u2's popularity / ? for "younger" fans

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I?m 15, and I love U2. My friends don?t loooove, but almost all of them do like, altough they only know Beautiful Day or Elevation. They are more into nu metal shit, or punk rockers like Blink 182 or hip hop (2pac, 50 Cents...). I am a kind of alien because the bands I like are actually "old bands" like U2, R.E.M. or even Pearl Jam. Now people only like these 3 sorts of music I?ve said, and they?re new bands. U2 is not popular, but people don?t hate it. I burned a copy of Elevation Live From Boston for my friend and he loved it.

I think the only band I actually like and it?s "cool" to like are the red hot chili peppers...

I don?t think the new album will hit like ATYCLB. Beautiful Day was a big MTV hit... but I?ve only seen Electrical Storm once in the TV. And this new videoclip, Beautiful Day live from Slane, won?t hit. I?m sure.

(I hope this is well written...)
 
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I'm nearly 16...Once thought I was prolly the only one in my school who liked U2 cos everyone gave me a funny look when I mentioned the band...but just last week one of the guys in my cisco class told me he liked them o_O which was uber cool...

I think as the kids in my school are getting older...their taste in music is getting a lot better...now I see that most of the people who gave me funny looks when I mentioned the band last year or a few years back, aren't acting the same way as before...they seem to show more of a respect for the band now...

I dunno...maybe it was the overplaying of their new songs on the radio when ATYCLB came out...cos right now the attitude toward the band is more of a sense of respect and some interest than a sense of ridicule...

maybe it's just my school...but it's definately a good sign that at least some of the kids my age are paying less attention to the crap that mtv (and co.) advertise and are finding the good music again o_O
 
Sue DeNym said:
A fan is a fan is a fan; age and longetivity do not matter. There should not be a caste system in fandom. And those who mock or criticize the younger fans are not acting in the spirit of the band; they are the only ones whose "fanship" I would question.

Well put. :yes:

I'm 17 and I usually feel like I'm the only U2 fan at my high school. I'm very surprised at how often my classmates tell me that they've never heard of U2; same goes for a few of my teachers - even after I mention a few song titles to see if it lights up any light bulbs.

For those that have heard of U2, I never really get any negative comments. However, a few people do think that my love for the band is strange. I was once asked if I get "hot" listening to "a bunch of 40 year olds." :rolleyes:

And from what I've observed, kids at my school are very much into what's "in" nowadays; mostly any artist that is currently being played on any mainstream rock station.
 
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Queen Bee said:
Well put. :yes:

I'm 17 and I usually feel like I'm the only U2 fan at my high school. I'm very surprised at how often my classmates tell me that they've never heard of U2; same goes for a few of my teachers - even after I mention a few song titles to see if it lights up any light bulbs.

See, it was kinda like that for me in school, too-I knew one kid who did like U2's music, and I had another friend who didn't really know much about them.

But I think most of the kids knew who they were, and either just weren't into them, or downright disliked them-I remember one day, long before I became a fan, hearing "Beautiful Day" on the radio in math class and hearing some kid say that they sucked.

Anywho, I know I was in the minority at school (hell, some days I thought I was the minority in my town).

Originally posted by Queen Bee
For those that have heard of U2, I never really get any negative comments. However, a few people do think that my love for the band is strange. I was once asked if I get "hot" listening to "a bunch of 40 year olds." :rolleyes:

:sigh:.

I've never gotten comments like that-most people, when they find out I had a thing for one of the guys, just left it at that, or they gave me odd looks and maybe made a comment about the age of him, but weren't really full out rude about it. And some of my friends may have made good-natured jokes about it, but that's all. And I did manage to find some teens online who agreed with me, so...:). Nobody's really made fun of my thing for one of the guys, but I was definitely, again, in the minority at school in regards to who I liked.

Originally posted by Queen Bee
And from what I've observed, kids at my school are very much into what's "in" nowadays; mostly any artist that is currently being played on any mainstream rock station.

Again, same here. I did know a few guys who liked the classic rock-but it was basically Hendrix and Bob Dylan and AC/DC who they liked (which is cool, nothing wrong with those three at all).

