Album · 35 years old this year
Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby is U2's seventh studio album, released on 18 November 1991 through Island. Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno produced it, and it came after the backlash to Rattle and Hum and a feeling that the band had run out of road. U2 responded by bringing alternative, industrial and electronic dance influences into their sound. The songs are darker and more introspective than before, and sometimes flippant, with Bono drawing partly on the failed marriages of two friends, one of them the Edge.
The sessions began at Berlin's Hansa Studios in October 1990, inspired by German reunification, and they were tense enough to threaten the band's future. The improvised writing of "One" turned things around, and the record was finished in Dublin. It produced five singles, including "One", "Mysterious Ways" and "The Fly", reached number one in the US, and won a Grammy in 1993. Together with the Zoo TV Tour, it reshaped how U2 sounded and presented themselves.
In the battle
The daily album battle →- Lost against Doolittle 0% of 2 votes · 22 October 2026
Achtung Baby: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 55:28Tracklist
- 1Zoo StationBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:37
- 2Even Better Than the Real ThingBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.3:41
- 3OneBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:36
- 4Until the End of the WorldBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:39
- 5Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild HorsesBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.5:17
- 6So CruelBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.5:49
- 7The FlyBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:29
- 8Mysterious WaysBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:04
- 9Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the WorldBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.3:53
- 10Ultra Violet (Light My Way)Bono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.5:31
- 11AcrobatBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:30
- 12Love Is BlindnessU2, Bono, Edge4:23
- Produced by
- Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, Steve Lillywhite
- Recorded at
- Hansa (Berlin), Elsinore (Dalkey), STS (Dublin), Windmill Lane (Dublin), Hansa Tonstudio
- Recorded
- October 1990 – September 1991
- Mixed by
- Flood, Robbie Adams, Steve Lillywhite, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, The Edge
- Engineered by
- Flood, Robbie Adams, Paul Barrett
- Mastered by
- Arnie Acosta
- Artwork
- Steve Averill, Shaughn McGrath, Charlie Whisker
- Photography
- Anton Corbijn, Ritchie Smith
- Label
- Island
- Length
- 55:28
Line-up
- Bono · guitar, vocals
- Adam Clayton · bass guitar
- The Edge · guitar, keyboard, vocals
- Larry Mullen, Jr. · percussion, membranophone, drums (drum set)
- Daniel Lanois · guitar, percussion
- Brian Eno · keyboard · guest
- Nell Catchpole · viola, violin · guest
Singles
- “The Fly” · 21 October 1991
- “Mysterious Ways” · 2 December 1991
- “One” · 24 February 1992
- “Even Better Than the Real Thing” · 8 June 1992
- “Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” · 23 November 1992
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1991–1992 | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1991–1992 | 2 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1991–1992 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1991–1992 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1991–1992 | 1 |
| Austrian Albums · 1991–1992 | 2 |
| Dutch Albums · 1991–1992 | 2 |
| US Catalog Albums · 2011 | 2 |
| US Vinyl Albums · 2018 | 2 |
| Swedish Albums · 1991–1992 | 3 |
All 35 charts
| Swiss Albums · 1991–1992 | 3 |
| German Albums · 1991–1992 | 4 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1991–1992 | 4 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1991–1992 | 4 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2011 | 4 |
| Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · 1991–1992 | 6 |
| Eurochart Top 100 Albums (Music & Media) · 1992 | 8 |
| Ireland 2 · 2000 | 9 |
| Spanish Albums · 2011 | 10 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) · 1992 | 14 |
| US Tastemaker · 2018 | 15 |
| Korea Int · 2011 | 17 |
| Argentina Foreign Albums (CAPIF) · 1992 | 18 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) · 1992 | 18 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2011 | 20 |
| Hungarian Albums · 1991–1992 | 21 |
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) · 1992 | 23 |
| US Top Rock Albums · 2011 | 28 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1997 | 31 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) · 1992 | 31 |
| Italian Albums · 2005 | 35 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) · 1992 | 37 |
| French Albums · 1997 | 37 |
| Mexican Albums · 2011 | 38 |
| Korea · 2011 | 70 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina · 1991 | Platinum |
| Australia · 1998 | 5× Platinum |
| Austria · 1991 | Platinum |
| Brazil · 1992 | Gold |
| Canada | Diamond |
| Denmark · 2018 | 2× Platinum |
| France · 1995 | 2× Platinum |
| Germany | Platinum |
| Italy · 2016 | Gold |
| Japan · 1992 | Gold |
| Netherlands · 1991 | Platinum |
| New Zealand | 5× Platinum |
| Norway | Platinum |
| Spain · 1991 | Platinum |
| Sweden · 1991 | Platinum |
| Switzerland | Gold |
| United Kingdom | 4× Platinum |
| United States | 8× Platinum |
Awards
- Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
94.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
9.1k
ListenBrainz listeners
216k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
137k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 18 November
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More from U2
Full discography →
Three
1979
Boy
1980
October
1981
War
1983
Under a Blood Red Sky
1983
The Unforgettable Fire
1984
Wide Awake in America
1985
The Joshua Tree
1987
Rattle and Hum
1988
Zooropa
1993
Zoo TV: Live From Sydney
1994
Pop
1997
Please: PopHeart Live EP
1997
The Best of 1980–1990
1998
All That You Can’t Leave Behind
2000
7
2002
The Best of 1990–2000
2002
U2 Go Home: Live From Slane Castle, Ireland
2003
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
2004
Early Demos
2004
The Complete U2
2004
Love: Live From the Point Depot
2004
Live From Under the Brooklyn Bridge
2004
U2.COMmunication
2005
U218 Singles
2006
Live From Paris
2007
No Line on the Horizon
2009
Artificial Horizon
2010
Wide Awake in Europe
2010
Songs of Innocence
2014
Songs of Experience
2017
The Europa EP
2019
SURRENDER 40 SONGS, ONE PLAYLIST
2022
Songs of Surrender
2023
Two Hearts Beat as One / Sunday Bloody Sunday
2023
Stories of Surrender EP
2025
Days of Ash EP
2026
Easter Lily EP
2026
Carnaval de luz
2026
The best of 1991
All of 1991 →
Nevermind
Nirvana · 1991
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 1991
Metallica
Metallica · 1991
Ten
Pearl Jam · 1991
Use Your Illusion I
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Use Your Illusion II
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Out of Time
R.E.M. · 1991
No More Tears
Ozzy Osbourne · 1991
On Tour Now!
