when/why did you discover U2?

[If you shout...]

Period: Immediately pre-POP
Song: "Bad"
Reason: A radio countdown in Chicago played what the station had decided to be the top 500 "alternative" songs of all time. I never knew that it had been U2 who played all the songs I remembered hearing and loving on the radio when I was a really, really young kid, and hearing them so well-represented on the countdown made me a fan. "With or Without You" was at number eight, in case anybody cares. When "Discotheque" debuted a few months later (the countdown was in July '96), I was forever hooked. That was the first single I ever purchased.

 

[blueyedpoet]

I grew up in a christian home - my dad is a pastor, and has been one since i was born. It wasn't that I was forbidden to listen to "secular" music, i just wasn't encouraged to. Well, my mom did, but she listened to really bad music (ie Michael Bolton, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion etc). When i started wanting to listen to my own music I drifted towards christian music: dc Talk, Newsboys, Audioslave, and a little Jars of Clay. I was reading an article about Christian music being in the mainstream in a christian music magazine. Half of the article was soley about U2. Aside from Bono's and the edge's names sticking out, their music, faith, and lives intrigued me. I was given some store credit to Warehouse - anyone remember that store? - by my aunt for christmas. I'd been getting into a pop-rap at that point too. At the store i had to make a decision between Best of 1980-1990 and Will Smith's Big Willy Style. I choose U2...what a life changing moment that was. I cannot even imagine what could've happened to me.
Anyways, i fell in love with the music, saw VH1's Legends, and fell even more in love and determined to get all their stuff. A church member used to talk about U2 with me and he eventually gave me Pop, Achtung Baby, the Stay single, and the When Love Comes to Town single. I was stunned at the diversity in material. I have kept collecting their stuff ever since.
500 pounds my ass Bono

 

[clarityat3am]

Period: Joshua Tree
Album: Unforgettable Fire
Reason: My brother brought them home with him in 1987 and I just happened to play them. I was absolutely mesmerized by it and the rest is history!

 

[Zoots]

Wow, I was actually gonna start a poll about this exact topic with all the studio albums, live albums and best-ofs as poll options!
Anyway, mine would be...

Period: Jan/Feb 1992
Album: Achtung Baby
Reason: We had just got cable at my parents' house. I was 13 and really really excited about this flood of music videos I was getting exposed to all of a sudden on MTV. That was when MTV was still good and played tons of music. And that was the time my music taste really expanded. Anyway.. saw the videos for Mysterious Ways, Even Better, One and Who's Gonna Ride at whatever time they were released thru that year. For some reason, I missed the Fly video and didn't see it till much later! But yeah, it was those crazy sexy cool Achtung videos that got my attention, EBTTRT in particular!

Achtung Baby

 

[VicksSs]

Period: Bomb!!
Song: all lol
Reason: Dad bought a fake version of the Boston DVD , fell immediately in love kept me in AWE

 

[youtooellen]

Period: Joshua Tree/Achtung Baby
Song: majority of both
Reason: I began to like them around 2003-ish after I heard 'With or Without You' on the radio. Then I found out that U2 was the same band that played 'Beautiful Day', so I went out, bought the Best of album and realized the tracks I loved the most were from JT. went out and bought that, and a few other albums along the way. soon enough i became a great listener of the majority of their albums.
but I think the songs that captured me and got me to love them were 'One tree Hill' and 'UTEOTW'. the beauty of 'one tree hill' made me realize their greatness, and UTEOTW made me realize... Edge's greatness .

 

[VertigoGal]

Period: early 2004
Song: One
Reason: My mom had bought their Best of 1990-2000. At first I thought most of the songs were weird (my favorite music was rap and Matchbox 20), but One immediately caught my attention. Eventually, I started to listen to the others and found that I really liked Stay, Discotheque, Hands, Beautiful Day, and Electrical Storm. At some point, I realized I loved basically every song on there and went out and bought Best of 1980-1990, Achtung Baby, and the Joshua Tree and eventually became obsessed with them. I'm glad I got into them the way I did, because I got into them without knowing they were the "biggest" band in the world, or that conversely they weren't exactly "cool" for kids my age...I just really liked the music.

Also, thanks to them I've gotten into tons of other great bands.

