The album Bono called “the heaviest” U2 ever made
U2 never claimed to be the heaviest band in the world. As much as their topics may have been heavy-handed throughout the 1980s, that kind of intense subject matter toed the line between earnest and preachy before becoming laughably pretentious once the 2010s rolled around. For all of the grand statements that the band nailed down on record, Bono still thought that Achtung Baby was one of their boldest undertakings in the studio.
If the Irish rock legends had decided to call it quits after the 1980s ended, though, they would probably be heralded as one of the greatest careers in rock history. Even if Rattle and Hum made them look like one of the most self-aggrandising bands in the world, capping off a career with The Joshua Tree made grand rock and roll feel relevant again.
By the time the 1990s began, U2 were living in a much different world from where they started. Although hair metal was still the dominant force in American music, everything would be turned on its head once grunge took over, with acts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam bringing authenticity back into rock and roll.
While that kind of earnest songwriting should have killed rock giants like U2, the band knew that it was time for change. Moving to Berlin to make their next record, the group was nearly on the brink of collapse when nothing came together for the first few weeks. After they landed on the tune ‘One’, though, they started to find their sense of direction for what this next phase would be like.
Instead of trying to make political statements in song, Achtung Baby was the band’s way of playing up their showmanship to the point of parody. Even though Bono looked more like a self-righteous rockstar than ever before, songs like ‘The Fly’ and ‘Until The End of the World’ were a lot more snide in their delivery, as if to mock the concept of a man sitting in a stadium of people trying to show them how to live.
For all of the incredible posturing that they were doing onstage, Bono would remember this album as one of the darkest projects they took on, recalling to Rolling Stone, “It’s a con, in a way. We call it Achtung Baby, grinning up our sleeves in all of the photography. But it’s probably the heaviest record we ever made”.
While these aren’t the kind of songs that would rival bands like Black Sabbath, it’s easy to see what he’s talking about when looking at the lyrics. Underneath all of that self-righteous posing and cocky swagger, Bono was pouring his heart out over the state of the world throughout every track.
Even though there are a handful of traditional love songs like ‘Mysterious Ways’, tracks like ‘Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses’ are sung by a man unsure of what life has in store for him anymore, having lost the love of his life. By the end of the album, songs like ‘Love is Blindness’ end things on a particularly dour note, as if to remind the audience that everyone is fumbling through life trying to find some kind of connection with people.
Somewhere deep within these songs, the band are reminding millions of up-and-coming musicians of the sacrifices that come with being successful. While U2, of all bands, probably weren’t anyone’s first choice to deliver this lesson, it’s always important to remember not to lose one’s soul once the checks start rolling in.
