U2: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

U2 began as four Dublin teenagers who couldn't really play, galvanised by punk's permission and Lypton Village's absurdist gang mentality, then spent four decades rebuilding themselves with Eno and Lanois. This mix traces the post-punk guitars behind the Edge's delay, the Dublin scene that raised them, and the stadium bands who inherited the formula.

The Kynda mix for U2

• Key Influence · Marquee Moon by Television (1977). Tom Verlaine's interlocking, treble-bright guitar lines — melodic figures rather than power chords — offered the Edge a model for a lead style built on texture and repetition instead of blues licks. U2's early records, from Boy through War, favour that same chiming arpeggiated approach, and the band have repeatedly named the New York CBGB generation as the proof that limited technique and strong ideas could carry a rock record.
• Influencia Obscura · If I Die, I Die by Virgin Prunes (1982). The Virgin Prunes came out of the same Dublin gang, Lypton Village, that gave Bono and the Edge their nicknames: Gavin Friday and Guggi were Bono's childhood friends, and Dik Evans, the Edge's older brother, left the fledgling U2 to join them. Their confrontational art-performance racket is the road U2 didn't take, and the shadow sibling to everything theatrical and ritualistic in the band's early work.
• Local Roots · Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy (1976). Phil Lynott was proof to Dublin teenagers that an Irish band could conquer the world without pretending to be English or American. Thin Lizzy's Dublin was the one U2 inherited — the same clubs, the same local press, the same odds — and Lynott's romantic, storytelling lyricism and unashamed grandeur foreshadow Bono's. Lynott even gave early encouragement to the city's younger punk generation before his death in 1986.
• Beyond the Medium · Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders (1987). Wenders' angels drifting over a divided Berlin fed directly into Achtung Baby, made at Hansa by the Wall as the city reunified; U2 contributed 'Stay (Faraway, So Close!)' to Wenders' sequel and he directed videos for the band. The film's melancholy, monochrome European romanticism gave U2 a visual and emotional vocabulary to escape the American desert imagery of The Joshua Tree.
• Peer · London Calling by The Clash (1979). The Clash were the band U2 measured themselves against: politically engaged, expansive, and willing to outgrow punk orthodoxy. Bono has described seeing them live in Dublin in 1977 as formative, and 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' belongs to the lineage London Calling opened, where a rock band treats sectarian violence and state power as legitimate subject matter without abandoning anthemic choruses.
• From the Canon · Boy by U2 (1980). The Steve Lillywhite-produced debut captures the band at their most nakedly post-punk: Mullen's martial drums, Clayton's high melodic bass, and the Edge's delay-drenched harmonics already fully formed on 'I Will Follow' and 'Twilight'. Its subject is adolescence itself, and it explains everything that follows — the anthemic instinct is present before the stadium, the spiritual searching before the fame.
• Key Collaborator · Ambient 1: Music for Airports by Brian Eno (1978). Eno co-produced U2 from The Unforgettable Fire through to their later albums, and also made the ambient Original Soundtracks 1 with them under the Passengers name. Music for Airports is the source code for what he brought: treating the studio as an instrument, privileging atmosphere and process over performance, and pushing a rock band toward sound that hangs in the air rather than hitting a mark.
• Legacy · A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay (2002). Chris Martin has openly named U2 as the band Coldplay aspired to become, and the influence is structural: delay-soaked guitar figures, falsetto hooks engineered for arenas, lyrics aiming at the universal. 'Clocks' and 'Politik' chase the ascent of 'Where the Streets Have No Name', and Coldplay later worked with Eno himself on Viva la Vida, adopting U2's own method of reinvention-by-producer.

