Unforgettable Single

10 Aug 2012541
Over on our Discography page you'll find dozens and dozens of singles the band have released over the years.

Starting with U23 way back in 1979 - Out of Control, Stories for Boys, Boy-Girl - the trail leads all the way to 'I'll Go Crazy', third single from No Line On The Horizon, in 2009.

Maybe you'd forgotten Lemon was a single. Or you've never listened to Fire. Or you just recently discovered Please. But there'll be a U2 single that's special to you in some way - the one that comes on the radio or arrives unnoticed when your iPod's on shuffle and suddenly a moment in your life comes back to you.

What was the U2 single that stopped you in your tracks - and still does ?

It might depend on where you were when you first heard it, what was happening in your life, how you first got into the band?

Remind yourself of the history of the band's single releases and look through the promotional videos on this page in our Video Gallery (set aside a week or two for this) -  find the one that reminds you of a time and place in your life.

In the comments below tell us why this song is special for you. Is there a story behind it - an anecdote from your life ?

What brings the track alive for you? What was happening to you at the time you first heard it that means you'll never get over this single?

We have prizes for the best, the funniest, the most moving or surprising entries. Add them in the comments below. Did we mention that ? (Don't forget - we're not talking about any U2 track but about those released as singles...)


Comments
541
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dushan
Running to stand still
Though I still get goosebumps when I hear Adams' base in With or Without you, my wife And I both love Running to stand still. This really is our song.
rocker1992
I Will Follow
This never really was my favorite single until I learned how to play the riff on guitar. It's a punk rocker with a good punch to it. I love how satisfying the riff is to play and the harmonics as the bridge just nail it ever time. It was one of the first songs to jump out at me that showed me that U2 could rock hard and play ballads. Gotta love my boys!
gooniegal30
Running to stand still (Joshua Tree)
I was in the 8th grade. I had just returned to school after being in a hospital after a suicide attempt. My 8th grade teacher put the lyrics t Running to stand still up on the overhead projector and we listened to the song a few times. After that we discussed the meanings behind the lyrics and how deep it really was. This sparked an ever lasting love for U2 and their music. It was the first time I actually listened to a song and connected with it. I could feel the pain this girl was going through because I felt it at the time. I love my life, ups and downs, and I have learned to deal with what comes my way. I know that nothing is worth taking my life for and that I can overcome any hurdles thrown in my path. Anytime I listen to U2 I always feel a sense of calm, belonging, and purpose. Their music sparks something in me that no other band ever has. They provoke an incredible energy that fills me and transcends this plain.
mith_2004
Kiss ME Thrill Me KIll Me ; MISSION IMPO
Kiss ME Thrill Me KIll Me I used to walk on the street and hear this song blaring from someones audio system..... I fall for U2 the next moment on... I heard old songs of U2 and loved BAD too .. Then I finally had my hands on the POP album on tape ...That was one thrilling album.. Then I fall for DISCOTHEQUE .. ,and next moment I was listening to JOSHUA TREE ... and got stung by Mothers of the Disappeared and EXIT ..
kevvvy
Pride (in the name of love)
My first memory of seeing U2 on tv and thinking YESSS. The video was on Saturday morning kids TV in the UK and it just seemed so different and yet so familiar. Ever since then I've been in love with the music, the lyrics and the imagery.
Mili0815
BAD
Cause, The song the make me feel free! and the my life get bether every time I listening. In my opinion is a classsic and makes people happies! God save the U2! thanks.
Miriam Jonker
The unforgettable Fire
Mysterious, haunting.. it gave me the chills when I heard that for the first time. And still does.
rsteintrager
Gloria
so, as a young 12 year old I heard Gloria- a young, Catholic but questioning introverted bu headstrong girl who had just lost her father suddenly... Gloria was what I needed- anger, angst and faith all at once. I have never looked back and U2 has been the soundtrack to my life- I have been angry at times and questioned things but always listen and come back to the band... I have found solace and comfort and again the expression of anger and angst when i need it during different times of my life- of joy and loss and pain- thank you
karinesilvalima5
Eletrical Storm
I've 15 years, but i love this single already. It makes me remember of my past and some funny things i've done in my life. Makes me a little dizzy in the beginning, but makes me happy too. The songs finish and i already want to play again!
bohemicus
ONE, followed by PRIDE
"One" is definitely the song of my life. I reckon I would wish this to be played at my funeral as I depart this mortal coil. It would have to be very closely followed by "Pride (In The Name Of Love)".
Grumpy Kiwi
One Tree Hill
