U2 to Drop "Atomic Bomb"

U2 have titled their tenth studio album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. The follow-up to 2000's Grammy-winning All That You Can't Leave Behind, which sold more than 4 million copies in the U.S., will be released November 23rd.

The foursome -- singer Bono, guitarist the Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. -- recorded the album over the past two years in its native Dublin and the South of France. Steve Lillywhite, who produced U2's first three albums, and former Sex Pistols producer Chris Thomas both worked on the album.

The first single from is "Vertigo," which should hit airwaves on September 24th. The album also includes the tracks "Full Metal Jacket" and "Tough," an homage to Bono's late father. U2 -- the top-grossing live act of 2001, thanks to their Elevation Tour -- plan to tour the U.S. next spring.

The band may have further cause to celebrate in spring -- along with the Stooges, the Sex Pistols, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Grandmaster Flash and the Pretenders, U2 are eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

More Song Stories entries »

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