What influenced U2

• The Clash by The Clash. Bono explicitly calls the Clash a blueprint for U2. “That idea comes from The Clash – that you could come out of the audience, get up on stage, grab the microphone, and if you had something to say, then you have a valid reason for being there. That idea changed my life: it’s the reason U2 …” (Far Out Magazine)
• The Rolling Stones by The Rolling Stones. Bono names the Stones’ songwriting discipline as an aspiration for U2. (also via U2) “And we wanted to have the discipline of the Beatles or the Stones in the Sixties, when you had real songs. There’s nowhere to hide in them: clear thoughts, clear melodies.” (Rolling Stone)
• The Jam by The Jam. Potter places Jam songs in U2’s formative punk repertoire. “When U2 first formed as classmates at Mount Temple, their repertoire mainly consisted of punk covers, including renditions of classic songs by The Stranglers, The Jam, The Clash, Buzzcocks, and Sex Pistols.” (Far Out Magazine)
• Sex Pistols by Sex Pistols. Potter places Sex Pistols songs in U2’s formative punk repertoire. “When U2 first formed as classmates at Mount Temple, their repertoire mainly consisted of punk covers, including renditions of classic songs by The Stranglers, The Jam, The Clash, Buzzcocks, and Sex Pistols.” (Far Out Magazine)
• Siouxsie and the Banshees (1976). U2 cited the band as a major influence. “The Edge, Kevin Shields, Geordie Walker, Thurston Moore, Steve Albini and more have all cited your era of the Banshees as an influence.” (Guitar World)
• The Stranglers by The Stranglers. The Stranglers are named among the acts that influenced the young band. “The emergence of punk rock , in particular the influence of acts such as the Stranglers , [ 7 ] the Jam , the Clash , Buzzcocks , and Sex Pistols , convinced them that musical proficiency was not a prerequisite to success.” (Wikipedia)
• Buzzcocks by Buzzcocks. Potter places Buzzcocks songs in U2’s formative punk repertoire. “When U2 first formed as classmates at Mount Temple, their repertoire mainly consisted of punk covers, including renditions of classic songs by The Stranglers, The Jam, The Clash, Buzzcocks, and Sex Pistols.” (Far Out Magazine)
• Marquee Moon by Television (1977). Marquee Moon (Television) — titan for U2 “Their influences included acts such as Television, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Joy Division, and their resulting sound was described as containing a "sense of exhilaration" that resulted from the Edge's "radiant chords" and Bono's "ar…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Billie Holiday (1915). U2 wrote a song as a direct homage to Holiday. “The song " Angel of Harlem " by Irish rock band U2 , released as a single in December 1988, was written as a homage to Holiday.” (Wikipedia)
• The Beatles by The Beatles. Bono names the Beatles’ songwriting discipline as an aspiration for U2. “And we wanted to have the discipline of the Beatles or the Stones in the Sixties, when you had real songs. There’s nowhere to hide in them: clear thoughts, clear melodies.” (Rolling Stone)
• Joey Ramone by Joey Ramone. Bono identifies Joey Ramone’s singing as a model that helped him find his voice. “And I heard Joey Ramone, who sang like a girl, and that was my way in.” (Rolling Stone)
• Horses by Patti Smith (1975). Horses (Patti Smith) — titan for U2 “He cited guitarists such as Tom Verlaine of Television, John McKay of Siouxsie and the Banshees, John McGeoch, Rory Gallagher, and Patti Smith as some of his strongest influences.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Moms Mabley (1894). U2 paid tribute to Moms Mabley during a video segment on their 2017 tour. “Mabley was featured during the "HerStory" video tribute to notable women on U2 's tour in 2017 for the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree during a performance of "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)"” (Wikipedia)
• Monty Python. U2 is named among musicians who credited Monty Python's benefit work as inspiration. “Among the many musicians who have publicly attributed their activism—and the organisation of their own benefit events—to the inspiration of the work in this field of Monty Python are Bob Geldof (organiser of Live Aid ), U2 , Pete Townshe…” (Wikipedia)
• Ramones by Ramones (1976). Ramones (Ramones) — titan for U2 “He said that he found his own singing voice after attending a Ramones concert and hearing Joey Ramone sing.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg (1956). Howl and Other Poems (Allen Ginsberg) — culture for U2 “Other collaborators include Allen Ginsberg and Salman Rushdie.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Haus der Lüge by Einstürzende Neubauten (1989). Haus der Lüge (Einstürzende Neubauten) — ghost for U2 (musicbrainz.org)
• Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders (1987). Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders) — culture for U2 (themoviedb.org)
• Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor (1952). Wise Blood (Flannery O'Connor) — culture for U2 (openlibrary.org)
• If I Die, I Die by Virgin Prunes (1982). If I Die, I Die (Virgin Prunes) — ghost for U2 “Dik joined the Virgin Prunes, a band made up of mutual friends of U2; early on, the Prunes served as U2's default opening act, and the two groups often shared members for live performances to fill in for occasional absences.” (en.wikipedia.org)

