What has U2 meant to you?

[secretly alone]

I love this thread. It's...beautiful.

I don't even know if I can explain what U2 mean to me without writing a novel The short of it is, they mean everything.

They're more than just the soundtrack to my life, although they are that as well. For a long time, they have been the only constant in my life. The music carried me through my teenage years (which are now nearing an end)...through many milestones, great times, not so great times, and one absolutely horrible time. They have helped me form and strenghten friendships, and actaully helped me find myself when I was 14 and struggling to do so.

They are the basis of any fond memories I have from high school...and really, the basis of most fond memories I will have from my teen years. When I've felt like I was alone, and no one understood me...they protected me and kept me feeling happy always.

They're more than my favorite band. They're four people that I feel very close to...someone else here said something similar. I love them with all my heart, not just as a band, but as people. They themselves have inspired me...and that inspiration helped me to mature into the person I am now. I have no problem saying that I DO have a lot of affection for them, no matter how ridiculous that sounds.

All rolled up into U2 are my most profound spiritual experiences, influences of my moral concience, my first love, first teenage fantasies, and the only force that has ever been able to bring out a full range of emotions in me.

No other music I've ever listened to has been able to make me feel remotely the same as U2's music does. Other music comes and goes, sounds nice, and is easily forgotten. I could listen to a U2 song thousands of times (and I'm sure I have) and never get tired of it, get the same feeling from it as I did the first time.

Being a U2 fan is kind of like a way of life for me. They are such a big part of who I am. And I have had some of the best experiences within the fan community. I can talk to people I've never met before as if they were a lifelong best friend. I've never been more convinced of the goodness of people as I have been at a U2 concert. Age, background, etc are null and void. To me, that's incredible.

I feel like I can always count on those four boys and their music, no matter what.

Geez, I wasn't expecting to spill my guts like that

 

[No spoken words]

I can't put it into words.

Been a fan for over 25 years now. A devoted fan.

I turn to the band when I'm down, I want to hear their music when I'm ebullient. I stop listening to them for a few months, return, and certain albums will take on different meaning for me, even after all these years.

However important a band can be to someone without it obscuring the other amazing life has to offer, that's how important their music is to me.

 

[Screwtape2]

This is a cool thread.

I have the absolute worst long term memory so I barely remember anything of my youth. U2 were one of my first musical loves along with The Police. As time has gone by they have become one of the few remaining ties to a youth that I no longer know. The Joshua Tree and Rattle & Hum were part of the soundtrack of that time. That's probably the biggest thing U2 has meant to me.

 

[daygloeyes2]

I got a little teary eyed reading this thread and some of your responses. Thank you for your replies! I have been thinking a lot about this lately and how different my life would be if it weren't for U2. Yes, it sounds cheesy, but it's true.

 

[A stor]

I can't put it into words.

Been a fan for over 25 years now. A devoted fan.

I turn to the band when I'm down, I want to hear their music when I'm ebullient. I stop listening to them for a few months, return, and certain albums will take on different meaning for me, even after all these years.

However important a band can be to someone without it obscuring the other amazing life has to offer, that's how important their music is to me.

Hi!

It's great to see some older fans here. I've been listening to U2 for over 25 years too.

 

[U2Mama]

Great thread

I also find it difficult to put into words why this band is so important to me. I've been a fan for close to 25 years now and I still get goosebumps when I hear their songs. They have been a constant force in my life, like family members, and I can't really remember a time without them. Is it strange for a 42 year old woman to be so dedicated to a band? A lot of my friends (and family) think so, but I could never imagine life with U2's music.

 

[T_Mack]

I've always wanted to share this, this seems like an appropriate place.

I had broke up with my girlfriend of 5 years, and was driving home. Beautiful day came on the radio. At that point the song made so much sense to me and just made me feel better. So I started listening to more and more U2 and it seemed like I could relate most songs to something I'd been through in the past. I felt like I had a friend who had been through the same things as me or something like that... as someone else said, the soundtrack of my life.

Then this happened. I was listening to One Tree Hill, and my dad came in my room. He sort of smiled, and said how much my mom had loved that song. My mom passed away when I was 8 and obviously knowing she loved the song made me even more connected to the song, and the band. That was about 3 years ago.

