U2 fans finally learn meaning behind band's name and why Bono 'really doesn't like it'
U2, one of the most iconic names in music history, was never really a favourite of the band members themselves. The origin of the Dublin-born record-breaking group's name has always intrigued fans, with theories ranging from Cold War espionage technology to spiritual symbolism, but the reality is much simpler than many might imagine.
In 1976, Larry Mullen Jr. , then just 14 years old, posted a handwritten note on the notice board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, expressing his desire to form a band. What started as six youngsters jamming in a kitchen gradually evolved into something far more ambitious: Paul Hewson (who would later become Bono), David Evans (known as The Edge), Adam Clayton and Dik Evans were the early members of the band.
Initially, they chose the name Feedback - a decision they later confessed was because it was one of the few musical terms they actually understood. They subsequently rebranded as The Hype, a name that also didn't last long.
It was in 1978 when things truly transformed, reports the Irish Star. Dik Evans left the band, and a new four-piece line-up emerged with a fresh name: U2.
The name was actually proposed by Steve Averill, a punk musician from The Radiators From Space and a friend of Adam Clayton's. He presented the band with a list of six potential names - and U2 barely made the cut.
The Edge remarked on the band's choice of name in an interview with Awards Chatter, stating, "It wasn't that it jumped out to us as the name we were really looking for", and admitted "but it was the one that we hated the least."
He thought the name sounded "fresh" and didn't pigeonhole their musical style. Bono, however, was less convinced: "I still don't [like it]. I really don't."
Bono commented on the name's connotations with elements such as "the spy plane" and "the U-boat", but later felt it suggested a sense of acquiescence, "As it turned out to imply this kind of acquiescence - no, I don't like that name".
Discussing further experiences, Bono said: "I've been in a car when one of our songs has come on the radio," and confessed how it makes him feel deeply self-conscious: "And I've been the colour of - as we say in Dublin - scarlet. I'm just embarrassed."
His reflections on U2's formative years continued candidly on Awards Chatter, "I do think U2 pushes out the boat on embarrassment quite a lot", considering perhaps that being on "And maybe that's the place to be as an artist - right at the edge of your level of pain for embarrassment."
Even regarding his voice in early works, Bono expressed dissatisfaction, revealing, "my voice sounds very strained on those early recordings", yet acknowledged a single occasion he deemed fit, the 2004 hit 'Vertigo'.
During the same interview, he conceded that his dyslexia, which was diagnosed later in life, might have led to him not realising the true nature of The Beatles' name: "I didn't realise that The Beatles was a bad pun either."
The group rebranded themselves with a fresh moniker, lineup, and image, bidding farewell as The Hype with a performance in March 1978. Later that evening, they took the stage anew as U2, delivering a set of original melodies.
Just weeks after, they clinched victory at Limerick's "Pop Group '78" talent contest - an accolade The Edge described as "a great affirmation" for a band still finding its feet.
U2 has since ascended to the status of one of the most monumental bands in history, having sold more than 150 million records, securing an outstanding 22 Grammy Awards, and revolutionising live music with their extensive touring legacy.
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Dating from the 1960s and 1980s respectively, the films are a product of Cold War anxieties about 'The Bomb'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Each tackles the run-up to and the potential aftermath of a nuclear war happening. Fortunately, in the decades since, they have remained simple warnings and not prophetic visions. I have not personally watched The War Game, but during my A-Level history course we spent a deeply haunting two hour class watching Threads. It has remained seared into my mind ever since and I still get chills anytime I see the name. When is The War Game and Threads on TV? One of the most terrifying films ever made, 'Threads' is an account of the aftermath of nucleur war in the English city of Sheffield. Originally released in 1984, if anything it's scarier now than it was then. If you don't mind having nightmares, you can watch it on the BBC iPlayer. | BBC BBC Four will be running a double bill of the two classic apocalyptic visions this evening (July 30). First up will be The War Game, which is set to start at 10.10 pm, following a brief 10-minute prelude called Michael Aspel Remembers - The War Game. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The documentary will run for 45 minutes and is set to finish at 10.55 pm, according to the schedule. It will be followed by a second prelude programme in which Threads director Mick Jackson reflects on the 1980s movie. Threads itself is due to start at 11.15 pm and will run until 1.10 am. The movie has an approximate runtime of 112 minutes. What are the movies about? Both The War Game and Threads were born out of the Cold War anxieties about the looming threat of nuclear war. The tension between the communist bloc and the capitalist world threatened to bubble over on numerous occasions in the decades between WW2 and the fall of the Berlin Wall in the 1990s, most famous of which was the Cuban Missile Crisis. The preview for The War Game, via Radio Times , reads: 'Docudrama that imagines the events leading up to a nuclear strike on the UK, then presents its likely after-effects. Director Peter Watkins focuses on a decimated community in Kent as public health declines, order crumbles and martial law is declared.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Meanwhile Threads is about, according to Radio Times: 'Harrowing drama about the consequences of nuclear war, focusing on two Sheffield families in the days leading up to - and the years following - a direct hit on the city. First shown in 1984, the award-winning film pulls no punches in its depiction of the fallout.' Who is in the cast of The War Game and Threads? The War Game was made with an unknown cast with Michael Aspel as a commentator. Threads on the other hand features some more recognisable names. It starred . Reece Dinsdale and Karen Meagher. The former would go on to appear in shows like Spooks and Home to Roost. Are the films really that scary? I cannot personally speak to The War Game as I have never actually seen this docudrama. However, it caused such a fluster in the BBC and the Government back in the 1960s that it was pulled from its provisional premiere date of October 6, 1965. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The film would go on to be screened at the National Theatre in London from April 13, 1966, to May 3 of that year. It would not be broadcast on TV until 1985, the day before a repeat of Threads. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert gave The War Game four stars in 1967 and described it as featuring some of 'the most horrifying (scenes) ever put on film'. He hailed its 'remarkable authenticity'. On the other hand, I can firmly speak to the deeply unsettling and harrowing nature of Threads. It has been nearly 15 years since I watched the movie, on a spring afternoon in a classroom on the top floor of my sixth form (Nunthorpe Sixth Form in Middlesbrough). The hairs on the back of my neck still stand up at just the mention of the film's title. Some of the scenes feel like they have been permanently branded in my mind's eye. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Only a very few times in my life have I been so deeply affected by a movie or TV show that is has disrupted my sleep - and Threads was one such time. For reference, another was when watching the ghost train episode of Thomas the Tank Engine as a pre-schooler (I slept with my head under the covers for a year). It is not one for the faint of heart, and you would probably be wise to mentally prepare yourself before turning it on. Did you watch Threads when it was originally on TV - or in the years since? Let me know your thoughts and if it scared you as much as it did me by email: . If you love TV, check out our Screen Babble podcast to get the latest in TV and film.