As soon as I got my hands on a cassette of The Joshua Tree and read the liner notes, I knew this song would resonate. I couldn't a band as huge as U2 had become wrote a song about New Zealand. A heartfelt, poignant tribute to Greg Carroll that is simply stunning. I saw them play it in New Zealand for the first time in Christchurch in 1989. Standing back by the mixing desk, you could still easily see how hard that song was to sing for Bono. The crowd was silent during the entire song, but all 60,000 of us sang the "Oh great mountain" part. A very special moment. I was lucky enough to see all 4 shows they played in New Zealand that year, and it remains one of the best week of my life. Seeing it in Auckland a week later, with One Tree Hill itself just a few miles down the road gave me goose bumps. The version on U22 that is dedicated to the victims of the Pike River tragedy is simply awesome. I tear up every time I hear it.
manolohc74
ONE
I love many U2 songs, but ONE is simply the ONE... maybe the song of my life
blackbono
WITH OR WITH OUT YOU
man that song right there i cant forget, i remember the first time i heard and seen the video it really took me else where, i can listen to that song a thousand times it never get old. you realize tho u2 songs is ment to be going on and on they are gifted with music that last forever not many band capable of that U2 songs are pure natural music that last and sustain in our heart and mind.
JJbluebird_boy
Where The Streets Have No Name
15 years old at summer camp. It's lights out and I'm in the top bunk interpreting the foreign noises around me when the camp counselor shakes the bunk and gives me his walkman. It's Joshua Tree album cassette and Streets begins. I replayed the song that night until the batteries went dead. For the rest of the summer I would choreograph the intro with everything I did, things like walking up a hill - perfectly timed to reach the top of the hill just as Bono starts to sing. When it comes on the radio these days my truck instantly becomes the stage as I alternate between instruments on the steering wheel. And Edge's appearance at Glastonbury - wow. Goosebumps every time.
colorista
hands built america
this song makes me dream, despite being a big fan of them, have not had the privilege to attend a concert of them, but I guarantee that I will do everything in the next to go see with my wife and children, who also share my fanaticism for this them, a long time ...carlos costa, from portugal
DeborahD
when love comes to town
1989-my son introduced me to U2 and I loved this song. Our relationship was enhanced by a mutual admiration for the band as he went through his teen-age years and it was a connection that allowed me to stay close during a decade that can be difficult for a parent and child. He is 33 now and we still share a big love for U2 and attended the Nashville, Tn show together in 2011
mormangani
Where the streets have no name
Because every time I live it in a show, it's like... magic...!
u2fanster
Pride
Pride was the first U2 single I ever bought. The guitar is absolutely awesome. A great song with a great message and one of my favorite videos too. There have been many great U2 singles throughout the years but Pride was the first one I heard. Keep Rockin U2, my favorite band of all time.
DeborahD
when love comes to town
1989-my son introduced me to U2 and I loved this song. Our relationship was enhanced by a mutual admiration for the band as he went through his teen-age years and it was a connection that allowed me to stay close during a decade that can be difficult for a parent and child. He is 33 now and we still share a big love for U2 and attended the Nashville, Tn show together in 2011
kgpt
Walk on
When the wife of my U2-tribute band's (www.therealthing.nl) bass player was trying to beat cancer, we played a memorable concert in Schiedam (NL), where we dedicated Walk On to her. Although she was not there, we felt her presence and it led us to tears on stage. Unfortunately, she died shortly after this concert and at her funeral, the song was played at the very moment our band members and spouses stood up to walk to her coffin. The most impressing moment of my life and it must have been the hand of a greater force that timed it this way. It has been more than half a year now, but we still think of her daily. So, if you are able to read this in heaven, I'd like to say "Walk on Reina, walk on!"
Shellyann
shellyann
When I heard " The Unforgettable Fire" , I had an overwhelming sense of happiness and it took me back many years .
Alma1
Heat + Light. And snow. And roses.
{Apologies in advance, but since I don't see a guideline or constraint on length, I'll just do what an old English teacher used to tell us when we'd ask about that: "Write till you're done. Then stop."} The most unforgettable single to me is "New Year's Day" (NYD). The reasons: UNO) It was 1 of 2 songs that introduced me to U2. {The other song: "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (SBS). I can't separate them completely.} DOS) NYD is my all-time favorite song of my all-time favorite band. For 1 thing, NYD will always have sentimental value. TRES) It was experiencing NYD & SBS as part of "War" (War) that made U2 'my band' for life. U2 will Always be my favorite band. War astounded me. To this day, when I hear those 2 songs, the inside of the cover w/the band standing in the snow often appears in my mind's eye, a little to my right. That must be where it was situated that day. At 1st listen, I stared at the inside w/astonishment & recognition: this is /the sound of my own soul./ This band feels the way I do! Someone else cares about the things I care about - as much as I do! NYD & SBS are also great music. No one EVER sounded like U2 before or since. (It was the lyrics & the way at least 1 of the instruments was played). The 'u' in U2 could stand for unique. I also loved War's visual artistic sensibility. On the cover, 1 word painted a picture & 1 picture painted 