U2 in the 80s - From Boy to the Joshua Tree | POP FIX | Professor of Rock

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 YouTube 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.

[boaz]

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.

[WillScaryForCandy]

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.

[moochercat]

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.

[eliblue]

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.

[RR]

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

[GreenJeepAdventures]

"With or Without You" is the only radio song to give me chills right from the opening.

[kathleenlawlor]

“Where the streets have no name is what freedom sounds like”. Truer words have never been spoken.

[sevenfootballtv]

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

[donb]

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

[alfie]

Drowning Man
Running to Stand Still
A Sort of Homecoming
Like a Song
Out of Control

[liamgil]

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!!

[davidwaggoner]

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!

[toddhumphrey]

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.

[seanmoloney]

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

[rubensandri]

Two hearts beats as one, for me one of the best U-2 songs.
Cheers from Montevideo, Uruguay.

[sheaballard]

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.

[lasvegasvegas]

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!

[Am_lo]

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

[goncalopires]

My guy, you mustn't forget HEARTLAND. Thanks for honouring them, my favourite and influenced by my father since 1995.

[daveandpearlpadley]

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