1976 in Dublin, Ireland, a superstar rock and pop group came together, featuring several “one named” members like Bono and The Edge. They are U2. Now, let’s take a Deep Dive into their success:
- The band’s original name was ‘Feedback,’ perhaps because of the awful noise they made in rehearsals. Before settling on U2, they almost went with ‘The Hype.’
- Even though the band settled on U2 officially, Bono has never exactly been sold on the name. He says it sounds like a bad pun: You too?
- So why exactly did two of the band members change their real names to stage names? “The Edge” named himself as such because of his striking chinline. And Bono’s name was adapted from a hearing aid company name, Bono Vox, which used to be extensively advertised on TV. Because the band were very loud performers, bandmate Paul Hewson thought it was an appropriate moniker for the lead singer
- The band got their start in front of large audiences thanks to another UK band, The Clash, who invited them on their White Riot tour. The band’s first tour performance was right at home in Dublin at Trinity College
- As you might have noticed, the band writes all their own songs and never tries to cover other works from songwriters or other groups. The members formed the band before they all learned to play their instruments, so they didn’t feel comfortable trying to play other people’s songs
- The band has been together since their inception, though they did almost break up one time in the past. In the early 80s, the born-again Christian group that some of the band members belonged to almost convinced them to break up as a “sacrifice to God”
- The band members have lived in places all over the country, including right here in the US. In particular, The Edge was well known for his former Los Angeles Residence…it happened to be the same home that Eric and Lyle Menendez killed their parents in 1989
- On November 27, 1993 U2 performed their only one concert without the full band; bassist Adam Clayton got so drunk the night before a show in Sydney that he couldn’t go on stage and was replaced by bass technician Stuart Morgan. Clayton has cited the devastation he felt at missing the gig as the reason why he quit drinking
- The Joshua tree on the album cover is located in Death Valley, California. It’s location was kept secret for years, but it was eventually toppled over in 2000
- The band continues to write, perform, and tour together to this day, with no signs of slowing down
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