U2: Song by Song

by Aaron J. Sams

U2 formed in 1976 when the drummer posted a note to the school bulletin board. Over forty years later, the band is still producing music and touring the world with the same line-up they have had ever since the 1970s. U2 have become one of the most successful rock bands of all time, releasing fourteen studio albums and over seventy singles. In this book, the reader is guided through each release, song by song, from the band's first album "Boy" (1980) until the single "Your Song Saved My Life" released in 2021. Everyone knows U2's biggest hits-songs like "With or Without You," "One," and "Beautiful Day"-but delve into all of the songs including B-sides, compilation tracks, and lesser-known album tracks. Song by Song is a look at every song by the Irish rock group, written by a lifelong U2 fan. The book provides an examination of each track including the inspirations behind them and the impact that these songs have had on the world today. Song by Song charts U2's rise to success, documenting chart positions, and awards given to each song.

294 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 19, 2024

Reviews

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good nuggets here. A good reference book that I'll come back to multiple times over the years, I'm sure, not really a book to sit down and read from cover to cover.

[Thomas Thieme · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a thorough, fine-tooth comb view of this band's output, this book will most definitely serve your purpose. Not only does it go track by track, it also fills you in on the various remixes (and multiple remixes of many, many of their songs have been made since the 1990s). Another nice feature is the author will inform you of how parts of some songs end up in others. Along with the multitude of remixes, descriptions of accompanying videos are provided. There are plenty of personal anecdotes by band members as well as inside stories of many songs. Also included are mentions of how often many songs have been performed in concert. The book was published just as the band's Songs of Experience was released so there is an abrupt coda mentioning the album as well as their appearance at the Sphere in Las Vegas but alas, no detailed description of either. Still, the book can hardly be faulted for that. For the dedicated collector, this is an essential book to have.