This summer I was on vacation with my 2 brothers and some friends. We were out on a lake on my friend's boat. It had been 15 years, to the day, since our mom passed. So we gave her a toast and put on One tree Hill. The three of us were huddled together belting out the song. At the exact time Bono sang "...and when it's raining, raining hard.." It actually started raining! It rained lightly for about 5 minutes. There were 7 or 8 of us on the boat and everyone sort of just got quiet... kind of shocked, as they all new the circumstances

I've never been much of a spiritual person and pretty much considered myself atheist. So maybe it was a coincidence... maybe it was something else... either way I'll never forget that moment.

 

[Purplereign]

^ Wow - that's a beautiful beautiful story

This is a gorgeous thread and I have loved reading through everyones connections to this amazing band

I've been listening and loving their music for close to 25 or 26 years and honestly can not imagine life without their music - its my instant pick me up, my catharsis, my peace and my joy! (My kids will put on Vertigo at high volume and beg me to bounce around the lounge room when they know I've had a crappy day )

They have been with me through it all and been the background to all the extraordinary events in my life so far and I have formed some amazing and life long friendships through a mutual love of these fellows.

For me its pretty simple - when I'm listening to their music I feel like I am finally home.

 

[OrARoundabout]

This summer I was on vacation with my 2 brothers and some friends. We were out on a lake on my friend's boat. It had been 15 years, to the day, since our mom passed. So we gave her a toast and put on One tree Hill. The three of us were huddled together belting out the song. At the exact time Bono sang "...and when it's raining, raining hard.." It actually started raining! It rained lightly for about 5 minutes. There were 7 or 8 of us on the boat and everyone sort of just got quiet... kind of shocked, as they all new the circumstances

I've never been much of a spiritual person and pretty much considered myself atheist. So maybe it was a coincidence... maybe it was something else... either way I'll never forget that moment.

OMG

That is amazing

 

[Jeannieco]

That was a beautiful story T Mack.... very cool.
That reminded me of my Beautiful Day story.
3 years ago I was going through a health scare, and I was on the way to the ultra sound testing place freaked out of my mind thinking this mass I had in my abdomen might be the worst possible scenario, I was crying ..worried, I could barely drive. Just as I pulled in to the place for the test, BD came on the radio and it gave me goosebumps instantly. This was years after BD was on the charts, it was a random song this station played at exactly the right moment for me and it instantly calmed me and I knew it was going to be ok. What's even stranger to me was after the test while waiting for the doctor to give me the results in the little waiting conference room, the piped in music over the speakers was the Hallelujah Chorus and it was JULY. It came on literally as the doctor walked in and then he said. You are fine. No cancer!!
It was a beautiful day. hallelujah! I played that song so loud when I got home!!! It's pure JOY to me!!!

 

[u2shamrock]

Ok, I’m already warning you all that this is going to be long But seriously, this is the only place where I feel understood

Let’s go back to 2001. I’m a naïve 11 year old 6th grade girl who thinks the only good music is BSB, N*SYNC, etc. The Grammys are about to start. Some band U2 are winning a bunch of awards--who the hell do they think they are? Psh, their music isn’t even that good. Why does the music community seem to love them? No way I’d listen to their music (but what the heck, might as well save the newspaper clipping with them on the front. I mean just in case ). I don’t pay much attention to them--until I see the music video for “Walk On”. Hmm, guess they aren’t too bad. I ask my dad if he would go to Best Buy and get me their CD. He responds with “Which one?” How many do they have!? I tell him whatever the newest one is. He forgets to get it, but I remind him a month or so later. I pop it into the family computer and put my headphones on. WOAH! What was that?? I can’t even remember how many times I listened to ATYCLB on replay (I will always have a soft spot for the album as a whole--even with Stuck, Elevation, and New York on it).

I have to find more of this. My mom and I make a trip to Target. There weren’t that many of their albums in stock. I choose JT, The Best of 80-90, and 7 (I think I even have the receipt somewhere ). I remember sitting in my grandma‘s living room, falling in love with WTSHNN, RTSS, and RHMT. Somewhere along the line I pick up the Boston DVD. I wait for a day when the parents aren’t going to be home and put it on the big TV downstairs. There were a whole bunch of songs on there I had never heard. I was floored by Gone, Stay, and The Fly. I HAD to have the record versions of all these!

