U2 'Discotheque'

Chart Peak: 1 (1 week)

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U2 were formed at Dublin's Mount Temple School nearly 20 years ago... They are regarded by many as the biggest band in the world today and this cracking cut, 'Discotheque', entered the chart at No. 1 on release in February '97.

I suspect most people who bought the album might have had some inkling of who U2 were already, but nice of the note to clarify things anyway. 'Discotheque' became the sixth consecutive one-week chart-topper, an unprecedented sequence at the time, and gave way after only one week itself, although it was reportedly their fastest selling single yet. And if you've been reading this blog all week, you'll get Mark Goodier's Brian Harvey joke.

Of course we're deep into U2's ironic, experimental era here, as exemplified by their much-trailed Village People impression in the video and the album title Pop. With hindsight, the band have dismissed this album as rushed (they recorded it in only two years!) and especially now there is something rather confused about it. Perhaps it's not wholly surprising that their next move was to rerecord an old B-side as the lead track for a best of album, but it was still disappointing. I wouldn't have admitted it in 1997, but a U2 who don't know what they're doing still have more to offer than the autopilot band that took over in later years. Intentionally or otherwise, the record sounds as confused as the situation I suppose it's supposed to be about, and that distorted Edge guitar riff is impossible to get out of your head. Even Bono's voice isn't that annoying once Howie B's messed with it enough. At worst, an interesting failure.

Also appearing on: Now 4, 5, 20, 22, 32, 37, 41, 47, 48, 49, 53, 57 [LMC vs U2], 60, 61, 62, 63, 66, 72
Available on: Discotheque [3 track]

U2 'The Fly'

Chart Peak: 1 (1 week)

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Funnily enough, this is U2's first appearance in the series since Now 5. In the second half of the preceding decade they'd proven themselves to be the biggest rock band in the world, and then seemingly worried about what to do with it. So it was almost two years into the new decade before they re-emerged with this radically different single, presumably as a statement of intent, as there were many more conventionally U2-like tracks on the album. Indeed this was such an edgy choice of single that it was supposed to be available for a limited time (though it's since reappeared as a download) so that a more reassuring single could be put out in time for the Christmas market. In the event though, this frontloaded sales sufficiently that the single performed the public service of deposing Bryan Adams from his 16-week stint at the top of the charts, although 'The Fly' was deposed in short order by the aforementioned 'Dizzy' and its initial five-week chart run equalled a record set by Iron Maiden earlier that same year. Over in the US it was rather a flop, which is presumably why it doesn't reliably show up on best-of collections.

That's a shame, because this is better than many of the songs that do reliably turn up on those. Claims of bravery are perhaps oversold (after all, they knew they weren't going to starve even if the album flopped) and as is often the case Bono's lyric isn't as interesting as he thinks it is. But there are quotable one-liners ("All kill their inspiration and sing about the grief") and the soundscape demands attention. Unfortunately, this seems to have become as much of a formula for the band as anything else and, inevitably, it inspired many an imitator too.

Also appearing on: 4, 5, 22, 32, 36, 37, 41, 47, 48, 49, 53, 57 [LMC vs U2], 60, 61, 62, 63, 66, 72
Available on: Achtung Baby

U2 'The Unforgettable Fire'

Chart Peak: 6

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Side 4 starts here. Which isn't very surprising, because this would be an amazingly difficult segue from the previous track, even by the broad-church standards of the Now albums. It's a struggle to believe that these two tracks even existed in the same universe, let alone that they were briefly in the chart together.

In fact, this track doesn't entirely seem to belong anywhere, although the very fact that it went straight into the Top 10 (albeit for a relatively short run) seems a sure sign that U2 had arrived at true stardom and now had a big enough fanbase who'd rush out to grab the limited double-7" single. That's not to say that it's anything other than brilliant, but it's by no means an obvious pop hit. It made so little impression on my seven-year-old self that I don't remember hearing it at all until I started listening to Radio 2 a couple of decades later, and even then I struggled to remember which one it was. Once I had my own copy of the album, it was a different story and this swiftly became one of my favourite ever U2 tracks, instantly engaging with its rock-solid rhythm section but also admirably resisting the big obvious chorus it always seems so close to. And one of Bono's best vocal performances too, for my money: entirely committed but without the huffing and puffing that mar so much of his work in the Joshua Tree and Rattle And Hum eras. Around this Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois have built a soundscape that defies detailed description; and that's not just a cop-out on my part, it seems like it'd ruin the mystique a bit. It's for the same reason that I've tried to avoid thinking too hard about what the lyrics are supposed to mean: I know the song and album title were influenced by an exhibition of photos of Hiroshima, but the actual content doesn't seem to be that linear, and the mood is as uplifting as it is gloomy in the end.