Angela
 
I don't think anyone here criticizes younger or newer U2 fans, just younger people who refuse to give U2 a chance because of their age. :sigh:

I would also like to personally dump on all people everwhere who don't like U2 :down: They don't have a right to their opinion, because if they don't like anything by U2 they don't have enough sense to be able to form one :p ;) :laugh:



All of you young people who say your friends can't believe you like U2, or joke on them, don't worry about it! You know you're the smart ones, the ones with good taste, and their numetal and Blink will all be long forgotten while U2's legend lives on forever!! :yes: I always liked 'old' bands, most of them with songs older than me. There are a few special people who don't follow the crowd, who know what they like and don't care what anyone else thinks, and that's something to be proud of! :up:
 
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Well said, U2Kitten. :).

My friends don't actually listen to the newer rock bands like Blink-182 and them, though. One girl listens to the light rock stuff (and, I'll give her this-she loves guys with long hair, and I had a couple of pictures of Bono with his long hair up in my locker at school, and she said, "Not bad!" upon seeing them, so...), another listens to Christian music (and because of that, I'm thinking of recommending at least October to her, since that's about the most religious of their albums...I think she might enjoy that one), and then I had that one guy friend who liked U2 that I mentioned, and he and two other guys I knew listened to a lot of classic rock. Same with my friends online. They all enjoy older music, but most of them just aren't into U2-either haven't heard much by them or just haven't really thought to hear more from them.

And when it comes to the jokes friends make, it's not so much because of the fact I listen to U2, it's more because of the fact that I have a thing for one of the guys in the group. But again, like I said, they haven't been rude comments, just some good-natured ones. And the comments don't have so much to do with the age of him ('cause a lot of my friends like guys who are 20 to 30 years older than them, too) as the fact that out of all the people I could have a thing for, he's who I like.

So compared to the comments some people get, it could be worse.

Angela
 
I'm no Michael Jackson, but the kids that I've spent time with ranging from 10-18 years of age all have an idea of who U2 is. With that said, U2 is about as meaningful to them as the Who or the Police are to today's teens... maybe better than that. People know Beautiful Day and stuff, but its now Good Charlotte, 50 Cent, that Stacy's Mom song, and Eminem that rule...
 
Not bonded to any age...!

Hello ya all!

I'm 17 myself, and I became a big fan of U2 last year, when Electrical Storm was released. It was not THAT particular song that did it, but it was that song that made me curious to learn about U2. Because I already knew they were the big guys. So I borrowed ATYCLB from the library, and I liked it very much. Then I asked the best of 1990-2000 for St. Nicholas (a Dutch holiday). And I bought the best of 1980-1990 too. By then time I got hooked to them. There never goes a day without listening to them, you can call me an addict. :D

But.... to come back to the point, U2 doesn't stand for one age group, they have fans of all different ages. Probably because they release albums through the years, and during every period of new albums they get new fans. And who blames one to become a U2 fan... The fact is still that they are f*cking GREAT!!!

See Ya!

PS: I've got my own copy of ATYCLB now, nothing that I have from U2 is burned stuff... They don't deserve that!!! Remember! :sexywink:
 
Most teens have shit taste in music. For every one that owns a Beatles, U2, or Zeppelin album there are 500 who've never heard of them and only own 50cent, MnM, and Blink 182 cds. It's not just a generational thing. It's getting worse every year, because the marketing is much more prevelant that is was 10, 20, or 30 years ago. I still marvel when I meet a "so called" music fan who's 20 and nothing they own is more than 4 years old.
 
I am 28 years old and have been a fan since the 7th grade. I honestly think it might be cool to be around 15 years old right now and discover a passion for U2. The only reason being, that you can go out and buy their entire catalouge at one time and get 10 albums of new U2 songs that you have never heard of before. Those of us who have been fans forever had to wait 2,3, even 4 years for a new album of 10 or 1 songs. I'd flip if i had 100 new never listened to before songs from U2. LOL
 
U2Kitten said:
So it's not a matter of age, it's a matter of good taste. I have also noticed that in general, smarter people tend to be U2 fans;) There will always be people of all ages who will like U2, the rest, it's their loss and the band doesn't need them anyway.
U2 fans of all ages :up:

U2Kitten you do have a way of putting things in perspective! :up:
I so enjoyed reading this thread again simply because I want to .:hug: all the young U2 fan's and I know they're saying, back off Mom, but they are the SMART one's. And if I want anything for the next generation it's the respect and love that U2 represents for the world. If nothing else they can be proud of these guys who ARE still rocking with a message. :dance: I have no doubt the new album will hold up to that standard and make us all happy. Like you said, for the rest, it's their loss.:sad:
Wow, that was sappy! But I don't care... :heart:
 
*:hug:s sue4u2*

Don't worry about sappiness, by the way. You're absolutely right. :).

