U2 Lyrics Trivia Quiz

Answer: With or Without You

The lead single from U2's fifth album, "The Joshua Tree", "With or Without You" was their first number one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, also topping the charts in Ireland and Canada (while only making number four on the UK Singles Chart). One of their signature tracks, it found a resurgence in popularity in the 1990s when it was played during a pivotal moment on the hit sitcom "Friends".

One of the band's low-tempo tracks, "With or Without You" is one of a handful of their stronger love songs. Though it is one of their best known songs, it isn't always a given on their concert setlists.

Answer: Sunday Bloody Sunday

The third single to release from U2's earliest political album, "War", "Sunday Bloody Sunday" hit the charts in early 1983 and was one of the tracks to have a more personal take for the Irish band, being about the ongoing Troubles that persisted in Northern Ireland through the latter half of the twentieth century. One of their most-performed concert hits, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" failed to chart in the band's home country though it did appear on charts in France and New Zealand.

Despite this, it remained part of the band's long legacy of politically-motivated concert rock hits.

Answer: Vertigo

It was U2's eleventh album that saw the major release of "Vertigo", one of the band's top-selling singles of the 21st century. The lead track from the album, it helped the band win not only three Grammy Awards for the song itself, but an additional six for the "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" album. "Vertigo" subsequently topped the charts in Ireland and the UK for the track and found its way onto nine different U.S. Billboard charts.

The song was almost unmissable during its release in late 2004 not only because of the band's continued popularity, but because of its being featured in highly-televised ads for the Apple iPod. A special edition U2 iPod was marketed as part of the campaign.

Answer: Beautiful Day

As U2 crossed into the twenty-first century, they released their multi-platinum tenth album, "All That You Can't Leave Behind" with the radio-friendly, concert-ready pop-rock track "Beautiful Day", which took over the airwaves in 2000. Though it peaked at number one in Ireland, Canada, and the UK, it only managed to hit number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 (though it did appear at number one on two other Billboard charts out of the seven it was on). It also took three Grammy Awards, so maybe it's not all bad, right?

The track was a return to form for U2 after spending much of the 1990s experimenting with new genres and sounds. Most of their albums in the 2000s would keep with this trend.

Answer: One

The third single from U2's seventh studio album, "Achtung Baby", "One" ended up being a poignant song for the time (it was released in 1991), hinting at not only political topics, but becoming a chartiy track in support of AIDS relief. The track, recorded in Berlin, was written shortly before German reunification and the end of the Cold War.

One of the band's more emotional songs, it received great acclaim following its release. It showed on five different U.S. Billboard charts (peaking at number ten on the Hot 100) and reached number ten on the UK Single Chart. It would be the band's tenth Irish number one single (and third for the album after "The Fly" and "Mysterious Ways".

Answer: Elevation

Reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart but failing to crack the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., "Elevation" was U2's third single from their "All That You Can't Leave Behind" album (following "Beautiful Day" and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of". Winning a Grammy for the band in 2001, the song was also heavily used in promotion of the Angelina Jolie film "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider". With that in mind, it might explain the high concept music video featuring Jolie and the band on a computerized backdrop.

The song remains a popular stadium track for the band, often played on tour well past promotion for their tenth album. Originally it used to open their shows.

Answer: New Year's Day

Though U2 had two other albums out at this point in their career, the release of "New Year's Day" on their "War" disc was the first one that pushed them into rock stardom on the charts in countries beyond Ireland. It would be their first charting single in the U.S., hitting number fifty-three on the Billboard Hot 100.

"New Year's Day" has been a concert staple for the band, and one of their earliest singles to have that distinction. Originally written in support the Polish Solidarity movement, it's one of the early signs of U2's involvement in humanitarian efforts.

Answer: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Coming off of the smash hit that was "With or Without Out" released only two months later, U2 rode the wave of popularity into another major track, sending "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" to the radio waves in May 1987. The song would end up reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and be the band's third consecutive number one single in Ireland, becoming one of the contributing factors to the band's immense success with "The Joshua Tree". The album as a whole would go multi-platinum internationally, selling over twenty-five million copies in its first three decades.

Widely acclaimed, the song would also be nominated for two Grammy Awards. While it won neither Song nor Record of the Year, the "Joshua Tree" album won Album of the Year, beating out Michael Jackson's "Bad".

Answer: Electrical Storm

In 1998, U2 released a widely well-received greatest hits album by the name of "The Best of 1980-1990" during which one of their rereleased b-sides, "The Sweetest Thing", catapulted up the charts. "Electrical Storm" has a similar story as, in 2002, the band released the follow-up album "The Best of 1990-2000" with it as its additional single (along with "The Hands That Built America", written for the film "The Gangs of New York"). Though "Electrical Storm" didn't make a dent in the U.S. Billboard charts, it was modestly successful on an international scale.

Answer: Pride (In The Name Of Love)

Appearing in 1984 on the band's fourth album, "The Unforgettable Fire", "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" would be their highest-charting single to date, peaking at number thirty-three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the UK Singles chart.

Lyrically created as a musing on the lives and deaths of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, the characteristic riffs heard in the song were actually born from mistakes made during concert soundchecks that were, fortunately, happy accidents. The band rolled with them, creating the classic and playing it on every concert tour since its release.