U2start.com | Genres for U2 songs

If you're anything like me (which is quite an if), you like to have things nice and neat and specific in your iTunes library. For me, that includes being pretty specific with genres -- not just 'rock' or 'alternative rock' and being done with that.

Here's my list of genres for U2 songs by album; I use genres listed in Wikipedia here but I don't always agree with the listings they provide U2 songs on their pages (as it's often basically just 'rock'). By all means offer thoughts, suggestions, comments, etc...

[Note: I'm including b-sides/deluxe edition tracks with their associated albums, I'm not counting live versions, and I'm not counting all different mixes (the single version of Sweetest Thing would get counted, but all the Achtung Baby dance mixes wouldn't, for example)]

Boy
post-punk: all songs

October
rock: Scarlet; J. Swallo; Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl
piano rock: October
post-punk: all the rest

War
rock: "40"; Angels Too Tied To the Ground
jazz-rock: Red Light
post-punk: all the rest

The Unforgettable Fire
ambient: MLK; 4th of July; Bass Trap; Promenade
post-punk: Wire; Three Sunrises; Boomerang I; Boomerang II; Yoshino Blossom; Indian Summer Sky
rock: all the rest

The Joshua Tree
acoustic blues: Running To Stand Still
blues rock: Trip Through Your Wires
roots rock: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For; Red Hill Mining Town; Silver and Gold; Wave of Sorrow; Spanish Eyes; Luminous Times; In God's Country; Exit
folk rock: Rise Up
ambient: Beautiful Ghost/Introduction To Songs of Experience
rock: all the rest

Rattle and Hum
folk rock: Van Diemen's Land
rhythm and blues: Desire
blues rock: When Love Comes To Town
heartland rock: Angel of Harlem; A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel; Hallelujah Here She Comes
alternative rock: God Part II
roots rock: Hawkmoon 269; Heartland; Love Rescue Me; All I Want Is You; Dancing Barefoot
rock: Everlasting Love; Unchained Melody

Achtung Baby
industrial rock: The Fly; Alex Descends Into Hell For a Bottle of Milk/Korova 1
funk rock: Mysterious Ways; Salomé
rock: Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses [Baby Version]; Near the Island; One [Baby Version]; Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around the World [Baby Version]
roots rock: Fortunate Son
alternative rock: all the rest (including Everybody Loves a Winner for now -- what genre IS this?! Heaven and Hell is pretty similar to it as well...)

Zooropa
disco: Lemon
industrial rock: Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car; Numb
electronic rock: The Wanderer
funk rock: Some Days Are Better Than Others
rock: The First Time; Slow Dancing
traditional pop: I've Got You Under My Skin
alternative rock: Zooropa; Babyface; Stay; Dirty Day

Pop
techno: Mofo; Do You Feel Loved
jazz-rock: Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad
country rock: Slow Dancing
krautrock: Gone
trip hop: Miami
rock: North and South of the River
alternative dance: Discothèque
alternative rock: all the rest

All That You Can't Leave Behind
alternative rock: New York; Elevation; Big Girls Are Best
pop rock: Wild Honey; Grace; Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of; Kite; Summer Rain; In a Little While
rock: Beautiful Day; When I Look at the World; Peace On Earth; Always; The Ground Beneath Her Feet; Walk On

The Best of 1990-2000
glam rock: Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
rock: Electrical Storm; The Hands That Built America

How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
alternative rock: Vertigo; All Because of You; Fast Cars; Are You Gonna Wait Forever?
rock: all the rest

Unreleased & Rare
alternative rock: Levitate; Xanax and Wine; Native Son; Love You Like Mad; All Because of You [Alternate Version]
roots rock: Jesus Christ
rock: Stateless; Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own [Alternate Version]; Christmas; Flower Child; Yahweh [Alternative Version]; Smile

U218 Singles
pop rock: Sweetest Thing [The Single Mix]
punk rock: The Saints Are Coming
rock: Window In the Skies; Tower of Song

No Line On the Horizon
alternative rock: Get On Your Boots; No Line On the Horizon 2
folk rock: White as Snow
funk rock: Stand Up Comedy
pop rock: I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
rock: all the rest

Songs of Innocence
post-punk: Cedarwood Road; Lucifer's Hands
disco-rock: The Crystal Ballroom
dance-rock: This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now
piano rock: Every Breaking Wave [Acoustic Version]
pop rock: California [Acoustic Version]
alternative rock: The Miracle; Volcano
rock: Song For Someone; Every Breaking Wave; Cedarwood Road [Acoustic Version]; Raised By Wolves [Acoustic Version]; The Miracle [Busker Version]
electronic rock: Iris; Invisible; Sleep Like a Baby Tonight; California; The Troubles; Raised By Wolves

CMIPalaeo

10 years

I'll add Original Soundtracks 1 sometime later...

superkev

10 years

You must seriously have a lot of time on your hands

CMIPalaeo

10 years

Originally posted by superkev:You must seriously have a lot of time on your hands

I have literally no time on my hands. I'm so busy this week you wouldn't believe it.

I'm a terrible procrastinator.

LikeASong

10 years

The Unforgettable Fire
ambient: MLK; 4th of July; Bass Trap
post-punk: Wire; Three Sunrises; Boomerang I; Boomerang II; Yoshino Blossom; Indian Summer Sky
rock: all the rest

If Promenade is rock and not ambient, I'm The Edge

CMIPalaeo

10 years

Originally posted by LikeASong:The Unforgettable Fire
ambient: MLK; 4th of July; Bass Trap
post-punk: Wire; Three Sunrises; Boomerang I; Boomerang II; Yoshino Blossom; Indian Summer Sky
rock: all the rest

If Promenade is rock and not ambient, I'm The Edge

I had a hard time with that one... I think you're right though.

LikeASong

10 years

I have to admit that I once was so obsessed as you with the genres thing, but abandoned this task long ago and simply label them all as "U2 rock".

LikeASong

10 years

Originally posted by CMIPalaeo:[..]

I had a hard time with that one... I think you're right though.

haha, nice to see you changed it. I mostly agree with the rest though.

sholbech22

10 years

I once heard somewhere about 4 guys being in a rock and roll band?

LikeASong

10 years

Originally posted by sholbech22:I once heard somewhere about 4 guys being in a rock and roll band?

What a band is doesn't (necessarily) set the genre for all of their songs. You can't tell me Grace or White As Snow is the same rock'n'roll as Desire or Discothèque, can you?

Alvin

10 years

Totally pointless discussion and topic. Who needs genres? Do you really need to put every song into box?
BTW last album full of electronic rock? WTF?

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