“We didn’t buy into that”: The Bono decision that set U2 apart
Many guitar bands have looked to The Clash as a sonic guiding star. Led by lyricist and frontman Joe Strummer, the punk outfit paired politically driven lyrics with a melting pot of genres, using their instruments and pens as a force for socialism and anti-fascism. In the process, they created enduring tracks like ‘London Calling’ and ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’, songs that still find resonance with audiences and budding bands even today.
The Clash completely changed punk, both musically and lyrically, pushing guitar bands to write meaningful lyrics and draw from wider sonic influences. They inspired everyone from Paul Weller of The Jam to fellow political songwriter Billy Bragg to pop-punk connoisseurs Green Day. And somewhere along the way, they even became known as “the only band that matters”, a title that few other groups could have filled.
And yet, there is one band who didn’t want to follow in The Clash’s footsteps: U2. That’s not to say that Bono and his bandmates didn’t admire Strummer and his work with the band. In fact, The Clash were a formative inspiration for the Irish rockers, with Bono even claiming that, without them, there might never have been a U2. They named their track ‘Out of Control’ after the tour on which Bono first saw them.
The story of The Clash, or as Bono explained it to Epitaph, the idea that “you could come out of the audience, get up on stage, grab the microphone, and if you have something to say, then you have a valid reason for being there” — was integral to his entry into music. However, the ethos of what U2 would become wasn’t quite as indebted to The Clash. In fact, they worked on completely different principles.
In ‘Cedars of London’, U2’s 2009 track, Bono speaks about the idea of enemies. “Choose your enemies carefully,” he implores his listeners, “Cause they will define you, make them interesting, because in some ways, they will mind you…” When prompted to explain the meaning of the lyrics during a conversation with The Observer Music Monthly, the U2 frontman suggested that the band have set themselves apart with their choice of “interesting enemies”.
“The Man, the establishment,” he mused, “We didn’t buy into that. Our credo was: no them, there’s only us.” Although Bono had been hugely inspired by The Clash in his youth, he didn’t necessarily use his own music to take aim at the same enemies, at the establishment and at fascism. U2’s biggest songs were about beautiful days and living with or without your partner.
They didn’t take on the poor state of the capital like in ‘London Calling’ or debate ideas of capitalism like in ‘Clampdown’. Their music wasn’t working against anyone or anything; it focused on bringing as many people together as possible, though they may have lacked distinctive messaging in the process.
“Think about it,” Bono explained, “Every other band was us and them. The Clash, our great heroes. Then U2 arrived and it was no them, only us.” Even though The Clash may have been Bono’s “great heroes,” his approach to music-making and lyricism was completely different. Rather than choosing worthy enemies like the establishment, he cultivated an idea of “us” that left U2’s music lacking in purpose compared to their biggest inspirations.
