A first single sets the tone for an entire album. Sometimes U2 got it right — “New Year's Day,” “With or Without You”; other times, the group made choices that were confusing to say the least, like “Get On Your Boots.” We've ranked them all, from best to worst.
On Tuesday afternoon, U2 released “Street of Dreams,” the first single from its upcoming studio album, due later this year. Fans have waited a very long time for this moment: the group's previous album, Songs of Experiencecame out almost nine years ago. This is, by far, the longest gap ever observed between two U2 studio albums. And while it's still way too early to fully judge “Street of Dreams,” we've taken and ranked all of the first singles from their previous albums. The exercise required some difficult decisions, but we ultimately settled on a ranking that took into account both the quality of the song and its ability to prepare the ground for the album that followed.
15. “Get On Your Boots” (2009)
As we will see again and again in this ranking, the quality of the first single from a U2 album does not always correspond to that of the album. Often, it is even very far from it. This is certainly the case of No Line on the Horizon (2009), which marked the return of the dream duo of The Joshua Tree And Achtung BabyBrian Eno and Daniel Lanois. The album may not have had a cultural impact like the previous two, but tracks like “Moment of Surrender”, “No Line on the Horizon”, “Magnificent” and “Breathe” are among the best U2 have done since the 1990s. Still, they made a big mistake in releasing “Get On Your Boots” as their first single. This riff-driven track is a cousin of “Elevation” and “Vertigo,” but nowhere near as memorable. It was a daring and experimental album: no good reason to hide it. It would have been smarter to release “Moment of Surrender” first, and keep “Get On Your Boots” for a B-side — or even for the trash.
14. “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)” (2014)
The outcry caused by the release of Songs of Innocence — downloaded onto iPhones around the world, and which ranks high on our list of the worst decisions in music history — has been so talked about that the songs themselves have rarely been discussed. And even if Songs of Innocence is far from a masterpiece, there really isn't a bad U2 record. “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)” is a moving tribute to Bono’s first teenage hero, when he was “young, not stupid,” and the album’s opening track. If you haven't listened to it in a while, give it another chance. It's probably still hanging around on your phone somewhere.
13. “Fire” (1981)
According to U2 legend, their second album was a nightmare to make: Bono had lost his lyric notebook shortly before recording began, and the band wasn't even sure they wanted to continue after everyone except Adam Clayton joined the Christian group Shalom Fellowship. Despite everything, they managed to makeOctober a pretty solid release, even if it didn't reach the heights of Boy. The album opens with “Gloria,” and there’s almost no doubt that it should have been the first single. Instead, partly because that was all they had on hand, they chose the bland and featureless “Fire.” The group understood this quite quickly, since they have never played it in concert since February 1983. “'Fire' wasn't a very good song,” Bono admitted in 2006. “I always had faith that you could improvise as you went along, but sometimes you couldn't, and this is a perfect example of that. »
12. “A Day Without Me” (1980)
For many U2 fans, seeing any song from Boy this low in a ranking will seem sacrilegious. Before you get carried away, one question: Is “A Day Without Me” a better song than “I Will Follow,” “The Electric Co.,” “Twilight,” “The Ocean,” or “An Cat Dubh”? (We are not quoting “Out of Control”, released as a single on their 1979 EP, Three.) By any objective measure, this piece is anecdotal. “I Will Follow” was the obvious first single. It still appears today in their stage repertoire. “A Day Without Me”, they haven't touched since 1985. Only die-hard fans even know that it was the first single from Boy.
11. “You’re the Best Thing About Me” (2017)
In September 2017, U2 included “You're the Best Thing About Me” in the set list of their 30th anniversary tour. The Joshua Treeplacing this stunning love ballad between “Vertigo” and “Ultraviolet (Light My Way)”. The same month, she was released as the first single of Songs of Experience. In 2017, public appetite for a new U2 album was slim, and the track went almost unnoticed. Too bad, because “You're the Best Thing About Me” is a truly excellent song, which deserves to be heard.
10. “Vertigo” (2004)
MTV, rock radio and the major record labels were hanging by a thread when U2 recorded, in 2004, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. This is why the group lifted its opposition to the use of its music in advertisements and allowed Apple to highlight the first single, “Vertigo”, in an ad for the iPod. A great way to expose the song to a mass audience, which made “Vertigo” a hit — even if “unos, dos, tres, catorce!” » means “1, 2, 3, 14!” “. Bono later admitted to enjoying a few cocktails before recording this passage.
9. “Numb” (1993)
U2 were so sure of themselves in 1993, on the heels of the immense success ofAchtung Baby and the first dates of the Zoo TV tour, as the first single from his following express album, Zooropa (originally conceived as an EP), saw the Edge engaging in what could reasonably be called “rap”. As if that wasn't weird enough, the clip is a close-up of him lip-syncing while two women rub their feet on his face. But we love absolutely everything about “Numb,” both the song and the video. The only regret is that they haven't let the Edge play it live since 1993. Come on, guys. It's time we all became “Numb” again.
8. “Desire” (1988)
The U2 tour documentary released in 1988, Rattle and Humis now widely seen as a pretentious misstep. And, yes, the film itself could have been much, much better given the majesty of the Joshua Tree tour and all the imagery captured by director Phil Joanou. But the soundtrack has several formidable tracks, including the first single, “Desire”. This Bo Diddley-inspired track has not left their set since. (Someone should really give Rattle and Hum treatment Get Back and transform the rushes into a new film.)