Guns N’ Roses · 1991
Badmotorfinger
Soundgarden · 1991
On Every Street
Dire Straits · 1991
Kerplunk!
Green Day · 1991
More on Island
The label →The Joshua Tree
U2 · 1987
War
U2 · 1983
All That You Can’t Leave Behind
U2 · 2000
The Unforgettable Fire
U2 · 1984
Songs of Innocence
U2 · 2014
Boy
U2 · 1980
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
U2 · 2004
Pretty Hate Machine
Nine Inch Nails · 1989
All Killer No Filler
Sum 41 · 2001
Rattle and Hum
U2 · 1988
Pop
U2 · 1997
Songs of Experience
U2 · 2017
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 18 November 1991 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 18 November 1991 | |
| Wikidata | 18 November 1991 | |
| US release | 18 November 1991 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 18 November 1991 | earliest UK or European date |
42 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | Island | other | |
| — | XE | Island | 731451034725 | other |
| — | AR | Island | 31451034725 | other |
| — | XE | Island | 731451034725 | other |
| 1991 | CA | Island | 77749745885902 | other |
| 1991 | US | Island | other | |
| 1991 | CA | Island | 731451034725 | other |
| 1991 | ZA | Island | 6001210568735 | other |
| 1991 | US | Island | 731451034725 | other |
| 1991 | GB | Island | 731451034725 | other |
| 1991 | XE | Island | 731451034725 | other |
| November 1991 | GB | Island | 731451034718 | other |
| 18 November 1991 | JP | Island | 4988023016481 | original |
| 18 November 1991 | XE | Island | 731451034725 | original |
| 18 November 1991 | US | Island | 731451049026 | original |
| 19 November 1991 | AU | Island | 731451034725 | other |
| 19 November 1991 | GB | Island | 731451034725 | other |
| 19 November 1991 | US | Island | other | |
| 19 November 1991 | US | Island | 731451034749 | other |
| 19 November 1991 | US | Island | 731451034725 | other |
| 19 November 1991 | DE | Island | 4007192621101 | other |
| 19 November 1991 | US | Island | 731451049026 | other |
| 26 November 2007 | NL | Island | 0600753030394 | other |
| 2011 | US | Everything to Everyone Records | 602557097399 | deluxe |
| 2011 | AU | Universal | 602527788265 | deluxe |
| 2011 | US | Island | 602557671582 | other |
| 2011 | US | Island | 602527788258 | other |
| 2011 | AU | Interscope Records | 602527788258 | other |
| 2011 | US | Interscope Records | 00602527857947 | deluxe |
| 28 October 2011 | US | Mercury Records | 602527793702 | deluxe |
| 28 October 2011 | XW | Interscope Records | deluxe | |
| 28 October 2011 | XE | Interscope Records | 602527788272 | other |
| 31 October 2011 | GB | Mercury Records | 602527788258 | other |
| 1 November 2011 | US | Island | 602527788265 | deluxe |
| 18 November 2011 | US | Interscope Records | 602527882048 | other |
| 11 October 2015 | ES | Island | other | |
| 20 September 2017 | JP | Island | 4988031237328 | other |
| 27 July 2018 | XE | Island | 602557970098 | other |
| 19 November 2021 | US | UMC | 00602445072651 | deluxe |
| 19 November 2021 | AF | Island | 602445072385 | deluxe |
| 19 November 2021 | — | UMC | 602445072682 | deluxe |
| 26 January 2024 | — | — | 00602458861921 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · cropped: cropped from 2072x2048 to 2048x2048
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 2072×2048 | cropped: cropped from 2072x2048 to 2048x2048 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |