U2 - 20 Greatest Hits

[starvinmarvin]

Using the standard "20 Greatest Hits" compilation method, these are U2's most successful singles, based on highest chart position (in chronological order):

USA

1. New Years Day
2. Pride
3. With Or Without You (#1 hit)
4. I Still Haven't Found (#1 hit)
5. Where The Streets Have No Name
6. In God's Country
7. Desire
8. Angel Of Harlem
9. Mysterious Ways
10. One
11. Even Better Than The Real Thing
12. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
13. Stay
14. Hold Me Thrill me Kiss Me Kill Me
15. Discotheque
16. Staring At The Sun
17. Last Night On earth
18. Beautiful Day
19. Stuck In A Moment
20. Vertigo

UK

1. The Unforgettable Fire
2. With Or Without You
3. I Still Haven't Found
4. Where The Streets Have No Name
5. Desire (#1 hit)
6. All I Want Is You
7. The Fly (#1 hit)
8. Stay
9. Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me
10. Discotheque (#1 hit)
11. Staring At The Sun
12. The Sweetest Thing
13. Beautiful Day (#1 hit)
14. Stuck In A Moment
15. Elevation
16. Walk On
17. Electrical Storm
18. Vertigo (#1 hit)
19. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
20. City Of Blinding Lights

It is interesting to look at these lists, and to compare US vs UK hit singles. U2 has had far fewer hits in the US, as even a minor hit like Stay (#61) made the Top 20 U2 hits of all-time list. In contrast, U2 has had alot of chart success in the UK. The lowest chart position to crack the list is The Unforgettable Fire, which hit the # 6 position (When Love Comes to Town also hit #6, but I scratched it from the list because its chart run was shorter). In the UK, U2 has had an amazing 26 Top Ten hits! Compare that to the US, where they have only had 6 Top Ten Hits. Also, U2 has had a lot of recent success in the UK, in terms of singles.

 

[POP-ROMANCER]

Nice post! I like UK list more...

Here's the dutch one (just for fun)

01. Pride (in the name of love)
02. The unforgettable fire
03. Sunday bloody sunday
04. With or without you
05. I still haven't found what I'm looking for
06. Desire
07. Angel of harlem
08. When love comes to town
09. The fly
10. Mysterious ways
11. Even better than the real thing
12. Hold me thrill me kiss me kill me
13. Discotheque
14. Beautiful day (nr.1)
15. Stuck in a moment you can't get out of
16. Elevation (nr.1)
17. Electrical storm
18. Vertigo
19. Sometimes you can't make it on your own
20. City of blinding lights

 

[Ellay]

Interesting read,

It is now a lot easier to get a top ten hit in the United Kingdom than it was 15 years ago, because of the way CD singles are priced.

(ie two cds & the DVD release for little over five pounds - and sometimes with cd singles down to as little as 99p)

This practice started in about 1995, when record companies realised they could make more money if they sold more copies in the first week - generating more publicity through it's positioning in the top ten. The first example I can remember seeing was Britains eurovision entry by Gina G.

A song like city of blinding lights would have been unlikely to reach the top five 15 years ago, and yet this time it was only beaten off the number one spot by crazy frog.

Price fixing also means that songs don't have the same longevity in the charts as they used to. Sales of blinding lights plummetted after the first week.

(BTW dont think I'm ragging on blinding lights, I love the song)

 

[bono_gal]

A song like city of blinding lights would have been unlikely to reach the top five 15 years ago, and yet this time it was only beaten off the number one spot by crazy frog.


(BTW dont think I'm ragging on blinding lights, I love the song)

I love city of blinding lights myself!

But, i agree it probably would have been harder for it to get in the top 5 15years ago than today.

Novelty songs like the crazy frog are becoming increasingly popular, and thats why they beat U2. I think the reason has so much chart success is beacause they are U2!

 

[BigMacPhisto]

13. Beautiful Day (#1 hit)
14. Stuck In A Moment
15. Elevation
16. Walk On
17. Electrical Storm
18. Vertigo (#1 hit)
19. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
20. City Of Blinding Lights
[/B]

Proves that the third decade of U2 has been just as popular and hit filled as what came before...........except in the US, unfortunately.

 

[MrBrau1]

Re: Re: U2 - 20 Greatest Hits

Proves that the third decade of U2 has been just as popular and hit filled as what came before...........except in the US, unfortunately.