 

[DreamOutLoud13]

Period: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Song: Vertigo
Reason: The line "your love is teaching me how... how to kneel" caught my attention, because of my own spiritual struggles, and here was such a religious reference in a mainstream rock song. Then I started remembering other things I'd heard about U2 being Christians, and I was like "OMG this is the band for me!" And now I don't even like Vertigo, or HTDAAB that much. I've been spoiled by Achtung Baby ;P

 

[underscore]

X-mas eve dec. 24th 1983 or 1984 , came home early from the night church thingy (not a christian anymore) we just got cable and without parents home i decided to find the new channels on tv, didn't take long before i found sky channel end the music box, then music stations, one of the 1st vid's i saw was U2's new years day, with the horses and the snow, became really interested in them since then, but didn't become a true fan since the 1985 live aid show on tv, that was the show that got me into U2.

So if asked since when am i a fan i say live aid 1985.

 

[twochordcool]

pre Joshua Tree -

I was right in the middle of "growing up" -

19 years old - left friends and family to join the Navy - heard amazing songs like "New Years Day" and "Pride" and they REALLY moved me emotionally -

IMMEDIATELY bought "War" and "The Unforgettable Fire" and was BLOWN AWAY!

It was a funny, transitional time for me - I was really into Metallica and Slayer and Judas Priest as a teenager - and I just finally reached this age in which I no longer felt like I needed to be a tough guy anymore - I no longer had to be cool around my friends and justify why I liked bands like Depeche Mode, The Cure, New Order, REM, Big Audio Dynamite, Echo & the Bunnymen, Public Image Limited, The Smiths and U2! If they didn't get it then they weren't ready to grow up - or they just did not get it.

Anyway, Joshua Tree came out and that sealed the deal!

Unfortunately it took me a little while to get around to seeing them in concert -

actually, I think it was Zoo TV tour in Washington.

 

[Bono's shades]

Period: JT
Song: With or Without You. I heard it on the radio early one morning when it first started getting airplay.
Reason: WOWY was the first U2 song I'd ever heard. I just fell for that song so hard. I'd never heard anything like it before in my life. It made just about ever other song that was popular back then seem totally irrelevent. I started listening to more of their music and learning about the band. I was amazed at how much I loved every single song and I was really impressed with their spiritual and political beliefs.

 

[ntalwar]

twochordcool, based on your other posts about Hartford GA, I'm surprised you did not mention Prussian Blue as one of your favorite bands.

I wonder if you can handle the fact that U2 are playing shows in *gasp* Mexico!

 

[gvox]

^

Completely uncalled for.

 

[twochordcool]

twochordcool, based on your other posts about Hartford GA, I'm surprised you did not mention Prussian Blue as one of your favorite bands.

I wonder if you can handle the fact that U2 are playing shows in *gasp* Mexico!

Look, just because you are naive, gullible, not very observant, not very sharp and OVERLY politically correct, DO NOT try to portray me as a racist - I just call it like it is.

And being that my girlfriend is from Colombia I guess I would have no problem with Mexico.

Don't even bother replying because you were just owned.

 

[twochordcool]

^

Completely uncalled for.

and you're one to talk - stretching, warping and manipulating what I wrote in the last thread and then getting all crazy accusing me of being this and that...and getting that thread shut down.

VERY manipulative.

 

[jimjam]

Period: Zooropa
Song: Numb

I was only tree at the time and I kept singind to the Numb video, I havent stop listening to this band ever since

 

[Sicy]

ntalwar,
That post was unnecesarry, please dont drag problems from other threads into perfectly good threads.

twochordcool,
I have already told you on the boards and via email that name calling/personal attacks are NOT allowed here. I am not going to tell you again.

This isnt a free for all forum, we have rules here and if you dont want to follow them you wont be allowed to post here.

 

[twochordcool]

1) I don't want to come off sounding like a child - but "he started it"!

2) Personally, I consider the accusation of being a racist, simply because I observed that a lot of scalpers were black at U2 concerts, and vice versa, FAR WORSE than anything I have written about another person here - I DON'T appreciate the unfair "character assassination".

 

[clarityat3am]

Why can't we just drop it and let this thread be free of argument? I was enjoying this thread. How about instead of saying "he started it", just don't feed into it. That's a good way to keep the peace. I'm not posting this to "attack" anyone either.