By now it’s my 13th birthday, and I'm in the 8th grade. Finally completed my collection and got ‘At the End of the World‘. I can remember really listening to TUF for one of the first times (it was snowing outside and we had to throw snowballs at the satellite dish ), being amazed at the crazy sounds of Pop coming out of the speakers, and how young they sounded on Boy. I’m now known as the crazy U2 girl in school--and I’m okay with that. I bring whatever books about them to school every day and read them in between of classes. It becomes a huge inside joke at the lunch table to say “Larry in a bathtub” whenever there’s a lull in conversation (man oh man, that video ). Plus, being the I am, I just had to learn everything I could about them--there's 20 some years of information I have to absorb!

As the years go on, they’re still by my side. If I have no one to console me, I turn on one of their songs (you know the cheesy part had to be in here somewhere). Honestly, they’ve been the one force who has always been there. They constantly have changed how they sound and look…while still remaining who they are. Their songs have helped me in multiple ways, even if I wasn’t aware of it at the time. I don't know how my teen years would have went otherwise. Really, I found them at the perfect time in my life . In 2006 my uncle was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We had just moved into my grandma’s house because she had passed away 6 months prior. I distinctly remember sitting on my bed, on Interference, downloading some song called ‘Mercy’. I was crying about my uncle and turned it on for the first time. A huge wave of peace came over me…I can’t even describe it. Again, that’s the reason I think why I like that song as much as I do.

I’ve said to my friends that I hope one day I can find a guy that I can love as much as I love this band. No matter how many times I’ve listened to a song, I get butterflies (I mean majorly gigantic butterflies) and chills EVERY time I hear it on the radio, live, or on my iPod. It seriously feels like I intimately know each member. When I saw It Might Get Loud, I felt like a huge dork for smiling ear to ear when Edge was talking--even when he was telling stories I already knew. When I just saw them in Chicago this year, I was cracking up at Bono’s introductions of each of them. They feel like family.

Well, I think that's enough of my rambling . Sorry for going on so long . The only regret I have out of all this madness is not remembering what I first thought of AB and Zooropa

 

[Thora]

This thread is awesome. I love all your stories!

Like so many of you have already said, it's almost impossible to put into words what this band means to me. They have saved my life, as cheesy as that sounds. Right around the time that ATYCLB came out, I was in a pretty horrible place in my life. I was crazily depressed, suicidal, and just generally a mess. I was so excited for the new album, and remember going out to pick it up on the day it came out. I was living at university at the time, and didn't have a car of my own, so I had to convince another friend to drive me to the store to buy it.

I listened to the whole CD all the way through, and when I came to Walk On, I completely lost it. That song saved my life. It gave me hope when I had absolutely none. I'd listen to it every night on my discman as I was going to sleep, and even though I'd be crying, I knew I was going to make it. I felt like that song was written specifically for me. It gave me the courage to face up to my problems, and to keep going. The live versions I've heard of it are especially moving. They've played it at all the concerts I've been to, and it looks like I'll get to hear it again this tour, which is so awesome.

It sounds so horribly cheesy to write this, but I honestly know that if it weren't for U2's music over the many years that I've been a fan, I wouldn't be here today.

 

[secretly alone]

Let’s go back to 2001. I’m a naïve 11 year old 6th grade girl

We're the same age And your falling-in-love story reminds me so much of mine! I, too, hope that I can find a guy I can love as much as I love them

 

[Lemonchick]

u2 makes me happy in a way no other band or musician can. i can't adequately explain it any better than that.

i felt like i was flagging a bit, as a fan, before i saw them in chicago, but by the mid-point of breathe on the first night i knew i was exactly where i wanted to be.

the music has been there through hard times and it's been the soundtrack to good times.

without u2 - and anyone who knows me will understand this completely - i would not be where i am today.

This. Except replace Chicago with Dublin.



It's hard to put into words.

