Happy Birthday, U2! One of the biggest rock bands of all time celebrates 50 years in business this month, with 15 studio albums, 12 EPs, three compilations, two live albums and no less than 85 singles released by the Dublin band over the course of that half-century. The question is, which songs are their best?

Here are ten of U2’s best songs, ranked…

10. Beautiful Day

It may be overplayed, it may be somewhat overcooked, it may not have the emotional heft of some of their other tracks – but only a curmudgeon would argue against Beautiful Day being one of U2’s most euphoric songs. Taken from 2001’s pivotal All That You Can’t Leave Behind album, it ushered in a new era for the band while cementing their position as one of the finest stadium rock bands on the planet.

9. New Year’s Day

That intro alone is worth its weight in gold: the yearning squeal of The Edge’s guitar, the piano riff, the tremulous bassline, that primitive yowl of Bono’s…. 43 years after it was first released, New Year’s Day sounds as fresh as ever. The first track from U2’s third album War also incorporated social and political themes, written about the revolutionary Polish solidarity movement in 1980 which eventually led to the collapse of communism in Poland. Apparently it was originally intended as a love song about Ali Hewson. No harm, no foul, Ali.

8. Sunday Bloody Sunday

U2 have always looked to the wider world for inspiration, but this song – also taken from War – brought them closer to home and is perhaps their most explicitly political song to date. Written about the Troubles and specifically the Bloody Sunday atrocity of 1972, it’s a protest song about the futility of war, wrapped up in a spiky rock tune. From Larry Mullen’s martial cadence to Bono’s exasperated lyrics (“How long, how long must we sing this song?”), it still packs a mighty punch.

7. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

By 1987, U2 had spent much of the decade touring extensively in America and absorbing its culture from the inside looking out. The result was The Joshua Tree – the album that many fans still consider their defining moment. The swarthy shuck of the guitar riff on this song, coupled with the gospel undertones and Bono’s preacher-like lyrics as it slips into the deep groove of Adam Clayton’s bassline is simply sensational stuff.

6. Bad

Has a song written about drug use ever sounded so poignant and poetic? There is a majesty to Bad – which Bono began introducing live as “a song about Dublin” before later admitting it was about heroin, inspired by one of his childhood friend’s addiction – that few bands ever capture in their lifespan. Taken from 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire, the shimmering, vulnerable beauty of this song as it builds and builds is one of their finest moments. It also ranks highly as one of Bono’s finest vocal performances, too.

5. Pride (In the Name of Love)

The band’s breakthrough single in America, taken from The Unforgettable Fire, marked a shift in U2’s songwriting. Here, they took the politically-charged post-punk undercurrents of their earlier material and transposed it into something truly anthemic, with its soaring chorus, instantly recognisable riff and idealistic lyrics, written as a tribute to Martin Luther King. U2 had already proven that they could command huge audiences, but this song proved an important stepping stone to them becoming a bona fide stadium act.

4. Where the Streets Have No Name

The Grammy-winning music video has become almost as famous as the song; in 1987, U2 caused mayhem as they took the roof of a liquor store in Downtown Los Angeles to perform an impromptu set. That’s not to take away from the sonic force of this track, though – it’s been a keystone of their live set since its release. From that atmospheric intro to Mullen’s pummelling drums, and the distinctive arpeggio guitar leading into that uplifting, surging, euphoric chorus, it’s a particularly lustrous gem in their canon.

3. One

There are many who would argue that One is U2’s best song, and there is certainly a strong case to be made for the track, which was taken from 1991’s seminal Achtung Baby. It’s got the emotionally-charged lyrics, the ‘unconventional torch song’ quality, an aching, bruised vocal performance. Like all of the best songs, it’s even got an interesting backstory: rather than being written as a love song, the band were at breaking point during the making of the album before this song emerged from the tension and chaos and ultimately saved them. It’s a beautiful song by anyone’s standards, with a sentiment of unity and reconciliation that might sound cloying and contrived in another band’s hands. Somehow, U2 make it work.

2. Stay (Faraway, So Close!)

Is this U2’s most underrated song? It’s undoubtedly one of their best, most interesting and most complex tracks; even Bono once named it as one of his favourite U2 songs. The iconic slouchy riff, which The Edge happened upon while “trying to summon up the spirit of Frank Sinatra” (the song’s working title was ‘Sinatra’) is the linchpin of this truly magnificent work, taken from 1993’s Zooropa, and originally written for the soundtrack of Wim Wenders’ fantasy film Faraway, So Close! (Wenders returned the favour by directing the song’s music video.) Sometimes, the greatness of a song is more about the feeling that it evokes. Stay is a track that conjures up an indefinable vibe that is simply more than the sum of its parts.

1. With or Without You

With or Without You is not just U2’s best song, but one of the greatest love songs of all time. Adam Clayton’s murmuring bassline anchors the soft, ruminative tone – all twinkling, atmospheric guitars and agonising restraint – for the first ninety seconds. It’s then cracked wide open to become a wrenching, exultant rock ballad, laden with desire and uncertainty. A song written by Bono about the push and pull of domestic life vs. that of a burgeoning rock star (by 1986, he had been married to Ali for four years), it perhaps sounds self-indulgent on paper but is nuanced enough to make an impact. Steve Lillywhite, who was brought in to mix the track once Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois had worked their magic, described it as sounding “like a beautiful flower opening”. Whether you’re a U2 fan or not, With or Without You is a masterclass in songwriting. But more than that, it’s a nuanced, moving track about a relationship that never loses its appeal, no matter how many times you’ve heard it.

Lauren Murphy is the co-host of the pop culture podcast Get Around To It – find out more here

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