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How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
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How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is the eleventh studio album by Irish rock band U2, released in November 2004. Much like their previous album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was commercially successful and critically acclaimed and maintains a more traditional rock sound after the band experimented with alternative rock and dance music in the 1990s. The album was produced by Steve Lillywhite, with others involved in the production including Flood, Jacknife Lee, Nellee Hooper, Chris Thomas, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, and Carl Glanville.
U2 lead singer Bono described the album as "our first rock album.
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Encyclopedia
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is the eleventh studio album by Irish rock band U2, released in November 2004. Much like their previous album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was commercially successful and critically acclaimed and maintains a more traditional rock sound after the band experimented with alternative rock and dance music in the 1990s. The album was produced by Steve Lillywhite, with others involved in the production including Flood, Jacknife Lee, Nellee Hooper, Chris Thomas, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, and Carl Glanville.
U2 lead singer Bono described the album as "our first rock album. It's taken us twenty years or whatever it is, but this is our first rock album." Although not a concept album in the traditional sense, most of the music on the record deals with the world at the crossroads of its existence. Love and war, peace and harmony, and approaching death are themes of the album.
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb and its singles won all eight Grammy Awards for which they were nominated. The album also sold over 9 million copies and yielded several successful singles in "Vertigo", "City of Blinding Lights", and "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own".
History
In 2003, Bono said how one of their new songs called "Full Metal Jacket" was "the mother of all rock songs" and "the reason to make a new album". A similar demo called "Native Son" was also recorded. Both of these demos would later become "Vertigo".
A demo version of the album (The Edge's copy) was stolen while the band were having their photo taken for a magazine in France in July 2004. It contained unfinished versions of several songs that made it onto the album. The band publicly announced that if those tracks were leaked online, they would release the album immediately. Several months later, tracks from the album were released online, but they were the finished products, and not the rough demos from The Edge's stolen CD.
Adam Clayton said of Atomic Bomb, "It's very much a guitar record. "Vertigo", "Love and Peace", "City of Blinding Lights", "All Because of You", all pretty up, rocky tunes. A lot of them are a kick-back to our very early days, so it's like with each year we have gathered a little bit more and this is what we are now."
In late 2004, "Mercy", an unreleased track taken from the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb sessions, surfaced on the Internet through a fan who had been given a copy of the album containing the extra track. The track is of less than standard audio quality, but managed to become a favorite on fan websites. It was cut from the final release, but is described by Blender Magazine as "a six-and-a-half-minute outpouring of U2 at its most uninhibitedly U2-ish". The lyrics to the song can be found in the booklet for the Collector's Edition.
Singer Michael W. Smith joined the band in the studio during the Atomic Bomb sessions and worked on at least one track with them entitled "North Star". That track, which was a tribute to Johnny Cash, has not yet surfaced officially or unofficially in any form. Other tracks, such as "Shark Soup", "Lead Me In The Way I Should Go", and "You Can't Give Away Your Heart", were referenced in the media and by the band themselves, but have not been released.
A week prior to the album's release, U2.com streamed the album in its entirety for visitors.
The album's release was followed by the commercially successful Vertigo Tour.
Release
Promotion
"Vertigo" was featured on a widely-aired television commercial for the Apple iPod. Apple, in a partnership with the band, released a special edition iPod bearing the black and red color scheme of the album, as well as laser-engraved autographs of each member on the back. The Complete U2, an iTunes Store-exclusive box set featuring 448 tracks, including previously unreleased content was also released. Proceeds from the iPod and iTunes partnerships were donated to charity. A live version of "Original of the Species" from the concert film Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago was later featured in commercials for the video iPod.
The EP Unreleased and Rare, included in The Complete U2 box set, contained previously unreleased tracks, six of which were from the recording sessions for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.
- "Xanax and Wine" (demo version of "Fast Cars")
- "Native Son" (demo version of "Vertigo")
- "Smile" (outtake from the
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb Sessions) "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" (demo version) "All Because of You" (alternate version) "Yahweh" (alternate mix by Chris Thomas)
U2 made various promotional appearances on television. On 20 November 2004, U2 appeared as the musical guests on Saturday Night Live, performing "Vertigo", "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own", and "I Will Follow". Two days later, on the day of the album's release, U2 performed on a flat-bed truck, which drove through much of downtown New York City. The drive ended at the Brooklyn Bridge, under which the band performed a "secret gig", some of which comprised an MTV special and an EP called Live from Under the Brooklyn Bridge.
