The band was formed in 1978, when its members were still students at Mount Temple school in Dublin, Ireland. They released their first album, U23, the next year. By 1980 they already had a stable following. That year the group released 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, their first single.
U2 are famous for their inspiring music and the social causes lead singer Bono champions to a comparable degree. The indefatigable Bono organizes celebrities to do commercials, talks to world leaders, goes on high-profile talk shows, and more. If it wasn't for him many people would be oblivious to the famine in Africa. He uses concerts as a venue to rally people and motivate them to exercise social consciousness. He even prays about the troubles in Africa at shows. U2 has turned public attention to causes like Greenpeace, Amnesty International, Stop Sellafield, and many, many more. At their concerts there are booths where you can support a various number of initiatives. Do keep this in mind the next time you decide to go see them.
There is a marked difference between U2 and other rock bands. While most rockers shift back and forth between angry outbursts and gloomy personal lyrics, U2's lyrics transcend the egotistical and the personal. They are angry because governments do not care about their people, because a whole continent is suffering, because rich countries have turned a blind eye to all this. In their music you can see the whole in the part. Songs like One, With or Without You, and Pride are unusual in that they inspire comfort and hope where there was pain and loneliness. There is a sense of nostalgia, of melancholy, but also of a brighter future.
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