history of rock and roll. U2 should be considered one of the greatest rock bands of all time because of their heartfelt lyrics, well-crafted songs, enormous accomplishments, and musical prowess.

The band U2 has centered their message on heartfelt, honest, yet positive lyrics. The lead singer and song writer, Bono, writes about his longing for deep satisfaction, and the many things that have failed to quench his yearning: "I have run/I have crawled/I have scaled these city walls/these city walls/only to be with you/but I still haven't found what I'm looking for" ("I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"). In another song, "Some Times You Can't Make it On Your Own", Bono sings, "You don't have to put up a fight/you don't have to always be right/let me take some of the punches/for you tonight," depicting his altruistic attitude of self-sacrifice ("Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own"). The band's realism is also shown in "Love is Blindness", "Love is blindness/I don't want to see/won't you wrap the night around me?/oh, my love/blindness" ("Love is Blindness"). They not only depict arduous realities, such as the blinding power of love, but also let their true optimism show in many of their songs: "I believe in a celebration/I believe you set me free/I believe you can loose these chains/I believe you can dance with me/Dance with me/.../And, and you can go there too/And, and you can go go go go/.../I believe in the bells of Christ's Church/Ringing for this land" ("A Celebration"). U2 believes all people can share their celebratory attitude toward life. U2's realism and positivism are best expressed in their song, "Beautiful Day": "It's a beautiful day, the sky falls/and you feel like it's a beautiful day/don't let it get away" ("Beautiful Day").

Well-crafted enticing songs are another of U2's fortes. Robin Frederick, a songwriter and musician who has worked with major labels such as Virgin Records, says, "Memorable, emotionally powerful melodies use repetition and variation" (Frederick). Repetition "...fixes the musical material in our mind and satisfies our need for the familiar; it provides unity to a form" ("Repetition"). An example of such repetition usually occurs in the chorus, "a line or group of lines repeated at intervals in a song," which exists in almost every U2 song ("Chorus"). On the other hand, musical variation occurs when "some aspects of the music are altered but the original is still recognizable" ("Variation"). Variation typically occurs in the verses and in the bridge. The verses, the more prosaic parts of the song, all vary from each other lyrically, but the bridge usually varies lyrically and musically from the rest of the song. This is exemplified in U2's song "Vertigo": "Hello, Hello (Hola!)/I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿Dónde está?) [Where is it?]/It's everything I wish I didn't know/But you give me something I can feel/feel" ("Vertigo"). This chorus is repeated three times throughout the song cementing the tune and main message in the listener's mind. The rest of the song consists of three verses and a bridge. The verses are musically very similar but lyrically different. The first verse starts with "The lights go down/it's dark/the jungle is your head/can't rule your heart" the second verse then begins with "The night is full of holes/those bullets rip the sky/ of ink with gold" ("Vertigo"). Finally, the bridge is different musically and lyrically from the entire rest of the song. In the bridge Bono introduces a new tune and words, "All of this, all of this can be yours/All of this, all of this can be yours..." and then closes his song with the chorus ("Vertigo"). The basic concepts of variation and contrast are used almost universally by rock bands around the world; however mastery of this concept is no small task. Having sold over 170 million albums worldwide, U2's "Vertigo" has enamored myriads of people thereby proving their prowess in the use of melodic and lyric repetition and variation.

U2 has also accomplished numerous musical and social feats. U2 has been awarded twenty-two Grammy awards, and has had six number one albums in the United States and nine number one albums in the United Kingdom. In addition, U2 has been ranked in TheRolling Stone's "One-Hundred Greatest Artists of All Time." U2's achievements have been recognized by induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the first year they were eligible, 2005 ("U2"). Not only has U2 achieved musical notoriety, but also they have been very active supporters of human rights and social justice. U2 has been financially supportive of many groups such as Amnesty International and Make Poverty History. They have also begun organizations of their own. Bono has started an organization called Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa (DATA). DATA's mission is to "raise awareness about, and spark response to the crises swamping Africa" ("DATA"). U2's guitarist, The Edge, has started an organization called Music Rising that is helping struggling musicians across the Gulf coast replace their equipment and instruments after hurricane Katrina. U2's musical and humanitarian achievements have resulted in many tributes that include Bono being awarded person of the year by Time magazine in 2005. In 2007 he was honored as a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. The musical success and social engagement of U2 give them a status very few rock bands have ever had.

Musical prowess is another of U2's gifts. One of U2's most remarkable talents is their development of a recognizable sound, while still growing musically and experimenting.

Since their inception, U2 have developed and maintained a distinctly recognizable sound, with emphasis on melodic instrumentals and expressive, larger-than-life vocals, The Edge has consistently used a rhythmic echo and a signature delay to craft his guitar work, coupled with an Irish-influenced drone played against his syncopated melodies,that ultimately yields a well-defined ambient and atmospheric sound. Bono has nurtured his falsetto operatic voice and has exhibited a notable lyrical bent towards social, political, and personal subject matter while maintaining a grandiose scale in his songwriting ("Musical Style and Themes").

This ability to have a clearly distinguished sound as a band, and yet evolve as a band over time is demonstrated in U2's discography. From their inception U2 has experimented with many different styles of music. Their first album, Boy, was simple musically, modeled after the punk rock genre. U2's second and third albums brought in other aspects of rock and funk. In the next seven albums the band would explore gospel, blues, dance, electronic, alternative, and even hip-hop music, while still maintaining an identifiable U2 sound. Recently, the band has moved toward a more traditional four-piece rock-and-roll act. Bono speaks about the bands sixth release, Rattle and Hum, saying,

Yes, true, we made it hard for people to love, you couldn't put out a more mixed up record. I mean we really worked hard at that. We worked hard at messing it up for the masses and they still went out and bought it. It is an amazing feeling that the audience is kind of as hip as you are ("U2 quotes from Bono").

U2's strong grip on their fans has allowed the band to constantly reinvent their sound, while still maintaining a large fan base.

Through alluring lyrics, masterful songs, massive achievements, and musical dexterity U2 has been enthralling audiences for over thirty years. Therefore, part of U2's legacy should include being recognized as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. This label may protect their achievements from the erosion of time. When U2 fades from the public spectrum, they will live on through books, recordings, and documentaries that seek to keep the message of this rock ensemble alive. Their legacy will be not only a message of honest realism, but also a message of hope, helping people everywhere from all generations see that it's a "Beautiful Day".

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