From a kitchen in Artane to some of the biggest stages in the world, U2 have spent five decades making music together. As the Dublin band mark their 50th anniversary, here are 50 facts from their remarkable story.
On 25 September 1976, a group of teenagers gathered in drummer Larry Mullen Jr’s kitchen on Dublin’s northside after he put a notice on a school board looking for musicians.
Adam Clayton, The Edge, Bono and Larry Mullen Jr. pictured in 1990
Fifty years later, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Mullen remain U2, with a catalogue stretching from Boy and War to The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby and beyond. Along the way, they have also racked up 21 Irish number one singles, more than any other act.
The anniversary is also being marked by the launch of an official €2 commemorative coin in Ireland.
Here are 50 things from five decades of U2.
U2 pictured earlier this year ahead of their 50th anniversary / Image: Michael Schwartz
In the beginning
1. It really did begin in Larry Mullen Jr’s kitchen
The date U2 regard as their beginning is Saturday, 25 September 1976, when the teenagers who would form the band assembled at the Mullen family home in Artane, Dublin.
2. Larry was just 14 when he started it all
He had put a notice on the board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School looking for people interested in forming a band. It read: “Drummer Seeks Musicians To Join Band.”
U2 performing at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1977
3. There were more than four of them at that first gathering
Seven young hopefuls turned up. Peter Martin and Ivan McCormick did not remain, while Paul Hewson, Adam Clayton and brothers Dave and Dik Evans joined Mullen in the fledgling group.
4. For a few minutes, they were the Larry Mullen Band
Mullen has said that the name lasted “about ten minutes”, before the group found something else.
5. Their first proper name was Feedback
That was followed by The Hype, before another change gave them the name they have kept ever since.
U2 on stage at the Project Arts Centre Dublin in 1978
6. Steve Averill suggested the name U2
Averill, then a member of Dublin band The Radiators From Space, was asked for suggestions when The Hype wanted a new name. U2 was short, memorable and open to different interpretations.
7. Their first television appearance was on RTÉ
U2 appeared on the RTÉ youth programme Youngline on 2 March 1978, performing Street Mission.
Watch: U2 perform Street Mission on Youngline in 1978
8. One of their earliest breakthroughs came in a talent contest in Limerick
Performing under their new name in March 1978, U2 won a competition at the Stella Ballroom, with a prize that included £500 and the chance to audition for a recording contract.
U2 in 1978 at the Harp Lager Talent Competition Limerick / Image: Michael Cowhey from Becoming U2
9. Paul McGuinness wasn’t immediately convinced by their musicianship
McGuinness first saw the band at Dublin’s Project Arts Centre in 1978. Their drive and commitment impressed him, even if he was not yet convinced by their musical ability. He would go on to manage U2 for decades.
10. Only 1,000 copies of their first release were originally pressed
The three-track U2-3 was released in Ireland in 1979, with the original 1,000 copies individually hand-numbered.
11. RTÉ listeners helped decide which song would lead that record
Dave Fanning played Out of Control, Stories for Boys and Boy/Girl on his radio show on the then RTÉ Radio 2 and asked listeners to choose the A-side. They picked Out of Control.
12. Bono wrote Out of Control on his 18th birthday
The song that listeners chose for U2’s first release had been written the previous year as he turned 18.
Watch: U2 perform Out of Control on Our Times in 1979
Finding their sound
13. U2 had plenty of rejection before landing a major record deal
The band struggled to secure a long-term deal despite McGuinness’s belief in them. They eventually signed with Island Records in 1980.
14. Boy was produced by Steve Lillywhite
Released in October 1980, U2’s debut was followed by October in 1981 and War in 1983, all produced by Lillywhite.
15. The boy on the cover of Boy wasn’t a member of U2
He was Peter Rowen, the younger brother of Bono’s childhood friend Guggi. Rowen appeared on several early U2 sleeves, War and and returned on the cover of the 1998 compilation The Best of 1980 – 1990, wearing a military helmet.