Also appearing on: Now 4, 20, 22, 32, 36, 37, 41, 47, 48, 49, 53, 57 [LMC vs U2], 60, 61, 62, 63, 66, 72
Available on: The Best Of: 1980-1990

U2 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me'

Chart Peak: 2

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Another single that peaked at 2! This was U2's first appearance in 10 Now albums, their biggest gap since the remarkable 15-album gap between their second and third appearances: most remarkable because it covers the Joshua Tree era.

Anyway, we find Bono & Co here in the middle of what's typically seen as an experimental period that started with Achtung Baby in 1991 and ended around the time of the first best-of album in 1998. In fact, 'Hold Me,...' doesn't sound all that experimental nowadays, although of course it is fifteen years old. It was an offcut from Zooropa (an album I didn't even know existed until years later) which was pressed into service as the title song from Batman Forever, a film so big even I saw it, although I don't remember much about it except my brother and I mocking the moment when Batman realises that a character called "Edward Nigma" might possibly be The Riddler. The single itself is no masterpiece and like a lot of U2, gives the impression that it thinks it's a lot cleverer than it really is. But it's nowhere near the worst they've ever done and it gets some point for the big orchestral ending which at least makes it sound like part of a soundtrack.

Also appearing on: Now 4, 5, 20, 22, 36, 37, 41, 47, 48, 49, 53, 57 [LMC vs U2], 60, 61, 62, 63, 66, 72
Available on: Best of 1990-2000

U2 'Pride (In The Name Of Love)'

Chart Peak: 3

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If only I'd started this album a week earlier I could have timed this post for MLK Day. Oh well.

The start of a long run of appearances for U2, even despite the conspicuous gap around their late-80s commercial peak. Whilst they'd already had a Top 10 single in the UK with 'New Year's Day', this was the start of their real superstar era, and the start of a long run of Top 10s that remained officially unbroken until 1991.

It was of course the lead single from their pivotal album The Unforgettable Fire (recently re-released in Deluxe Edition form if you can stomach that price) and to some extent follows the template set by earlier anthems like 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' and the aforesaid 'New Year's Day', but with more inventive production. Drumming has probably never sounded better on a rock record thanks to the combined efforts of Larry Mullen Jr, Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois and the acoustics of Slane Castle. Wisely, though, the arrangement is quite sparse, allowing the maximum space for Bono's expansive vocal. Apparently he has been dismissive in retrospect of the impressionistic lyrics, but that to me just shows how much the band have lost their way in more recent years. He does have a point in regretting the line "Early morning, April 4, shot rings out in the Memphis sky" as innacurate, but it's forgiveable for once. U2 are an easy band to dislike but this single is a strong case for the defence, using all their worst tendencies for the good.

Also appearing on: Now 5, 20, 22, 32, 36, 37, 41, 47, 48, 49, 53, 57 [LMC vs U2], 60, 61, 62, 63, 66, 72
Available on: The Unforgettable Fire (Remastered)

Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen 'Theme From Mission: Impossible'

Chart Peak: 7

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It's probably a while since you've heard this one (unless you've been watching the film, I suppose: I've never seen it). We're in the middle of that slightly odd mid-nineties phase when U2 didn't seem to know quite who or what they were, and for my money wandered into some more interesting avenues than they have in this decade, but that's for another time. What we have here is the rhythm section taking time out to perform the theme tune to the old-TV-series-turned-blockbuster.

In contrast to Dodgy and OCS trying to make their albums sound thirty years old, Clayton & Mullen are evidently trying very hard to be up-to-date, with the inevitable consequence that it sounds a bit old-hat now. It's also oddly lacking in personality, presumably because the nature of the exercise didn't allow them a lot of room for interpretation: you'd hardly know it was them, really. The biggest problem is, though, that although it's a perfectly serviceable piece of theme music (you'd expect no less from Lalo Schifrin) not very much actually happens during it, and it's hard to stay interested for the full three and a half minutes.

Available on: Mission: Impossible - Music from and inspired by the motion picture.