Well, that certainly takes some steam out of the arguement that ATYCLB/HTDAAB were created for American tastes.

 

[MumblingBono]

I always thought 'Two Hearts Beat As One' was the first US single?

'Pride' never charted in UK?

I can attest that 'Sweetest Thing' got massive airplay in my area in 1999 when it (I assume) was released - but no show on US list?

 

[starvinmarvin]

I always thought 'Two Hearts Beat As One' was the first US single?

'Pride' never charted in UK?

I can attest that 'Sweetest Thing' got massive airplay in my area in 1999 when it (I assume) was released - but no show on US list?

2 Hearts didn't chart in the US, although it went to #18 in the UK

Pride did chart in the UK, at a surprisingly low #33.

Sweetest Thing peaked at #63, which surprised me too. Maybe the song did well only in particular cities in the US, and not so well in others.

I also want to clarify that these Top 20 lists only include the highest charting singles for each country. That is why Pride, for example, isn't on the UK list.

To make the US list, the song must have hit at least #61 (Stay is the lowest song to make it). To make the UK list, the single must have made it to at least #6 (Unforgettable Fire is the lowest song on the list).

 

[MsMofoGone]

As for the USA listing ...
I'm glad to see that my all-time favorite song, the one that definitely started it all for me with U2 ... is on top !!

New Year's Day ... BEST SONG EVER !!

 

[JOFO]

what happened to "Red Light"???

 

[phanan]

The problem in the U.S. is that we have so many different kinds of charts to go by. Granted, the Billboard Hot 100 is the main chart for singles, but sometimes there are songs that are released as singles that are more geared to the rock and alternative rock stations, and thus have done much better on those charts. Sunday Bloody Sunday and The Fly come to mind. Using this methodology, I would insert both and take out In God's Country and Last Night On Earth, which were minor singles here and didn't get as much airplay as SBS and The Fly.

 

[bsp77]

One small error in the US list. Stay is the lowest charting out of those 20 (#61). The Fly also reached #61, so you need to have 21 US hits listed.

 

[starvinmarvin]

One small error in the US list. Stay is the lowest charting out of those 20 (#61). The Fly also reached #61, so you need to have 21 US hits listed.

True, The Fly did hit #61 too, and I overlooked it...however, Stay had a longer run on the charts (13 weeks vs. 11 weeks), so technically I can leave The Fly off the list.

 

[Stefan]

Pride did chart in the UK, at a surprisingly low #33.

I think you have it mixed up. I'm pretty sure Pride was a number 3 hit in UK and charted at 33 in the US.

 

[Carmelu2fan]

As for the USA listing ...
I'm glad to see that my all-time favorite song, the one that definitely started it all for me with U2 ... is on top !!

New Year's Day ... BEST SONG EVER !!

My thoughts as well...I am also glad that With or Without you was a USA number one as well, But my very first U2 song that captured my heart was New Years day.

 

[Lemonfix]

I can attest that 'Sweetest Thing' got massive airplay in my area in 1999 when it (I assume) was released - but no show on US list?

I can attest to that as well, I was in High School when Sweetest Thing was released in '98 and it seemed to be very popular....

However, wasn't ST not released as a CD single in the US (to get more people to buy the Best Of). Thus it's chart popularity could only be judged on radio airplay

 

[phanan]

I think you have it mixed up. I'm pretty sure Pride was a number 3 hit in UK and charted at 33 in the US.

Pride was definitely only a number 33 hit in the US, so unless it peaked at the same position in the UK, it must be higher, I would think.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

Yep, "Pride" peaked at #3 in the UK. So it should be first on the UK list, bumping out "The Unforgettable Fire"....

 

[starvinmarvin]

Yep, "Pride" peaked at #3 in the UK. So it should be first on the UK list, bumping out "The Unforgettable Fire"....

The list is of the U2's 20 highest charting singles, in chronoligical order. Since Unforgettable Fire is among this select group of songs, and because it is the very earliest song amongst this group, it is at the top of this list.

I know that Pride charted higher, but that isn't the point of the list.

 

[BigMacPhisto]

The point of the list was the twenty highest charting songs in each country..........since "Pride" hit #3 it bumps out the lowest on the UK list, which is "TUF" which topped out at #6.......

 

[starvinmarvin]

The point of the list was the twenty highest charting songs in each country..........since "Pride" hit #3 it bumps out the lowest on the UK list, which is "TUF" which topped out at #6.......

Sorry...my mistake