Warner Bros used a distorted photograph of the band for the North American release instead of the image of Rowen seen on the original sleeve.
Watch: U2 perform Stories for Boys on the Late Late Show in 1980
16. Bono lost a set of lyrics before the recording of October
The singer’s briefcase containing lyrics went missing during an American tour, leaving him to reconstruct or improvise material while U2 worked on their second album.
17. War gave U2 their first UK number one album
Released in 1983, it reached the top of the UK album chart, displacing Michael Jackson’s Thriller for a week.
18. New Year’s Day was their first UK top ten single
The song reached number ten in Britain in 1983 and number 53 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
It reached number two in Ireland.
Watch: Bono chats to Gay Byrne on the Late Late Show in 1983
19. Under a Blood Red Sky wasn’t simply a recording at Red Rocks
U2’s first live album drew performances from three different concerts on the War tour. The accompanying concert film, however, came from the famous Red Rocks show in Colorado.
20. The miserable weather helped make Red Rocks memorable
The June 1983 show went ahead in cold and wet conditions, with Larry Mullen Jr later recalling that the rain ultimately added to the spectacle.
Breaking through
21. 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire began one of U2’s most important creative partnerships
Recorded at locations including Slane Castle and Windmill Lane Studios, it was the band’s first album produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois.
22. U2 played Croke Park for the first time in 1985
On 29 June 1985, almost 60,000 people packed Croke Park for U2’s homecoming show on The Unforgettable Fire tour. R.E.M., The Alarm, Squeeze and In Tua Nua were also on the bill, and RTÉ later broadcast the documentary U2 Wide Awake in Dublin.
23. Their Live Aid set did not go according to plan
At Wembley in 1985, Bono left the stage during Bad to interact with the crowd. The song stretched to around 14 minutes, meaning U2 had to drop Pride (In the Name of Love) from their planned set.
Watch: Bono and Larry talking about the “early days” on TV Gaga in 1986
24. The Joshua Tree sold more than 20 million copies
Released in March 1987, the album took U2 to another level internationally and later won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
25. It broke a British sales record
The Joshua Tree sold 235,000 copies in its opening week in the UK, making it the fastest-selling album in British chart history at the time. It also spent nine weeks at number one in the United States.
26. It put U2 on the cover of Time
The magazine’s April 1987 cover featured the Dublin band under the headline “Rock’s Hottest Ticket”.
The Joshua Tree sold 235,000 copies in its opening week in the UK / Image: Anton Corbijn
27. With or Without You topped the charts at home before conquering America
It spent two weeks at number one in Ireland and later became U2’s first Billboard Hot 100 number one in the US.
28. The Where the Streets Have No Name video really was filmed on a Los Angeles rooftop
U2 performed on top of a building at 7th and Main streets in downtown Los Angeles as crowds gathered below.
29. The Sweetest Thing began as an apology to Bono’s wife Ali
Bono wrote the song after working in the studio on her birthday during The Joshua Tree period. When it was re-recorded as a single in 1998, Ali appeared in the video and proceeds went to the Chernobyl Children’s Project.
30. Angel of Harlem was recorded at the legendary Sun Studio
The Rattle and Hum track was recorded in Memphis and featured the Memphis Horns and was written as a tribute to Billie Holiday.
31. Desire was U2’s fifth Irish number one, and their first in Britain
Despite already having number one albums, the band did not top the UK singles chart until 1988.
Dreaming it all up again
32. They rang in the 1990s live from Dublin
U2’s New Year’s Eve 1989 show at the Point Depot was broadcast live on RTÉ 2fm and BBC Radio across 17 European countries. RTÉ Television joined the concert at midnight, with Dave Fanning counting down to New Year from the stage.
33. The sessions for Achtung Baby were fraught
U2 began work on the album at Hansa Studios in Berlin in 1990 amid disagreements over their musical direction. After weeks of difficulty, a breakthrough came with the improvised writing of the song that became One.
34. The title Achtung Baby came from an in-joke
The phrase was used during the Berlin sessions after being picked up from Mel Brooks’s film The Producers.