 

[Bonogirl777]

Wow. This is an amazing thread. I, too, have always really wanted to share my story of how and why I’ve been so connected and dedicated to this band.

I got introduced to U2 in the Fall of 7th grade and I was about 12 or 13. My dad bought the Rattle and Hum DVD and we watched it together. I recognized the big hits right away and I sang along to what I knew. From that moment on, my world was absolutely turned upside down even though I may not have known it yet. I started researching the band and listening to their songs on YouTube. We already had Rattle and Hum, War, and Achtung Baby in our CD collection so I listened to R&H and War a bit. In November, I think, I really discovered AB. I was home sick from school with bronchitis and I had the idea to listen to it. I sat on my couch all day with AB in my old CD player just playing the whole thing over and over again. I poured over the liner notes like there was no tomorrow. That same day, I think, I went on the internet and went to a couple sites watching their music videos over and over again. It was then that it really clicked in my head that this band was really interesting and that I should get all of their albums. It was on Christmas that I got HTDAAB and ATYCLB. I listened to those all the time and I, too, hate it when people bash them because they do mean a lot to me. For my next birthday, I received all the rest. I already knew the songs because of listening to them on YouTube. Once I took them all in, I remember that I was particularly liking Pop for some reason. I do really like that album to this day because it shows how ballsy U2 could be. I also had gotten most all of their tour DVDs and watched them constantly too.

But anyways, what U2 means to me. Well, U2 means a lot to me because they’ve helped me discover myself. They’ve helped me discover some of my identity. Whether it be spiritually, who I am as a person, or discovery of how the human heart works.

But overall, their music has helped my through the hardest parts of my life. NLOTH seemed to come at just the right time. I was having health problems and I just listened to it constantly (along with Walk On and BD and a couple other songs). Seriously, if it weren’t for U2, I really don’t know what I’d be doing or what kind of music I’d like, or…anything!

They’ve also helped me discover a ton of other great music. Yet nothing surpasses U2, in my mind. I’ve left them for a couple months along the road but came back to loving them just as strong as I did before.

Boston 1 just strengthened my admiration for them even more. Seeing them live and in person just confirmed my love for this band.

The last thing I’d like to mention is the friends that I’ve met. Interference is a great place no matter how crazy it gets sometimes. I’ve met a few of you and I hope to meet a lot more!!

So that about wraps up what U2 means to me. A whole heck've a lot!

 

[u2shamrock]

We're the same age And your falling-in-love story reminds me so much of mine! I, too, hope that I can find a guy I can love as much as I love them

Woot woot!

I started researching the band and listening to their songs on YouTube.

Psh, lucky. When I was trying to find more of their music we still had dial-up so no videos would work on my computer. And YouTube wasn't even around


I forgot to mention that this thread is great . Love everyone's stories

 

[Bonogirl777]

Aw, that sucks!

 

[LemonMelon]

Of the hundreds of bands that I've come to love over the years, U2 is, without a doubt, the band that had the greatest impact on me personally. This is not to say that I love every single solitary shred of sound the band ever produced, nor that I'm listening to them right now as I type this, but no other band has been there for me through every stage of development and personal crisis to the extent that U2 has. They were the first band I ever loved, which is significant toward overall plays, if nothing else (there are a number of bands I was into when I was 10 that I would actively avoid today ), but if one were to simply focus on the plays, they might miss what was going on in the background that gave those plays significance in the first place.

As a musician, U2 has been my go-to band when there's an acoustic guitar in my hand and I need something to sing to myself. I don't know that many songs offhand, but the few I do know (WGRYWH, In God's Country, All I Want Is You, etc.) have been loyal friends to me. The Fly was one of the first guitar solos I ever learned, and the first songs I ever recorded were U2 covers. Their influence on my own songwriting isn't quite as evident, as I've respected their own power as a collective entity and never desired to obtain that for myself. A U2 gig was also the first rock concert I ever went to, and I became a U2 fanatic because of the Boston Elevation DVD, so my definition of what a rock concert should be is inevitably tinted by them.