Formats
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was released in three different formats:
- Standard jewel case - with album CD
- Deluxe Edition - with album CD and bonus DVD, featuring making of the album footage and bonus performances
- Collector's Edition - with album CD, bonus DVD, and a hardcover book, featuring extracts from band members, song lyrics, original paintings, illustrations and photography
The bonus DVD included in the Deluxe Edition and the Collector's Edition featured the following material:
U2 and 3 SongsBonus Videos:
- "Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own" (Studio video Performance)
- "Crumbs From Your Table (live in studio session)"
- "Vertigo" (Temple Bar Mix)
- "Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own" (Acoustic Couch Mix)
- "Vertigo" (Studio video Performance)
Single releases
The album was preceded by the lead single "Vertigo", which was released on 24 September 2004. The song topped the charts in several countries, including the UK, reached #31 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and topped the Modern Rock Tracks chart. It also topped the digital downloads chart in both the US and the UK, becoming U2's best-selling digital single ever in the US, with 2x Platinum status (note that for downloads, Platinum status is obtained at 100,000 copies sold). Upon release the song received extensive airplay and was an international hit, being featured in a popular iPod television commercial. The song lent its namesake to the band's Vertigo Tour.
The second single in the UK was "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own", released on 7 February 2005. The song is about Bono's relationship with his dying father. The song debuted at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming U2's first-ever follow-up single to top the charts. On US adult contemporary radio, it reached #15 on the Adult Top 40 and also appeared on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, the Pop 100, and the Hot 100.
"City of Blinding Lights" was the third UK release. It peaked at #2 and spent nine weeks on the chart. It also placed on the US Adult Top 40.
The second single in the US was "All Because of You". Although it received some airplay on rock radio, reaching #6 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and #20 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, the song had little mainstream exposure. When released in the UK, it peaked at #4 but only spent four weeks on the chart.
"Original of the Species" was released as a promotional single in the US. It peaked at #6 on the Triple A Chart according to mediaguide.com and the video has reached #12 on VH1's top 20 video countdown. The track has also made brief appearances on the Hot AC charts according to Radio and Records and MediaGuide.
Reception
Much like its predecessor, this album met wide critical acclaim with critics like Rolling Stone (who described it as "grandiose music from grandiose men"), Q, Allmusic, The Los Angeles Times and E! Online among others quite vocal in its praise. Following the 22 November 2004 release, the album debuted at #1 in 34 countries, including the US Billboard 200 (with sales of 840,000), the UK album chart, and the Aria charts. The album has gone on to sell 9 million copies worldwide. This album is often described as the album which has firmly entrenched U2 at the top after the commercial and critical let down of 1997's Pop. The album received an average critic score of 79%, according to Metacritic.
Awards and accolades
Like Michael Jackson's Thriller, this album was awarded eight Grammy Awards overall in 2005 and 2006, winning in all of the categories in which it was nominated. It was awarded the Album of the Year award in 2006. "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" from the album was awarded Song of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. "City of Blinding Lights" was awarded the award for Best Rock Song, and the album was also awarded Best Rock Album. In 2005, the single "Vertigo" from the album won in all three categories in which it was nominated: Best Rock Song, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and Best Short Form Music Video.
- Ranked best album of 2004 by USA Today
- Ranked best album of 2004 by Paste Magazine
- Ranked #1 in best albums of 2004 by The New York Times
- Ranked #2 in best albums of 2004 by The Los Angeles Times (Robert Hilburn)
- Ranked #4 in best albums of 2004 by Q magazine
- Ranked #3 in liveDaily's top albums of 2004
- Ranked #8 in Village Voice 2004 Pazz & Jop Poll (a survey of 793 critics)
- Ranked #23 in Top40-charts.com's best albums of 2004
- Ranked #25 in PopMatters.com's best albums of 2004
- Ranked #8 in best albums of 2004 by Village Voice
- Ranked in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of 2004
Vertigo Tour
In support of the album, U2 launched the Vertigo Tour, which featured five legs and a total of 131 shows. The first and third legs featured indoor concerts in North America, while the second and fourth legs featured outdoor concerts in Europe and Central/South America, respectively. The final leg, which saw the band touring the Pacific, was delayed due to an illness suffered by The Edge's daughter Sian. The stage design of the Vertigo Tour was a stripped-down, intimate affair for the fans and featured an ellipse-shaped B-stage extending from the main stage. In total, the Vertigo Tour had sold 4,619,021 tickets for a total gross of $389 million; the gross was the second-highest such figure ever. Three concert films depicting the tour, Vertigo 2005: Live from Chicago, Vertigo: Live from Milan, and U2 3D, were recorded.
The songs "Vertigo" and "City of Blinding Lights", which debuted on the tour, are two of only five U2 songs to have been played at every concert since their introduction.