U2 on a photoshoot for Achtung Baby in Berlin / Image: Anton Corbijn
35. Zoo TV linked stadium audiences with people living through the siege of Sarajevo
During the 1993 tour, satellite links allowed people in Sarajevo to speak directly to U2’s audiences elsewhere in Europe.
36. Zooropa wasn’t originally supposed to be an album
U2 went into the studio during a break in the Zoo TV tour intending to make an EP. The project grew into a ten-track album completed in just weeks.
37. Johnny Cash sings lead on the final track of Zooropa
The country music legend, rather than Bono, provides the lead vocal on The Wanderer.
38. U2 briefly released music under another name
For the experimental 1995 album Original Soundtracks 1, U2 and Brian Eno called themselves Passengers. Its best-known track, Miss Sarajevo, featured Luciano Pavarotti.
39. They later kept their promise to Sarajevo
On 23 September 1997, U2 brought their PopMart tour to Koševo Stadium, playing in a city with which they had maintained contact during the Bosnian War.
Watch: Watch: U2 arrive in Belfast for their PopMart tour in 1997
Another chapter
40. All That You Can’t Leave Behind became one of U2’s biggest international successes
Released in 2000, the album reached number one in countries around the world and included the songs Beautiful Day, Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of, and Walk On.
41. Beautiful Day won three Grammys
It took Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 2001 Grammy Awards.
42. Their 2002 Super Bowl performance became a tribute to the victims of 9/11
As U2 performed MLK and Where the Streets Have No Name, the names of people killed in the attacks were projected behind them. Bono ended the performance by opening his jacket to reveal an American flag lining.
43. Vertigo went to number one in Ireland and helped launch a U2 iPod
Released as the lead single from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb in 2004, Vertigo went straight to number one in both Ireland and the UK. It also featured in a major Apple advertising campaign, while the company launched a black-and-red U2 Special Edition iPod with the signatures of all four band members. The song later won three Grammys.
Watch: U2 fans gather at Croke Park for the Vertigo world tour in 2005
44. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb collected eight Grammys
The album and its songs won all eight categories in which they were nominated across the 2005 and 2006 Grammy Awards.
45. Bruce Springsteen inducted U2 into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
The ceremony took place in New York in March 2005, with U2 inducted on their first nomination.
46. U2 have won 22 Grammy Awards
The Recording Academy lists the band with 22 wins from 46 nominations; the most Grammy wins by a rock act.
Records, technology and the next chapter
47. The U2 360° tour once held the record as the highest-grossing tour in history
Across 110 shows between 2009 and 2011, it grossed more than $736 million and was seen by more than 7.27 million people. Both records were later surpassed by Ed Sheeran’s ÷ tour.
48. The Songs era brought three very different U2 projects
In 2014, Songs of Innocence was released directly to more than 500 million iTunes customers as part of a deal with Apple. The unprecedented release also drew criticism from people who objected to an album appearing automatically in their music libraries. When it was commercially released, it debuted at number two in Ireland, ending U2’s long run of studio albums debuting at number one here.
Three years later, Songs of Experience went straight to number one in Ireland. It also became U2’s eighth US number one album and made them the first group to top the Billboard 200 in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.
Then in 2023 came Songs of Surrender, which saw the band rework 40 songs from across their catalogue. It went straight to number one in Ireland.
Watch: U2 played a historic four-night homecoming run at the 3Arena in 2015
49. U2 opened the Sphere in Las Vegas, without Larry Mullen Jr behind the drums
Their U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency began with the venue’s opening in September 2023 and eventually ran for 40 shows. Dutch drummer Bram van den Berg filled in while Mullen recovered from medical procedures.
50. Fifty years on, they are still releasing new music
Street of Dreams, released in July 2026, is the first single from U2’s forthcoming studio album, Carnaval de Luz, due for release on 13 November.
Street of Dreams artwork / Image: Viviane Sassen
All four members also appear on Fireflies, their 2026 collaboration with Martin Garrix, the first Garrix track to feature the full band.