“It was a complete throw-down to us”: the band U2 wouldn’t exist without, according to The Edge
The Edge not only has one of the best stage names in all of rock music, but he knows a fair few things about the mechanics of turning a simple song into a seismic anthem, being the strength and stay of U2 for all of their 45-year tenure and more. Naturally, he would have seen many acts pass through the rock canon within that time, some without a trace. But others, much like himself, have left their mark on every wall – and the Edge knows they’re the ones to look to.
In that sense, though a rock band with a sociopolitical mouthpiece wasn’t exactly a new brainwave, U2 took on that baton and made it into their own when they broke out onto the scene with protest tunes like ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ and ‘Pride (In the Name of Love)’. It was a blazing hunger for justice that only life lived in the mean streets of Dublin could teach them – but it didn’t mean that seminal inspirations also couldn’t come calling from elsewhere.
Across the sea in London, at a similar time to when U2 were establishing their roots, the pounding rebelliousness of punk was blasting bullets through the ceiling of expectations on what rock music could be. At the forefront of that charge were, of course, The Clash, and though they hailed from completely different worlds, their brazen effect was enough to make the nascent U2 sit up and listen.
Discussing this as part of the reason behind why they were such a tour-de-force, The Edge told Rolling Stone: “For U2 and other people of our generation, seeing them perform was a life-changing experience. There’s really no other way to describe it.” Enlivened by The Clash’s “pure, visceral energy and the anger and the commitment,” The Edge explained, “It was a complete throw-down to us. It was like: ‘Why are you in music? What the hell is music all about, anyway?’”
Sonically, “The social and political content of the songs was a huge inspiration, certainly for U2,” the guitarist added, before going on to comment on the band’s dynamic by saying: “It was the call to wake up, get wise, get angry, get political and get noisy about it. It’s interesting that the members were quite different characters. Paul Simonon had an art-school background, and Joe Strummer was the son of a diplomat. But you really sensed they were comrades in arms.”
According to The Edge, The Clash’s unique selling point was that: “They were completely in accord, railing against injustice, railing against a system they were just sick of. And they thought it had to go.” It’s easy to see where U2 took their blueprint from in defining their own musical intentions – however, this wasn’t about a rivalry, only furthering the cause.
When we look back over the past half-century in music, as far as rock is concerned, bands like U2 and The Clash are undeniably the beating heart of what kept that politicised lifeblood of the cultural world alive. Their stories and backgrounds might not have borne any real similarity, but that didn’t matter. All the bands were concerned about was throwing a message out and getting a response, which The Edge demonstrates in everything he does.
