U2: Legends Of Rock Poem by Paula Glynn

The year 1976 Larry Mullen Jr to get kicks,
Mount Temple Comprehensive School,
Dublin, Ireland, to post a note,
On that famous school's notice board,
To search for members of a band,
The concept being rock, alternative rock,
Post punk, name of the band,
Feedback and The Hype,
Adam Clayton to be base guitar,
Larry Mullen Jr drums and percussion,
The guitarist the Edge, Bono the singer,
Later to become a political figure.

First band to be called U2,
Their music coming through,
Into the mainstream arena,
Labels, Island, Interscope and Mercury,
Albums in succession hits,
From Boy 1980,
First number one album War,
1983 the year the hit album born,
Singles ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday'
‘Pride In The Name Of Love'
To turn U2 into a political,
And socially conscious group,
Their albums being the coop,
‘The Unforgettable Fire'
Another album here today,
Legends born as their guitars play.

Live Aid 1985 to showcase U2,
Globally renowned for their live acts,
And when 1987 hit, so hit U2,
Their album ‘The Joshua Tree'
To smash the charts in America,
And worldwide, for ‘With or Without You'
Shall live forever, and
‘Where The Streets Have No Name',
To make them legends,
Bono recognized the world over,
With music collaborations,
With Dylan and B.B King,
‘When Love Comes To Town'
A hit the world over,
‘Desire' to become number 1 song in Britain,
Number 3 in the US,
An album never to be forgotten,
Never to be slammed by critics,

But ‘The Joshua Tree' was not the end:
For they recorded Rattle and Hum in 1988,
And in the 1990's they began a new style,
With the album ‘Achtung Baby',
1991 the year they reinvented music,
And began the multimedia intensive,
Zoo TV Tour, legends in the living room,
1989 to 1990 Lovetown Tour,
Visiting Australasia, Japan and Europe,
Bono the own the stage,

Although stung by criticism of Rattle and Hum,
U2 changed their style,
This album being ‘Achtung Baby',
And the risk worked:
U2 to record the album in Berlin,
Produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno,
Difficult sessions but U2 made a hit,
With the style of industrial music,
And electronic dance music,
Bono to describe this as,
‘Four men chopping down the Joshua Tree'
An app statement at the time,

Performances to be leather clad egomaniac ‘The Fly'
The greedy televangelist ‘Mirror Ball Man'
The devilish ‘MacPhisto' with prank phone calls,
Made to President George W. Bush,
Live satellite link-ups to war torn Sarajevo,
Causing much controversy,
Making the band $67 million dollars,

In June 1993, U2 to sign a six album deal,
Island Records/PolyGram,
The deal worth $60 million,
The highest paid rock band on the planet,
Zooropa now a full length LP album,
U2 legends having been made,
Bono always on the stage,
And never afraid,
Of success and being well dressed,

For ‘Pop' hit the charts, the year 1996,
Their hits to be recorded,
In sessions with Nellee Hooper, Flood,
And Howie B, musical styles,
To be electronic and dance music,
Every song its own work of art,
U2 music to be special and from the heart,
The soul in the music making ‘Pop',
A work of art and unique in its style,
For pop music has always been around,
But U2 to take their own style,
For ‘Discotheque' is its own legend,
Bubblegum to be chewed,
And a song never to lose,

Later albums to include,
‘All That You Can't Leave Behind',
The ‘Elevation tour' excellent,
Bono in his element,
Roaming the stage,
Getting all the praise,
U2 not having any limit,
On their success and days,

For ‘How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb',
A hit on the world, as if they were a bomb,
And U2 rocks that stage,
Music worldwide and wild,
The Vertigo tour 2003-2006,
Bono to own the stage,
Fans in their billions,
U2 worth those millions,

For ‘No Line On The Horizon'
And U2 360 Tour 2006 - 2011,
Why Bono is a legend,
The next album ‘Songs Of Innocence',
Beautifully written music,
For U2 are the legends of rock,
Their work global and to never stop,
For their album ‘The Joshua Tree'
Is what planted their feet in the ground,
And like the world spins,
Their music will always be around,
For this is U2: not just Bono,
Who have worked forever,
And who always have style,
I am glad to have listened to this band,
As the audience claps,
Their endless hands, U2 to never miss a show,
Or be forgotten, for they are the boss,
And music they will always know.