 

[Sicy]

1) I don't want to come off sounding like a child - but "he started it"!

2) Personally, I consider the accusation of being a racist, because I simply observed that a lot of scalpers were black at U2 concerts, and vice versa, FAR WORSE than anything I have written about another person here - I DON'T appreciate the unfair "character assassination".

That is why I told him not to start shit by dragging other problems into a thread with no problems. But you then went on to call him multiple names which is clearly not acceptable. Two wrongs dont make a right. If you have a problem with someone's post, use the 'report this post to a moderator' link on the post rather than retaliating because it will just get you in trouble.

Lets move on please.

 

[twochordcool]

You're absolutely right!

ntalwar and gabrielvox, I have noticed that you haven't even stated anything of relevance to this particular thread -

So even though you are both probably only about 18...and probably haven't been into U2 until you heard "Beautiful Day" on the radio a million times, won't you like to tell us your U2 fan story?!

 

[Sicy]

Here's mine:

Period: Joshua Tree
Song: With or Without You
Reason: Heard it on the radio when I was 14 and instantly fell in love with them.

Saw them in Oakland in 1987 for the Joshua Tree tour, my very first concert ever. I feel very blessed for that.

 

[Cassandra]

Period: Pre JT (1982-83)
Song: The little heard or seen video "A Celebration"

Heard the song on a truly alternative radio station in Detroit (played everything from 60's rock to 70's punk to 80's new wave plus every band and singer that came out of the Detroit Metro area from all those eras...anyway), tried to find the song-not on War-so back track to the first 2 lps, still no "celebration". Finally bought the single from someone from here in 1995(when it was a very early version of Interference). Nothing dramatic happen to me to attract me to the song, just thought it was great. And still is.

 

[roy keane]

Bomb,Vertigo then every single U2 album in less then a year.2005 was my U2 year.

 

[ntalwar]

You're absolutely right!

ntalwar and gabrielvox, I have noticed that you haven't even stated anything of relevance to this particular thread -

So even though you are both probably only about 18...and probably haven't been into U2 until you heard "Beautiful Day" on the radio a million times, won't you like to tell us your U2 fan story?!

Since I have no respect for you, I will only correct the "18" thing. First U2 show: April 1985, MSG.

 

[Got Philk?]

Period: Achtung Baby
Song: Mysterious Ways
First Cassette Tape: Pop when I was 12. Favorite song: Numb
Reason for all this? I was a radio junkie and hated it when people used to think Jesus Jones was "U2" with his song "Right Here Right Now". Mysterious Ways was played a lot then, and I liked that song better than Jesus Jones so U2 wins!

Phew, can you imagine how thing would have been different if I'd had been a big Jesus Jones fan?

 

[u2granny]

Period: War
Song: New Year's Day
Reason: My ex worked at a radio station and brought home a copy of War.

 

[darbyZ]

Period:Joshua Tree When LIVE AID took place, I remmember seeing them, but was just a kid ,and did not react in the same way as a few years later ...Interestingly,I had their poster pasted to the door of my room,I put it there before becoming their big fan;didn't do it at sb's suggestion,more instinctively.......It was certainly a sign........I no longer live in that house,not even in the same city,and since 32 no longer paste posters to the doors,know all their songs(lyrics forever),went to some of their concerts in Europe........but whenever reminiscing about the old days,I remember that room................They were the first band I discover completely freely and independently...............;later I discover Simple Minds,Joy Division,The Doors,Morrissey.......,fantastic lyrics of Nick Cave or PATTI SMITH;BUT FIRST LOVE...........STAYS FOREVER ,PULSATING .... U2 STRIKES A CHORD IN MY HEART,SOMETHING MORE THAN FEELING............LOVE THEM TO BRING US TOGETHER......MAKING WORLD -TO FIT INTO THE PALM.............-A BETTER PLACE THANK YOU GUYS!

 

[jeffschmid]

it's a beautiful day!!! i was hooked...

 

[twochordcool]

Since I have no respect for you, I will only correct the "18" thing. First U2 show: April 1985, MSG.

My gut feeling tells me that is BS.

And I would not like me either if I were owned as badly by someone as I owned you.