Numb1075 said:
I honestly think it might be cool to be around 15 years old right now and discover a passion for U2. The only reason being, that you can go out and buy their entire catalouge at one time and get 10 albums of new U2 songs that you have never heard of before. Those of us who have been fans forever had to wait 2,3, even 4 years for a new album of 10 or 1 songs. I'd flip if i had 100 new never listened to before songs from U2. LOL

This is quite true. There's still some U2 songs out there I have yet to hear...like a lot of those songs from the Achtung Baby outtake thingies and various other stuff like that.

Angela
 
Like most of the ppl here I am 17 and have been a huge U2 fan since 2000. I come from Adelaide, Australia and not many people that I know like U2 but they don't object to my taking to them either. I first loved U2 when I heard WTSHNN midi file and ever since they have grown on me. I have every single album and know pretty much every song they have ever recorded (like Alone in the Light, Street Mission, The fool, Never let me Go, ). I also like some other bands like Coldplay, INXS, REM, Matchbox 20, Oasis, Powderfinger and David Bowie. I have the weirdest taste in music compared to other ppl my age. Everyone else likes P.Diddy, Nelly, and all those other artists I loathe. It makes me almost angry when everyone listens to manufactured pop artists, or all those primitive black artists (whose lyrics consist of women taking their clothes off or about somebody stealing their weed) when real talent like U2, Coldplay etc. are being overshadowed. I just hope real music (the type that gives you shivers down your spine which I get every time I listen to anything by U2) doesn't die off in the near future. Why can't real music become cool?
 
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U2 doesn't write music for kids. They have stated many times that they write music for men. So if you're a kid and you can relate to U2 and love their music, then it means you are not an ordinary kid, you are probably and extraordinary kid with a really high IQ and mature world view to grasp U2's songs. The ordinary and normal kid on the street prefer metal-rap or hip-hop that have nothing but pointless lyrics or sexual innuendos. So all of you teenagers professing your love for U2's music are teenagers out of the norm - above the rest.

Now, here's the most ironic part of it all -- Bono many times in interviews has said he loves hip-hop music and that the real innovation in the music industry nowadays is in hip-hop as other rock bands aren't being creative or have fresh new ideas anymore. But then again, this has been discussed to death in other threads - about Bono's extremely bad taste in music. Perhaps Bono is in his "second childhood" stage.

Cheers,

J
 
im 15 and i became a fan with ATYCLB..i know a good number of u2 fans my age. everyone i know likes different music. rap used to be popular, but its really starting to fade fast. when i was in elementary school, bubblegum pop was popular. now it seems like rock is coming back onto the scene, if you look at the billboard charts, rap songs are starting to move down while rock is moving in. and while ago, it was all rap. u2 is one of the rare bands that can mantain a young fanbase.
 
I'm a 16 year old guy; I LOVE U2.

My mom got me into them as I was born in '87 and of course The Joshua Tree was just about everywhere you can imagine. So when I started to get into music, The Joshua Tree was one of the first CDs I truely loved. As of now, I have all their albums, DVDs, etc. I also got to see them at the Elevation Tour with my mom, and I remember her crying when they played "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".

As for my public image, I go to a small private Catholic high school. I know just about everyone there, and just about everyone knows me. Those who are even remotely close to me know that I am the "Bono" guy. In fact, Bono is now a pop culture image to many of my peers because of me. (I actually dressed up as Bono for the Halloween parade I was in that went down the Mississippi River by the birdge that leads into St.Louis)

We used to have individual prayer in theology class, and when it was my turn, I always played a U2 song...my classmates hated me for that.

But U2 isn't my only obsessed about band. In fact, the other two artists I'm obsessed with are...They Might Be Giants and Weird Al of all people. But U2 and TMBG remain my two ultimate favorite bands. (Talk about not having too many cross over fans.)

And yes, The Joshua Tree remains my favorite album of all time. I even have the poster framed in my room by my bed.
 
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