Track listing
"Fast Cars" is a bonus track on the Japan and UK and IrelandCD edition, Collector's edition in all regions, and the digital version, included in The Complete U2.
"Love and Peace or Else"
The very earliest versions of this song come from the studio sessions to 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind album. It serves as Atomic Bombs "big plea for peace" song, following in the footsteps of "Sunday Bloody Sunday", "Please", "Miss Sarajevo", and "Peace on Earth".
During performances on the Vertigo Tour, "Love and Peace Or Else" featured Larry Mullen Jr. moving out to the center of the ellipse-shaped ramp, where he played a floor tom and crash cymbal for the majority of the song. Near the end, Bono took over and played the drum until the song segued into the opening drumbeat of "Sunday Bloody Sunday". Most live performances of the song also saw Mullen singing the "release, release, release, release" part during the chorus alongside Bono.
"Crumbs from Your Table"
The song is about the relationship between Western countries and developing countries. The verses and chorus address the relationship from the perspective of citizens from the developing world, focusing on the disparity between the long-term socioeconomic planning stressed by the West ("You speak in signs and wonders") and the developing world's immediate need for sustenance ("But I'm begging for the crumbs from your table"). The bridge ("Where you live should not decide / Whether you live or whether you die") is an editorial comment from Bono. These lines are a common theme in Bono's speeches in which he tries to raise awareness about the problem of African poverty.
The song is included on the bonus DVD that comes with the special edition of the album. It was only played a handful on times during the third leg of the Vertigo Tour.
"One Step Closer"
"One Step Closer" is slow tempo song, with Bono's lyrics centered around traffic images, leading to the singer being stranded on a refuge island. The origins of the song go back to the All That You Can't Leave Behind sessions. It was revived for Atomic Bomb, with Lanois introducing a pedal steel guitar in addition to guitars from The Edge and Bono, and musical influences varying from country music to The Velvet Underground making themselves felt. One recording of the song ran for more than 15 minutes, with Bono adding many verses that were subsequently dropped. Producer Jacknife Lee also contributed to the final form of the recording.
"One Step Closer" is billed in the album with thanks to Noel Gallagher of Oasis. The title of the song comes from a conversation Bono had with Gallagher about Bono's dying father, Bob Hewson. Bono asked, "Do you think he believes in God?" to which Gallagher replied, "Well, he's one step closer to knowing." Multiple readings are available, with the singer's feeling of being lost, but still drifting towards some kind of understanding, possible at any age. Verdicts varied based on the listener: Bono biographer Mick Wall felt the song was "clearly linked" to Bono's father, and made for "painful if beautiful listening," Chicago Tribune reviewer Greg Kot did not make the same Bono connection and felt that Lanois' "foggy atmospherics" masked a lack of ideas, while Christianity Today saw it as a "sadly uncertain, yet hopeful" depiction of Bono's father having a crisis of faith.
Through the end of the Vertigo Tour, the song had never been performed in any U2 concert.
Charts positions and sales
| Country | Peak position | Certification | Sales |
|---|
| Argentina | | Platinum | 40,000+ | | Australia | 1 | 4x Platinum | 280,000+ | | Austria | 1 | Platinum | 30,000+ | | Brazil | | 2x Platinum | 250,000+ | | Canada | | 5x Platinum | 500,000+ | | Denmark | 1 | 2x Platinum | 60,000+ | | Finland | 1 | Gold | 21,350+ | | France | 1 | Platinum | 300,000+ | | Germany | | Platinum/3x Gold | 300,000+ | | Hungary | | Gold | 5,000+ | | Ireland | 1 | 10x Platinum | 150,000+ | | Japan | | Platinum | 250,000+ | | Mexico | | Platinum | 100,000+ | | Netherlands | | Gold | 40,000+ | | New Zealand | 1 | 3x Platinum | 45,000+ | | Norway | 1 | | | | Poland | | Gold | 20,000+ | | Portugal | | 3x Platinum | 60,000+ | | Spain | 1 | 2x Platinum | 200,000+ | | Sweden | 1 | Platinum | 60,000+ | | Switzerland | 1 | | | | United Kingdom | 1 | 4x Platinum | 1,200,000+ | | United States | 1 | 3x Platinum | 3,000,000+ |
Personnel
- Bono – lead vocals, additional guitar
- The Edge – guitar, piano, keyboards, backing vocals, lead vocals on bridge of "Miracle Drug"
- Adam Clayton – bass guitar
- Larry Mullen, Jr. – drums, percussion, backing vocals on "Miracle Drug"
Additional personnel
See also
External links
- at official website
- at U2 Wanderer, with comprehensive details on various editions, cover scans, lyrics, and more
- at Metacritic
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