Peers and kindred spirits

• Anton Corbijn by Anton Corbijn. Corbijn describes his long-running creative partnership with U2. “I did some filming with the band, including some bits where I asked them not to move. It was like a photograph done on film in which they were still but there were lots of other things moving, such as birds flying around.” (U2.com)
• Patti Smith. Smith performed live with U2 at their concert. (also via U2, Horses) “performing " Bad " and " People Have the Power " with U2.” (Wikipedia)
• Green Day by Green Day. U2 and Green Day performed together and covered a song. “On 25 September 2006, U2 and Green Day performed at the Louisiana Superdome prior to an NFL football game, the New Orleans Saints ' first home game in the city since Hurricane Katrina . The two bands covered the Skids ' song” (Wikipedia)
• Danger Mouse by Danger Mouse. The contemporaneous interview reports Danger Mouse’s two years producing Songs of Innocence with U2. “The band worked on Innocence for two years with producer Danger Mouse (a.k.a. Brian Burton), then brought in additional help: Flood, their collaborator since 1987’s The Joshua Tree , plus Adele producers Paul Epworth and Ryan Tedder.” (Rolling Stone)
• Brian Eno. Eno went on to produce U2 after leaving Talking Heads. (also via Ambient 1: Music for Airports) “He and Daniel Lanois were also U2 's head producers, notably producing The Unforgettable Fire (1984), The Joshua Tree (1987), and Achtung Baby (1991).” (Wikipedia)
• The Saints Are Coming by The Skids. U2 was one of the two bands that covered the Skids song. “This 1979 classic track from Scottish punk band The Skids, got a whole new life when Green Day joined U2 at Abbey Road Studios in London to record a special version to benefit those affected by Hurricane Katrina .” (U2.com)
• Peter Gabriel 3: Melt by Peter Gabriel (1980). Peter Gabriel 3: Melt (Peter Gabriel) — collaborator for U2 “Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Big Country, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Simple Minds, Ultravox, the Psyche…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Ambient 1: Music for Airports by Brian Eno (1978). Ambient 1: Music for Airports (Brian Eno) — collaborator for U2 “Their fourth album, The Unforgettable Fire (1984), was their first collaboration with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, whose influence resulted in a more abstract, ambient sound for the band.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• London Calling by The Clash (1979). London Calling (The Clash) — peer for U2 “The emergence of punk rock, in particular the influence of acts such as the Stranglers, the Jam, the Clash, Buzzcocks, and Sex Pistols, convinced them that musical proficiency was not a prerequisite to success.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy (1976). Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy) — geography for U2 “On 16 August 1981, the group opened for Thin Lizzy at the inaugural Slane Concert; the Edge called it one of U2's worst shows.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Acadie by Daniel Lanois (1989). Acadie (Daniel Lanois) — collaborator for U2 “Their fourth album, The Unforgettable Fire (1984), was their first collaboration with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, whose influence resulted in a more abstract, ambient sound for the band.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Roots (1987). The Roots covered U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday. (via Sunday Bloody Sunday) “In 2007, the band performed at an NAACP tribute to Bono , covering U2 's " Sunday Bloody Sunday " and " Pride (In the Name of Love) ."” (Wikipedia)
• The Fine Art of Surfacing by The Boomtown Rats (1979). The Fine Art of Surfacing (The Boomtown Rats) — geography for U2 (musicbrainz.org)
• New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84) by Simple Minds (1982). New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84) (Simple Minds) — peer for U2 (musicbrainz.org)
• Murmur by R.E.M.. Murmur (R.E.M.) — peer for U2 (musicbrainz.org)
• The Táin by Horslips (1973). The Táin (Horslips) — geography for U2 (musicbrainz.org)
• Neon Lights by Kraftwerk. U2 covered Kraftwerk's 'Neon Lights' as a B-side.

Who U2 influenced

• Arcade Fire (2001). The article names U2 as an influence on Arcade Fire. “Influences on Arcade Fire included David Bowie , Talking Heads , Bruce Springsteen , Roxy Music , Radiohead , and U2 .” (Wikipedia)
• James Mercer (1970). Mercer discusses U2 as an admired influence from his youth in England. “People forget how freakin’ rad U2 were. Pre-Joshua Tree and stuff they were just this freakin’ rad punkish sort of new wave band that had really great songs.” (Equality 365 Entertainment News)
• Final Straw by Snow Patrol (2003). Final Straw (Snow Patrol) — legacy for U2 (musicbrainz.org)
• Sam's Town by The Killers (2006). Sam's Town (The Killers) — legacy for U2 (musicbrainz.org)
• A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay (2002). A Rush of Blood to the Head (Coldplay) — legacy for U2 (musicbrainz.org)
• Imagine Dragons (2008). The Joshua Tree (U2) — titan for Imagine Dragons (via The Joshua Tree) (musicbrainz.org)
• Dan Reynolds (1987). Reynolds names U2 as an influence.
• Radiohead (1985). U2 is listed among Radiohead's earliest influences.