The U2 song The Edge thought was the coolest number one in chart history
Most rock bands are fuelled by the need to fulfil one ideal. Not fame, not fortune, not even always success – but cool. Just ask U2.
Of course, whether the Irish rockers still stand up to that notion as much today is a matter for you to argue amongst yourselves, but the fact remains that in their prime of the 1980s and ‘90s, this was a band who thrived on the unstoppable force of exhilaration, protest, and power. There is something admittedly quite cool about that.
But nevertheless, through all their slew of massive hits and even bigger statements, there was one song that just gleamed with a slightly shinier allure than the rest, captivating the band as well as the rest of the world, as it rocketed them to yet another spot in the number one chart leagues. That gem in question was ‘Desire’, taken from Rattle and Hum in 1988, which screamed with the electrification that U2 were here, and here to stay.
In many ways, the track glistened with that all the more special appeal to the band because it marked the beginning of a seismic journey. Becoming their first number one hit in the UK, it was a taste of sweet champagne and of things to come. But particularly for The Edge, it also signified that he and his bandmates were forging out a new path in music like no one else around them was doing – and that intoxicating elixir was really what set them on the road to success.
This was not just due to the fact that U2 had their heads filled with all sorts of new-fangled visions, but because they were also taking inspiration from the greats. ‘Desire’ was plugged with a Bo Diddley beat and a riff infused with ‘1969’ by The Stooges, and in this respect, The Edge thought it was distinct from anything else on the market.
To this end, he enthused in an interview at the time: “Music’s become too scientific, it’s lost that spunk and energy that it had in the ’50s and ’60s. When I listen to most modern records I hear a producer, I don’t hear musicians interacting. And that quality, that missing quality is something we were trying to get back into our own music.”
It was this move against the grain that he found to be the most exciting. “What I like about ‘Desire’ is that if there’s ever been a cool number one to have in the UK, that’s it because it’s totally not what people are listening to or what’s in the charts at the moment,” he added.
“Instead it’s going in exactly the opposite direction,” he said. “It’s a rock and roll record – in no way is it a pop song.”
Buoyed by the notion that they were, indeed, the coolest band on the block, U2 merrily carried on their way to world domination and blitzing success, almost as if it had always just been written in the stars. Above all else, that’s what really defines the idea of cool – not the effort or sacrifice it takes to get there, but intrinsically knowing that no matter what, you were always going to get there.