1,000 words. U2 had reached, grabbed, & bagged me. Many bands offer only heat w/out light. Not U2: NYD: "And so we are told this is the golden age / And gold is the reason for the wars we wage." SBS: "to claim the victory Jesus won." (I was always into: what's our government up to, peace, love, Jesus, justice, etc.) These themes really matter & they're U2's heart & soul.They're more than just fun songs or sonic trips. Not to take anything away from those - like "Party Girl" which I hugely Adore, or the Massively Awesome "Crazy Tonight/ Discotheque!" FOUR) There's another reason NYD probably touched my heart so much: it said "nothing changes" & "I will begin again." To explain: As I'm growing up, I think big. I want to help change the world. By 15 I begin winning awards & scholarships. I naturally appreciate excellence. U2 anyone? (I hadn't heard of them yet, though.) I want to enter a 'frontier' field where trailblazers/pioneers can make a real contribution. As a teen, around 1980 I decide to become an aerospace engineer & astronaut - till I see NASA fighting to keep its funding: w/the stroke of a pen, Washington impacts science, society, & the arts. To make a real contribution to any number of fields, it seems the place to be is government - or working w/it. Not long before "Boy" (Boy), I'm on 'the road' with a destination of a juris doctorate (JD). I decide I might work for Amnesty International or the Children's Defense Fund. My parents raised me to be 'pure of heart.' To my dad, 'hate' is a dirty word that he never uses or lets me get away w/using - in any context - even about a flavor of ice cream. I tell my dad about the JD decision but I don't explain. He says he hates something: lawyers! I'm crushed. I love my dad. (I don't realize: of course he's thinking 'defending serial killers' - not 'changing the world for the better.') My poor dad innocently doesn't realize how his opinion can affect me. He knows my love for literature & classical guitar & sees me as someone who's right for the art world. (True, but I was all about affecting change in the world & didn't see art as able to do that very much. It's U2/Bono that changes my mind yrs later. Bono especially - even just being himself: deeply inspiring, encouraging, even healing!) My adolescent brain is convinced I must choose between 2 things: my passion/ what I want to do w/my life - & dad's love & his happiness. I choose the latter. (My choice would make more sense if I explained, but it would make a long answer longer.) I won't realize till yrs later that of course I wouldn't have lost his love. Teens aren't known for letting the adults in their life 'in on' what they're thinking. There are other reasons too that I don't discuss it w/my parents. For 1 thing, I think if he knows I'm suffering he'll try to convince me he doesn't really feel the way he said - but it's too late: I know now how he really feels. (I think: If I'm to believe he doesn't feel that way, I'd have to see it naturally - or from me trying to change his opinion only in roundabout ways.) I don't tell my parents the rug of my life is pulled out from under my feet. Thinking one must hold oneself back in life is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. I have an idea to some extent of what it must've been like for ASSK. (Honest to goodness, if I had to pick just 1 line from all of music history for someone to sing to her to celebrate her release, it would be "She is liberty!..." from "In God's Country," my 2nd-place unforgettable single.) I start college working on a bachelor's degree geared toward law, hoping things will CHANGE w/my dad w/in those 4 yrs. If it doesn't, I'll feel I must walk away from what I've really worked for, try to find some new vision for my life, & BEGIN AGAIN. In college, 1983: I hear NYD & buy War. After buying War, it's possible the lines "nothing changes" & "I will begin again" start to hugely resonate w/me because of it - consciously or not. I took the line "I...I will begin again" in a hopeful, encouraging way. God bless Bono's gift for writing! Five) I'm suddenly not paying attention to the music world. (It's a ripple effect from this: during college my sister passes away & I take it very hard. This is not apropos of nothing here: Hats off to Adam for his support of Ireland's 'Walk in My Shoes.' Like my sister was, these are people's friends & loved ones.) I don't remember what's explained in War's liner notes about NYD, if anything, & I think I completely appreciate my favorite song, but I don't. It becomes even more special yrs later when I discover something more about it - as if it were layers of a rose opening further. Not long after earning my Poli Sci degree, I find myself behind the Iron Curtain. (No, I was /not/ a U2 pilot. Mikhael Gorbachev was allowing cultural exchange. I was in the Soviet Union & Poland traveling w/a U.S. classical guitar quartet who were on tour.) I'm in Poland at a time when their Solidarity movement is outlawed...a few days away from New Year's Day.../Totally/ unaware that my all-time favorite song by my all-time favorite band is inspired by Solidarity's Lech Walesa! I learn it yrs later from the internet. I'm sorry I was right there at that time w/out knowing about that, but what a joy to have discovered it! No matter where those of us out here in listener-land find ourselves on the roller coaster of life at a given time - the joyful 'ups' or less-than-joyful 'downs' (like my mom's recent cancer - down...thankfully resolved! - up...or an abusive husband - down...thankfully no longer a husband! - up), nothing beats philosophy, poetry, or music - Especially U2's! - as a source for joy, wisdom, inspiration, or healing. U2 & Bono have already changed the world for the better in other ways, too. Bono is our poet king. I'm so glad Ali & Bono are imprinting themselves on another generation (raising kids). Hats off also to Edge for 'Music Rising' & Larry for the flyer on that bulletin board so long ago! Like the length of my answer, a person's all-time favorite song from their all-time favorite band is no small thing! I wanted to do it justice & I hope I did. :)
