10 YouTube Videos That Remind Me Why U2 is the Greatest Band Ever

This post is deviating from the normal urban theme. During a severe case of procrastination I started watching various U2 videos posted on YouTube. Here are 10 favorites that convince me they are the best band ever.

10. They sing songs that matter. 14 people were killed by British troops during a peaceful protest in Ireland in 1972. “There has been a lot of talk about this song. This song is not a rebel song. This song is Sunday Bloody Sunday.”

9. Their b-side covers sound better than the originals. Here is “Unchained Melody”

8. They are great live! I have posted two videos. One is “Elevation” from their show in Pasadena in 2009, which I was at. The other is a clip from the sensational Zoo TV tour. Here is another of a dramatic version of “With or Without You“

7. They make a great music video. I love this one of “Where the Streets Have No Name” filmed in a bad part of downtown L.A. Once the media spread the word it gave the police fits.

6. They make creative videos too. Like pricey production “Elevation” with the Lara Croft theme, or the playful video of “Numb”. But one of my favorites is the video of the amazing love song “All I Want is You”. The story told in the video is moving and intense.

5. They have performed with artists as diverse as Pavarotti, Jay-Z, Tony Bennett, Johnny Cash, Mary J Blige, REM, and BB King. Featured here is “Miss Sarajevo” with a beautiful part by Pavarotti. The footage is from a documentary about a beauty pageant in the midst of war-torn Sarajevo.

4.They did the best Superbowl halftime show ever. On the heels of 9/11, U2′s performance was a tribute to those lost on 9/11 and a call to bounce back. The band performed Beautiful Day/MLK/Where The Streets Have No Name.

3. They made the best album of all time (in my opinion) with Joshua Tree. The album featured “Where the Streets Have No Name”, “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” featured here.

You broke the bonds
And you loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame

2. They have done the best anthemic songs. These are the kinds of songs that rouse a whole stadium to life, that inspire activism, and say something…loudly. Here is “Pride (In the Name of Love)”.

1. One of the best songs ever. In a 2003 special edition of Q, this song was listed as the best song ever among “1001 Best Songs Ever”. You guessed it…”One”! U2 released three videos of the song, but my favorite is the one with the buffalo footage. The other two are the Anton Corbjin directed one and the one with Bono sitting in a bar.

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