U2's biggest mainstream hits?

[bcrt2000]

I just guessed these ones off the top of my head:

Vertigo (2004)
Beautiful Day (2000)
Discotheque (1997)
One (1992)
With Or Without You (1987)
Sunday Bloody Sunday (1983)

anyone whose a bit older than me care to differ? or is that about right?

 

[jick]

Biggest as in best chart position or are you talking about how much ear candy it is?

Cheers,

J

 

[Pero]

Beautiful day, Vertigo and With or without you
(now kids who listen to Half Dollar or M&M candy know U2 by these)

 

[bcrt2000]

Biggest as in best chart position or are you talking about how much ear candy it is?

Cheers,

J

as in the songs that everyone knew at the time, that were totally overplayed, the first song people would associate with the band at the time of its release... i guess you could say chart position but i don't want to make this into a Peeling Off Your Dollar Bills thread

 

[miss becky]

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
With or Without You
Mysterious Ways
One
Beautiful Day
Vertigo

 

[beLIEve]

Most recognizable U2 songs in today's day and age are probably

1. Beautiful Day
2. Vertigo
3. With or Without You
4. Streets
5. One
6. Mysterious Ways
7. Pride (In the Name of Love)
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Stuck in a Moment that you can't get out of
10. Sometimes you can't make it on your own

Just my opinion. Desire is still a heavily played song at sporting events, as is Elevation. Vertigo is U2's biggest Global Hit since 1997, but Beautiful Day has nearly 5 years where it's stood the test of time and is probably still the most played U2 song not from HTDAAB.

 

[gman]

what i will say is that many times i have been in the company of someone wen u2 comes on and the person will say......god....i didnt realise that song was u2

 

[bcrt2000]

what i will say is that many times i have been in the company of someone wen u2 comes on and the person will say......god....i didnt realise that song was u2

when i originally became a u2 fan and found out "mysterious ways", "desire" and "when love comes to town" were u2 fans i was pretty shocked that i didn't know who u2 were... the only really recognizable song to me when i very first started paying attention to u2 (in 2001) was elevation

 

[andyuk]

IMO

1. Beautiful day
2. Vertigo
3. With or without you
4. One
5. Still hav'nt found
6. Pride

 

[phanan]

Well, if you go by Billboard Hot 100 chart position in the U.S., it would be in this order:

With Or Without You
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Desire
Mysterious Ways
One
Discotheque
Where The Streets Have No Name

However, since the 90's, the charts have become increasingly fragmented, and now certain songs are geared toward specific charts. For U2, the modern rock chart is the best indicator of how popular their newer songs are, as Beautiful Day and Vertigo were both smashes on that one.

 

[timothius]

Desire was there first number 1 was it not?!?!

I would also venture New Years Day has quite a lot of recognition. As well as When Love Comes To Town.

Mysterious Ways is also underrated in popularity stakes.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

Desire was there first number 1 was it not?!?!

depends on what country you mean.

i believe it was their first uk #1 hit. in the us, their first #1 was with or without you.

as for the op, was sunday bloody sunday even released as a single in every country? i'm not sure if it was released in the states or not...

 

[timothius]

SBS was released in Europe when everyone else got Two Hearts...

Except Japan... they got both...

 

[phanan]

Desire was there first number 1 was it not?!?!

I would also venture New Years Day has quite a lot of recognition. As well as When Love Comes To Town.

Mysterious Ways is also underrated in popularity stakes.

Desire peaked at #3 in the U.S.

 

[beau2ifulday]

In Britain, i'd say:

Beautiful Day
Stuck In A Moment
Vertigo
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
With Or Without You
One

Not so sure about globally.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

Except Japan... they got both...

japan gets everything bonus tracks, extra packaging, etc.

 

[D'oh!]

Biggest mainstream hit: Beautiful Day..........and rightly so

 

[ImOuttaControl]

Beautiful Day
WOWY
ISHFWILF
Desire
Vertigo

I'm suprised nobody's said the Sweetest Thing yet. I remember this being a pretty huge radio hit and on heavy MTV/ VH1 rotation.

 

[Soldatti]

US Album Rock Radio?
Mysterious Ways (#1 for 12 weeks)

According to Joel Whitburn's rock book, only the Stones' Start Me Up got most airplay during 1981-1995.

 

[2861U2]

Id add Elevation to the "most recognizable" list, no?

 

[MixingBliss]

A perspective from the East Coast of the United States:

Pride
With or Without You
One
Beautiful Day
Where the Streets Have No Name
Desire
Still Haven't Found
Sweetest Thing
Mysterious Ways
New Years Day
Vertigo
Sunday Bloody Sunday
All I Want Is You

-- These are all songs I know I hear several times a year on rock and alt-rock stations, and I don't listen to radio that often. Vertigo has gotten relatively little play around here.

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

A perspective from the East Coast of the United States:

Pride
With or Without You
One
Beautiful Day
Where the Streets Have No Name
Desire
Still Haven't Found
Sweetest Thing
Mysterious Ways
New Years Day
Vertigo
Sunday Bloody Sunday
All I Want Is You

-- These are all songs I know I hear several times a year on rock and alt-rock stations, and I don't listen to radio that often. Vertigo has gotten relatively little play around here.

Yup. That's exactly what i hear here in Va. Though I've heard a good bit of ABOY lately. And also Bullet the Blue Sky. On local stations that have U2 weekend, you'll occasionally hear Electric Co, Staring at the Sun, Even Better Than the Real Thing, and Stay.

 

[eviltwin]

You are forgetting about "Hold me, Thrill me, Kiss me, Kill me"

that song/video spend ages in MTV's European Top20 (combined charts from all over Europe + Israel & Turkey etc.)

It also should've won an Oscar.

Plus it was released in the gap between Achtung/Zooropa and Pop so it kept U2 in the spotlight.

 

[doctorwho]

If U2 were to release an album entitled "1", ala the Beatles' release of a few years back, they'd have to tap into several countries and several charts.

In the U.S., U2 have had only two #1 hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 ("With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found..."). However, they've had plenty of #1's on the U.S. Modern Rock, Mainstream Rock and even Dance charts! If U2 count all those charts, then they start to have a decent album.

Also, like the Beatles' "1", if U2 consider #1 songs from other countries, like the U.K., this would increase their list of songs. They could and most likely should also consider #1 songs from Ireland and perhaps Australia and Canada too. When all those countries are combined, U2 have quite a good collection of their most popular songs,.