On a personal level, U2 has been there for me through a number of phases and experiences, some positive, and some not so much. I heard Achtung Baby for the first time at age 11, and I knew I wasn't ready for it. The lyrics simply went over my head, but it has aged like fine wine for me. Zooropa was the soundtrack to one of my first crushes. Pop was there for me when I faced deep depression. It's hard to do proper justice to the exhilaration I felt during the months proceeding and following the release of HTDAAB. Even though I don't love that album the way I used to, it lit up about a full year of my life, so who am I to take that away from it?

And how about the U2 fanbase? Man. I've made dozens of cartoons about the band. Written thousands of posts about them. And you guys have often responded to my insanity with a consoling but appreciative smile. I have so many friends who love this band, and hey, I met my girlfriend here. I think you get the gist: U2 has been a huge, inescapable part of my life, and I wouldn't have chosen anyone else to carry such a significance.

And I'm certain that many of you relate to/empathize with this. U2 is the most simultaneously hated and beloved band still making music, and I think that's a wonderful thing. In an era when rock bands simply don't carry as much significance as they used to, U2 towers above them all. Some resent that, some adore that. However, most of us realize that even U2 is wholly fallible, and even the biggest band on earth can't carry the mystique that bands like Led Zeppelin once did, and that, while U2 is an embarrassment to the indie elite, the mere fact that such a diverse (if extremely white) collective of fans adore this band is living proof that universality has its place as long as there's creativity backing it.

God bless U2, those greedy, tax-evading bastards.

 

[daygloeyes2]

Another interference couple? I love that this band has brought so many people together.

3 years ago, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. At the time I was diagnosed, I was pretty sick. I had lost 20 lbs in one month, my body chemistry was all kinds of messed up, and I was incredibly dehydrated. I had to stay in the hospital for 4 days. The first night, I was in the unit one step below ICU. I was woken up hourly to get my blood drawn. IV's were attatched to me. This diagnosis had been thrown on me and had turned my whole world upside down. My life as I had known it for almost 18 years had changed forever. I was overwhelmed.

I was admitted on a Monday. On Tuesday, my brother brought my Vertigo and Slane DVD's to the hospital. I watched Slane and smiled for the first time in what seemed like ages. Then I put the Vertigo DVD on. When I watched Miracle Drug, I started crying. Those lyrics had never meant as much to me as they did at that very moment. I had always loved the song, but I felt a connection to the lyrics. It gave me hope that one day, I wouldn't have to give myself daily shots and check my blood sugar and all of the other things that come along with having diabetes.

 

[u2shamrock]

I was admitted on a Monday. On Tuesday, my brother brought my Vertigo and Slane DVD's to the hospital. I watched Slane and smiled for the first time in what seemed like ages. Then I put the Vertigo DVD on. When I watched Miracle Drug, I started crying. Those lyrics had never meant as much to me as they did at that very moment. I had always loved the song, but I felt a connection to the lyrics. It gave me hope that one day, I wouldn't have to give myself daily shots and check my blood sugar and all of the other things that come along with having diabetes.

Your story gave me chills, no joke

 

[Bono's shades]

I became a U2 fan in 1987 when I was 19. I was in college, but it wasn't exactly the wonderful experience I thought it would be when I was in high school. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. Then one morning in late winter/early spring when I was in my dorm room getting ready to go to my first class of the day the most beautiful song I had ever heard came on the radio. It was U2, a band I had heard a lot about but didn't remember actually ever hearing before, and the song was their brand-new single, With or Without You. It was strange to hear something so ethereal and otherworldy coming from the same radio station that usually played the latest hits by Bon Jovi, Madonna and Whitney Houston.

After that it became my mission to find out everything I could about the band and their music. And for some reason - maybe coincidence or maybe not - my life started getting a lot better. I broke out of my rut, made new friends and developed new interests. I decided what I really wanted to do was be a writer. (I ended up going into journalism, and I'm still doing that all these years later).

Not long after Achtung Baby came out, I found myself going through a very bad patch in my life. I clung to that album like a life raft during that difficult period.

Because they came out of the underground before becoming popular, U2 also got me interested in different kinds of music that I had no idea existed before then.

If I had to sum it all up, U2 has given me the gift of beauty and inspiration.

 

[Jeannieco]

Can I just say again this is a fantastic thread!

More! More!

