Top Underrated U2 Songs That Deserve More Love
Top underrated U2 songs that should be rated higher than a rates demand from the council - or rather, some of Jimmy’s fave deep cuts by U2.
While the radio will happily beat Beautiful Day into submission, the real gold often lies buried in the B-sides and the album tracks that the casual fans skip over.
Here is the definitive list of tracks that prove there is more to these Dublin boys than just big fly shape shades and bigger stages.
Please
From the album Pop (1997)
Pop (often unfairly maligned) is probably Bono’s best effort lyrically. It captures a man trying to find God in the neon glow of a shopping mall. With word plays on Michael Jackson being history over Jackson’s own HIStory pun, "the blind leading the blonde," and the crushing line "Your Catholic blues, Your convent shoes," this song pretty much sums up Bono’s eternal search for his place and peace in the world.
Historically, this song is heavy. It was written about the Northern Ireland peace process - or lack thereof - released just before the Good Friday Agreement. The single cover famously featured the faces of Northern Irish politicians (Gerry Adams, David Trimble, Ian Paisley, and John Hume) blended together, a plea for unity.
Musically, it’s a slow-build masterpiece. Adam Clayton’s bassline is a martial, funky strut, while Edge’s solo (especially in live recordings like the PopMart: Live from Mexico City DVD) is up there with his absolute best - a screeching, siren-like wail that says more about frustration than any lyric could. It’s depressing yet uplifting at the same time; a prayer screamed into a storm.
Dirty Day
From the album Zooropa (1993)
“These days, days, days run away like horses over the hills.” This line, sung over and over at the end, always reminds me that I never have enough time to do whatever it is I wanted to do.
The song acts as a bridge between the irony of the Zoo TV era and the raw emotion of the future. It’s grinding, industrial, and deeply personal.
Lore has it that the song is actually about the strained relationship between fathers and sons - specifically Bono and his father, Bob Hewson. The line "I don't know you, and you don't know the half of it" cuts deep. But publicly, the track was dedicated to the author Charles Bukowski. This song actually made me go see a documentary on Bukowski and read some of his books. If anything, this song taught me it sux to be a drunk alcoholic author who used to work in a post office. In fact, I think Charlie boy actually went postal before the term was applied to the fine people at the US Postal Service. It's a dirty, fuzzy, low-fi gem.
Van Diemen’s Land
From the album Rattle and Hum (1988)
It has The Edge singing lead vocals, and he actually means it. You believe it too, even though it's about Aussie bastards?! This track is a solemn, acoustic folk song dedicated to the Fenian poet John Boyle O'Reilly, who was transported to Australia (Van Diemen's Land) for his political beliefs.
It has good chord changes and showcases Edge’s understated ability to carry a melody without Bono’s theatrics.
Hmm, have I said this before?
Also, was there actually any humming on the album?
It stands out on Rattle and Hum because it strips away the Hollywood production and American obsession, returning the band briefly to their Irish folk roots. It’s quiet, haunting, and criminally overlooked. Ok Edge, play the blues.
Into the Heart
From the album Boy (1980)
I like this because of the seamless transition: the outro from the prior song, An Cat Dubh, becomes the intro to this. It’s impossible to listen to one without the other. This track perfectly captures the theme of the Boy album - the terrifying, confusing leap from childhood innocence into the adult world.
It features a kind of plodding but hypnotic bass riff from Adam Clayton - who was arguably the musical anchor of the band in those early days - layered with that signature crisp Edge playing. The chime of the guitar here is the blueprint for the next decade of alternative rock. It’s U2 before they were saving the world, just trying to save themselves from growing up.
MLK
From the album The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
While "The Unforgettable Fire" title is a reference to an art exhibit about the atomic bombs dropped in Japan (an early portent of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb maybe?), the album seemed dedicated to two Kings - Elvis and Martin Luther King Jr.
Most people know Pride (In the Name of Love), the big rock anthem about MLK, but this track is the comedown. It closes the album and is sung like a lullaby, actually encouraging sleep ("Sleep, sleep tonight..."). It is a short, atmospheric prayer that showcases the ambient influence of producer Brian Eno.
While Bono’s political rants, beseeching, and besmirching of "The Man" might put the more jaded and cynical amongst us to sleep, you can’t complain that this song does the same in a nice, "under the covers on a rainy day" kind of way.
It is a moment of pure zen in the U2 catalog.
Beat on the Brat
Cover of The Ramones, from the We’re a Happy Family Ramones Tribute Album (2003)
Beat on the brat with a baseball bat. Yeah, punk. This is a fun inclusion because it reminds us where U2 actually came from. Before the stadiums and the spaceships, U2 started out in Dublin garages playing Ramones covers, trying to pass them off as their own because they couldn't play anything complicated.
Bono has often said that Joey Ramone’s voice was the one that made him feel like he could be a singer - you didn't need to be perfect, you just needed to mean it. Hearing the biggest band in the world strip it back to three chords and a bad attitude is refreshing.
It’s pretty much the music industry down pat these days - recycling the past - but when it's done with this much glee, what can you do?
