Monday, April 25, 2011

U is for U2

I love music, and U2 has been one of my favorite bands for what feels like forever. U was another tough letter for me, (although most of the letters in the second half of the alphabet seem to be!) but when I thought about it, U2 seemed like a perfect choice.

I first started paying attention to U2 in the early 80s, around the time of the War album. A band from Ireland was practically unheard of in the US at that time, and it seemed very exotic to me. I loved the militant drumming of Sunday Bloody Sunday, and the song itself was impossible to ignore. I wanted to hear more.

When I came upon this video on youtube some time ago, it felt like a time warp. I remembered being an excited adolescent, watching MTV (at my friend's house as my parents didn't have cable at the time) and wishing I was there in the rain at Red Rocks.


As the 80s progressed, I started working at Arby's, my first job. I worked the late shift one summer, and closed down the restaurant each night. The Joshua Tree was the most popular album in the country at the time, and I remember playing the cassette on a boombox after we had locked the doors. We'd sing along to With or Without You while we washed mountains of dishes and cleaned dirty floors and tables.

When I finally got my first cd player stereo in the early 90s, U2's Achtung Baby was the first cd I ever bought. I still have the cd, and it remains one of my favorites.

The 90s went on, and I got distracted by too many other things to pay as much attention to music. I lost interest. But in the early 2000s, I watched U2's 2001 concert at Slane Castle in Ireland, and I became a fan all over again. The band was a lot older, and so was I. On some level, it felt like we'd grown older together.

When I watch this performance of what is probably my all-time favorite song, I almost feel as if I am there too, under the stars in Ireland, next to a centuries-old castle.


I think what I love most about music is that it can provide an escape from the doldrums and routines of every day life. When I listen to music, for a few minutes or a few hours, I can be transported to another time or place. A time when the world seemed much simpler, and responsibilities were few. A place where I may never have actually been.

Or, in some cases, a magical place that exists only in my mind.

I'll show you a place
High on a desert plain
Where the streets have no name ~ U2

19 comments:

  1. Looks like great minds think alike Julie. I wrote about U2 today also. I love your post. I wanted to be in the rain at Red Rocks too.

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  2. I find certain music transports me back too. U2 is a great band. Love them!

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  3. U2 rocks. The Joshua Tree was one of the first CD's I actually bought on my own. My stepsister and I used to listen to The Joshua Tree all the time. I also like Achtung Baby a lot too.

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  4. I'm a great lover of music, you chose a great group and the songs are very good. Most enjoyable post.

    Thanls also for the lovely comment you left, I do really appreciate them.
    Yvonne.

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  5. I'm also a fan of U2, though not as much as my friend, who used to refer to Bono as her husband. She was madly in love with him! Joshua Tree was one of the first non-rap albums I owned.

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  6. Another blogger did u2 - I love them =)
    happy u day and nice to meet you too!

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  7. Yay! I'm seeing them in concert next month in Denver.

    And if you read my R post for regret, one of my biggest was that I didn't go to the Red Rocks concert when they filmed Under A Blood Red Sky because it was raining. And because I'm an idiot. All my friends are crowding the front row of that concert, taunting me. :P

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  8. Like the videos. Thanks!

    Also, thanks for visiting my blog today!

    Monti
    NotesAlongTheWay

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  9. One of my best friends from high school still is a HUGE fan. She married her highschool sweetheart and have always been Catholic. However, They have really become strong catholic after becoming parents to (3) daughters. They don't listen to secular music in the car, but do continue to listen to U2.

    So funny, now her oldest is 10 and Maddie loves U2, as well, and her mom took her to see Zooropa (?whatever it was called?) the movie and then to a couple of concerts. How fun the memories she's creating with her eldest child!

    How many of us got to go to a concert at 10? My mom wouldn't have in a million years. Whenever I see them, I get my fill of U2!

    Sandi
    http://www.ahhsome.wordpress.com

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  10. I'm a fellow music lover, and I always check out the 'music' category in the Blogger profile of my new followers. Wasn't surprised to see you chose U2 for you U post! :-)

    Very nice to meet you, and I look forward to reading (and hearing) more about your thoughts and inspirations.

    EJ

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  11. U2 are fabulous! and this is a great post. I have awarded you with the stylish blog award. Please check out my blog post for today.

    Thanks.
    Murugi A Njehia
    Her World

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  12. Big U2 fan here too. I wrote about them yesterday. This is a super post!

    I’m A-Z Blogging on Langley Writes about Writing and Langley’s Rich and Random Life

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  13. @Tim, great minds for sure. I loved your post as well, thanks. :)

    @Amy, yeah, that's definitely something I love about it, totally agree.

    @Carrie, I still love The Joshua Tree as well, I never get tired of those songs.

    @Yvonne, thanks, and you're very welcome for the comment. :)

    @Shannon, oh, that's funny your friend referred to Bono as her husband. :D She sounds like a bigger fan than I am too LOL.

    @Tara, thanks, it's great to meet you too!

    @L.G., oh, I didn't see your regrets post! That would be a tough one for sure. I hope you have a great time coming up in Denver!

    @Monti, thank you, and you're welcome, I always enjoy visiting your blog.

    @Karen, I totally agree.

    @BREA, I agree! :D

    @ahhsome, oh how cute! LOL I definitely never got to go to a concert when I was 10, Maddie is a lucky kid.

    @E.J., thanks, great to meet you as well!

    @Muruji, oh, thank you for the award, that's so nice of you. I will be by, thanks again!

    @Jennifer, it's great to meet you, thanks for coming by!

    @Talli, I agree. :)

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  14. @Langley, oh, I will have to read your post, I missed that yesterday. Thanks!

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  15. wonderful U. I listen to mostly jazz these days, but still smile when I hear a U2 tune, like I just did because of your post. Thanks.

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  16. @Stratoz, glad I could make you smile! Thanks for your comment. :)

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