I love all your stories!

 

[Zoots]

I decided to revisit their discography on my new home theatre system. Listened to Boy, October and War (Boctowar?) today. War just ended. Three extremely enjoyable albums! It's already late in the evening here so maybe tomorrow I'll continue with UF, JT and R&H.

 

[tiny dancer]

U2's music has been an inspiration to my me. Listening to their music has got me through some hard times.

 

[A stor]

Great thread

I also find it difficult to put into words why this band is so important to me. I've been a fan for close to 25 years now and I still get goosebumps when I hear their songs. They have been a constant force in my life, like family members, and I can't really remember a time without them. Is it strange for a 42 year old woman to be so dedicated to a band? A lot of my friends (and family) think so, but I could never imagine life with U2's music.

I don't think so. I am 52 and love the band! My husband likes them too. Especially the album, ATYCLB. That one is his favorite.

 

[kassandra]

These are great stories!

U2 has always been my favorite band since I first heard them 25 years ago. I was a young mother trying to cope with all life throws at you and I remember life freezing whenever the chords of I Will Follow would play. After that any U2 song I heard on radio or MTV made my world stop. There was always some way my life connected to the lyrics of each new song I was hearing year after year. The only piece missing was seeing them in concert.

Finally I was able to see them in concert during the Vertigo tour. Once again, the songs connected so deeply to my life and to watch them played out in front of me, well I think everyone knows what that is all about.

This tour I am so happy to meet some wonderful people, share some amazing stories and visit so many cities, all because of U2!

 

[coolian2]

This. Except replace Chicago with Dublin.

i don't know about you, but i definitely put how i felt at that moment lightly. it was almost an overpowering moment - with who i was with, where i was, what i'd gone through to be at that point and to so suddenly be reminded (and completely unable to put into words why or how) why i cared so much about their music was one of those moments that i won't forget and will always think fondly back to.











as much as i don't care for breathe as the opener

 

[EdgesBiggestFan]

U2's music has meant so much to me over the years. I've been a huge fan since the '80s. I majored in political science in University (getting both a BA and MA) and have also had a deep and abiding interest in religion. With both of these interests, it seemed only natural that I would gravitate to U2's music as it's both so political and so religious. Songs like "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Until the End of the World" speak to me about spirituality. One of my favourite songs is "Numb", which, if you listen to the lyrics, is really a very political song.
Their music has also helped me through some rough times. Five years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer and during the time leading up to a major operation and waiting for the final test results, I was really scared and nervous. However, for some reason (don't ask me why), whenever I got really scared, I just had to listen to their music and I felt better. It was also right before their last tour and I kept telling myself that I had to get better because I was going to go to the U2 concert no matter what. Things turned out okay (5 years cancer free!!), but I've never forgotten what a comfort their music was.
I've always wanted to meet one of them (though know that that is highly unlikely) just to thank them in person. I really hope they do know how much their music means to their fans.

 

[liz9640]

they mean a lot to me, I don't know where I'd be without their music.
I have a lot of anxiety problems, and U2's music is really the only thing other than my meds that helps me control it. I hate the way the meds make me feel (very sluggish and just out of it), so I try to keep U2 playing when I'm in a place/situation that might trigger an anxiety attack.
It's worked pretty well so far, it really helps me be able to function at work.

Their music has also helped me with depression issues, makes me feel not so down and hopeless.

The biggest thing, and the thing that had without a doubt changed my life is that their music has helped me lose a HUGE amount of weight, over 160 pounds so far. Just something about the music gave me hope that I could do this, without having to get bypass surgery (which my parents wanted me to do). Everytime I work out their music is playing the entire time (ok, well not everytime, I have to throw something else in the mix at time ).
But yeah, they mean a lot to me, but my story isn't as neat as some others

 

[Jeannieco]

Everytime I work out their music is playing the entire time (ok, well not everytime, I have to throw something else in the mix at time ).
But yeah, they mean a lot to me, but my story isn't as neat as some others

I workout with U2 blasting in Ipod too! Other songs sprinkled in for good measure....
I rotate them.

Desire Hollywood Tonight mix is really great to get you going!

Congrats on the weight loss! More power to you!