Bono Opened Up About The Controversial Move That Made U2 The Most Hated Band In America
U2 are one of the biggest bands on Earth, and many people love them and their music – but not everyone. In fact, one event lost them many more fans than it gained. And the enormous backlash from what the group had done left singer Bono scrambling to explain himself to the world.
Huge fame
The news was shocking partly because U2 are so huge. In 2000 the band’s record All That You Can Leave Behind reportedly shifted 12 million units, which is an amazing number. The group have been enormous ever since the 1987 smash hit The Joshua Tree, with its massively successful singles such as “One” and “With or Without You.”
Good causes
The success had seen U2 inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. And the group had not simply reaped plaudits and cash. No, they also put their fame to work – particularly in the world of charity. Bono especially targeted global poverty and AIDS, but the band too gave its time and effort to the causes.
Bad press
Yet despite the good work, not everyone loves U2. CBC put the blame on the song “Discotheque,” which has received some raspberries. But perhaps it’s that very desire to do good which has been the band’s downfall. Many people may – as U.K. newspaper The Guardian noted – see them as “holier than thou.”
Pop feud
And U2 haven’t always felt the love from the music world itself. For instance, U.K. indie band Echo and the Bunnymen scorned the Irish group, with their singer Ian McCulloch calling them “music for plumbers and bricklayers.” He admitted to The Irish Sun in 2018, “There was probably a little bit of resentment because they were on the rise very quickly... I remember looking at the news on the telly and Bono was there, and I thought, ‘God, what isn’t he on?’”
