HTDAAB was a great follow up to U2's 'comeback' album, All That You Can't Leave Behind.
Featuring the big hits of Vertigo and City of Blinding Lights, the album was another turn at the 'classic U2 sound' albeit with a slightly more rocky slant than it's predecessor. Winning 9 Grammy Awards and selling 9 million copies, U2's work won favour with fans and critics.
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is an album where U2 delves deeply into themes of personal reflection, faith, love, and mortality. Songs like "Love and Peace or Else" and "City of Blinding Lights" showcase the band's exploration of internal and external conflict, often using existential questions to frame the search for meaning in a chaotic world.
"Vertigo," with its frenetic energy and disorienting imagery, symbolizes the confusion and disillusionment that often come with fame and life’s fast pace.
Bono's shout of "Hello, hello!" represents a call for clarity amidst the noise, while the lyric "Your love is teaching me how to kneel" speaks to the humbling nature of love and spirituality. Similarly, "City of Blinding Lights" reflects on the awe and alienation Bono felt returning to New York after the 9/11 attacks, using the metaphor of dazzling lights to convey both the beauty and overwhelming nature of the world, especially in a post-trauma context.
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was released in 2004 after a lengthy and sometimes challenging production process. The album was initially started with producer Chris Thomas, but U2 later brought in Steve Lillywhite, who had worked on their earlier records, to help rework many of the tracks. The album marked a return to the band's more traditional rock roots after the experimental sounds of Zooropa and Pop, with The Edge's guitar playing taking a prominent role throughout the record. Recording took place in various locations, including Dublin and the South of France, and was shaped by personal events, including Bono’s reflection on his father’s death.
Fast Cars (Jacknife Lee mix) - SYCMIOYO
Featuring the big hits of Vertigo and City of Blinding Lights, the album was another turn at the 'classic U2 sound' albeit with a slightly more rocky slant than it's predecessor. Winning 9 Grammy Awards and selling 9 million copies, U2's work won favour with fans and critics.
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is an album where U2 delves deeply into themes of personal reflection, faith, love, and mortality. Songs like "Love and Peace or Else" and "City of Blinding Lights" showcase the band's exploration of internal and external conflict, often using existential questions to frame the search for meaning in a chaotic world.
"Vertigo," with its frenetic energy and disorienting imagery, symbolizes the confusion and disillusionment that often come with fame and life’s fast pace.
Bono's shout of "Hello, hello!" represents a call for clarity amidst the noise, while the lyric "Your love is teaching me how to kneel" speaks to the humbling nature of love and spirituality. Similarly, "City of Blinding Lights" reflects on the awe and alienation Bono felt returning to New York after the 9/11 attacks, using the metaphor of dazzling lights to convey both the beauty and overwhelming nature of the world, especially in a post-trauma context.
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was released in 2004 after a lengthy and sometimes challenging production process. The album was initially started with producer Chris Thomas, but U2 later brought in Steve Lillywhite, who had worked on their earlier records, to help rework many of the tracks. The album marked a return to the band's more traditional rock roots after the experimental sounds of Zooropa and Pop, with The Edge's guitar playing taking a prominent role throughout the record. Recording took place in various locations, including Dublin and the South of France, and was shaped by personal events, including Bono’s reflection on his father’s death.
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb album lyrics:
1. Vertigo
2. Miracle Drug
11. Yahweh
Bonus Track: Fast Cars that was included on the deluxe version of the album.
B-sides
Ave Maria
Tracks on the album, such as "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" and "Miracle Drug," take on more intimate themes, exploring the complexities of personal relationships and the power of human connection. The former song is a deeply personal reflection on Bono’s relationship with his late father, using the lyrics to grapple with unresolved emotions of pride, grief, and the need for reconciliation.
The line "We’re the same soul" acknowledges both the struggle and the bond between father and son. Meanwhile, "Miracle Drug" deals with themes of faith in human potential, inspired by real-life advancements in medical science and Bono’s admiration for a school friend with a disability.
Lyrics like "Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head" evoke the fragility and beauty of life, while also touching on the idea that love and belief in others are powerful forces for change.
In case you were wondering how one does dismantle an atomic bomb, the answer is 'with love' as refered to in the song Fast Cars.
The tracklisting for How To Re-Assemble An Atomic Bomb is:
1. Picture Of You (X+W)
2. Evidence Of Life
3. Luckiest Man In The World
4. Treason
5. I Don't Wanna See You Smile
6. Country Mile
7. Happiness
8. Are We Gonna Wait Forever?
9. Theme From The Batman
10. All Because Of You 2
2. Evidence Of Life
3. Luckiest Man In The World
4. Treason
5. I Don't Wanna See You Smile
6. Country Mile
7. Happiness
8. Are We Gonna Wait Forever?
9. Theme From The Batman
10. All Because Of You 2