anjuna
I dont want to talk about wars between n
I was travelling in India in 2008/09and was aware that the long awaited new u2 single was due for release really soon.It was early February when I left India for Sri Lanka and arrived in Colombo amidst a large,heavy military presence.The Tamil Tigers had attempted to fly two planes into the city of Colombo and had been shot down hours before my arrival resulting in death and injury and chaos.I decided to leave Colombo for the coast and when I arrived thought it best to email home and make contact with my family.It was a humid,rainy day and at the internet cafe I found the video and single Get On Your Boots online. I could relate to the lyrics,the melody and it seemed to perfectly fit the events of that day. The song brings me back to Colombo every time I hear it.Thankfully, I got to the 360 tour and created another great memory of the song hearing it live with love and community up in the pit.
8
Can't Help Falling In Love
The b-side to Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses. Just love that mix. And that Bono did it all himself because the others couldn't be bothered to get up that morning. Haha. Love this song so much.
u2john
With or without you
Really the whole Joshua Tree album spoke to me, but this song in particular was special to me, during a very difficult time in my life where I wanted to give up and just didn't know what to do. It brought me out of my depression and made me smile.
WITH OR WITHOUT YOU
I remember as a child,I loved this beautilful song and I saw in The Joshua Tree album also found someone that I really liked " Larry ".And well I was not the classic that had barbie girl, and I really wanted one but I always liked the music, when the joining the money the first thing I bought my U2LP, and my older brothers were surprised that I no longer wanted more toys and researching more about U2 since then began the dream of my life "I WILL MEEET SOMEDAY " I said and the dream came true one november 30/98 on POPMART TOUR MEXICO outside from 4seasonsHotel at night they crossed the street to give me the autograph never imagined such humility and the most incredible thing I cling tightly Bono...wow !! as If we were a couple ,also my other dream came true on February 13 2006, I was so close to LARRY , ( I Feel numb for a few min.)with Mr Camil walking down Paseo de la Reforma to reach the Four Seasons Hotel Larry ate a snack with is made of pumpkin seed in Mexico we called "pepitas" I asked my autograph ,I asked thim to read some things on paper took some pictures ,with me and he smiled even when wearing their sunglasses,saw his look of tenderness for my ...was awesome...BONO says in concerts THANK YOU FOR GIVIN' US A GREAT LIFE I SAID .Thank You U2 for being with me always , when I 'm happy, when I'm very sad,even when I'm drunk..lol....when I have broken the heart wich is almost always,the grat moments,at concerts,and yell with exitement when seeing them the firts time around let the love.... Special thanks to Bono and Larry that confess that in those days when I knew I was having a very bad and very sad for may things much mood lifted
Sylvia_Torres
Pride
Well, it's hard to choose one single, but I guess it'll be Pride. I was 13, and turned on the radio. pride was playing right at the guitar solo, and something happened in my brain - I could hear the instruments separately, and then, Bono started singing the chorus - amazing!! I had no idea what the lyrics meant, but I went to a record store the next day to find out who those guys were!! When I got The Unforgettable Fire, I listened to it from the first to the last track all afternoon ( a habit I still have for every release ever since) . Thank you very much for being part of my life- so many songs have been so important!
viu2
Electrical Storm
It's hard to choose one, but Electrical Storm is very important to me. It helps me sometimes and make me stronger... I can't explain, but I love it!
antonio_jose_morales
City of blinding lights
This song is the best song ever!! And it was a really special moment when i hear it live in U2 360 at atlanta, because i have always dream about going to a U2 concert, and then my parents give me my prom give that was a flight tickect and a concert tickets with a sort of party before the concert, that was the best experience that i've already got!! Love this band!
markpearce
Discotheque
Being as mad a Chelsea fan as I am of the fab four, this song was number one in the UK when my Uncle Bill died suddenly in 1997. He was like a hero to me when I was growing up so his passing came as a massive shock to us all. So when Chelsea won the FA Cup in May of that year, their first major trophy in 26 years (seems unthinkable now), it was like a fitting tribute to him. U2 then played at Wembley Stadium in the August and I made sure I was standing in pretty much the spot where Roberto Di Matteo launched that shot to put Chelsea in front and when Edge played the instrumental break in the song, I imagined that goal and sort of reinacted the shot to myself. It seemed to bury a few demons. What a year of mixed emotions.
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