Album
Boy
Boy is U2's debut studio album, released on 20 October 1980 on Island Records. Steve Lillywhite produced it at Dublin's Windmill Lane Studios, where the band would go on to record throughout the 1980s. They drew on a repertoire of around 40 songs at the time, and two tracks were re-recorded from their first release, the EP Three. Lyrically it looks at adolescence, innocence and the step into adulthood, a theme mirrored by the young boy's face on the sleeve.
Lillywhite's methods were far from standard. Larry Mullen Jr. was recorded playing in a stairwell, and the sound of smashed bottles and cutlery scraped against a spinning bicycle wheel found its way onto tape. The band loved his encouragement and creativity, and he became a regular producer of their records. "I Will Follow" was one of their first singles to get US radio play, and the album led into their first tour of continental Europe and the US.
Boy: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 42:06Tracklist
- 1I Will FollowBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.3:36
- 2TwilightBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:20
- 3An Cat DubhBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.6:21
- 4Into the HeartBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.1:53
- 5Out of ControlBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:15
- 6Stories for BoysBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.3:01
- 7The OceanBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.1:33
- 8A Day Without MeBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.3:11
- 9Another Time, Another PlaceBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:33
- 10The Electric Co.Bono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:48
- 11Shadows and Tall TreesBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:35
- Produced by
- Steve Lillywhite
- Recorded at
- Windmill Lane Studios, Windmill Lane (Dublin, Ireland)
- Recorded
- July–September 1980
- Engineered by
- Paul Thomas
- Label
- Island
- Length
- 42:06
Line-up
- Adam Clayton · electric bass guitar
- The Edge · electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Larry Mullen, Jr. · drums (drum set)
- Bono · lead vocals
Singles
- “A Day Without Me” · 18 August 1980
- “I Will Follow” · 24 October 1980
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1980–1981 | 52 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1980–1981 | 63 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1980–1981 | 12 |
| Ireland 2 · 2001 | 13 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1980–1981 | 13 |
| Dutch Albums · 1982 | 29 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report) · 1980–1981 | 35 |
| Italian Albums · 2008 | 36 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2020 | 38 |
| Swedish Albums · 1980–1981 | 38 |
All 14 charts
| Spanish Albums · 2008 | 42 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2008 | 48 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2008 | 60 |
| German Albums · 2008 | 89 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1996 | Gold |
| Canada | Platinum |
| France · 1992 | Gold |
| United Kingdom | Gold |
| United States | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
87.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
4.0k
ListenBrainz listeners
130k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
51k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 20 October
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More from U2
Full discography →
Three
1979
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
Achtung Baby
1991
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 1980
All of 1980 →
Back in Black
AC/DC · 1980
Scary Monsters… and Super Creeps
David Bowie · 1980
Blizzard of Ozz
Ozzy Osbourne · 1980
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden · 1980
Seventeen Seconds
The Cure · 1980
Making Movies
Dire Straits · 1980
British Steel
Judas Priest · 1980
Sandinista!
The Clash · 1980
Permanent Waves
Rush · 1980
The Game
Queen · 1980
Emotional Rescue
The Rolling Stones · 1980
Heaven and Hell
Black Sabbath · 1980
More on Island
The label →The Joshua Tree
U2 · 1987
Achtung Baby
U2 · 1991
War
U2 · 1983
All That You Can’t Leave Behind
U2 · 2000
The Unforgettable Fire
U2 · 1984
Songs of Innocence
U2 · 2014
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 | 20 October 1980 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 20 October 1980 | |
| Wikidata | 20 October 1980 | |
| UK / Europe release | 20 October 1980 | earliest UK or European date |
46 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | Island | other | |
| — | IT | Island | other | |
| — | CA | Island | 075679004024 | other |
| — | US | Island | other | |
| — | AR | Island | 042284229623 | other |
| — | GB | Island | other | |
| — | FR | Island | 042284229623 | other |
| — | XE | Island | 042284229623 | other |
| — | US | Island | 042284229623 | other |
| — | AU | Island | 9399084229621 | other |
| — | US | Columbia House | 075679004024 | other |
| — | GB | Island | 042284229623 | other |
| — | US | Island | 075679004024 | other |
| — | CA | Island | 777495523566 | other |
| — | CA | Island | 00042284229623 | other |
| — | US | Island | other | |
| — | JP | UMC | 00602557665956 | other |
| 1980 | CA | Island | other | |
| 20 October 1980 | GB | Island | original | |
| 20 October 1980 | GB | Island | original | |
| 20 October 1980 | GB | Island | 5014474116469 | original |
| 1984 | DE | Island | 4007196105614 | other |
| 1986 | XE | — | 4007196105614 | other |
| 1986 | US | Island | 042284229623 | other |
| 1986 | US | Island | 075679004024 | other |
| 1990 | US | Island | 075679004024 | other |
| 1990 | GB | Island | 042284229623 | other |
| 1990 | FR | Island | 0042284229623 | other |
| 1990 | US | Island | 042284229623 | other |
| 1990 | AU | Festival Records | other | |
| 1995 | ZA | Island Masters | 6001210797937 | other |
| 2000 | US | Island | other | |
| 2008 | RU | Interscope Records | 602517646469 | other |
| 2008 | GB | Universal Island Records | 602517646469 | other |
| 2008 | US | Island | other | |
| 18 July 2008 | XE | Island | 602517616707 | remaster |
| 18 July 2008 | XE | Mercury Records | 602517616714 | other |
| 21 July 2008 | XW | Island | 00602517799714 | remaster |
| 21 July 2008 | AL | Island | 00602517799769 | remaster |
| 22 July 2008 | CA | Island | 00602517811140 | deluxe |
| 22 July 2008 | CA | Island | 00602517646469 | other |
| 22 July 2008 | US | Universal Island Records | 602517646469 | other |
| 22 July 2008 | US | Island | 602517616707 | remaster |
| 15 November 2015 | ES | Island | other | |
| 26 May 2017 | DZ | UMC | 00602557629545 | other |
| 20 September 2017 | JP | Island | 4988031237267 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| coverartarchive | 1183×1183 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |