Album
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is U2's eleventh studio album, released on 22 November 2004 on Island. It follows All That You Can't Leave Behind in leaning towards a more mainstream rock sound, after the band's 1990s flirtations with alternative rock and dance music. Recording began in February 2003 with Chris Thomas, but after nine months the band weren't satisfied. Steve Lillywhite took over in Dublin in January 2004, and with his assistant Jacknife Lee spent six months reworking songs and coaxing sharper performances.
Bono called it "our first rock album", and the songs range across life, death, love, war, faith and family. "Vertigo", "City of Blinding Lights" and "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" were among the singles. The record reached number one in 34 countries and won all eight Grammys it was nominated for. A remastered 20th anniversary edition adds a companion set of session tracks, How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb.
How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 48:30Tracklist
- 1VertigoBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.3:13
- 2Miracle DrugU2 and Bono3:54
- 3Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your OwnU2 and Bono5:05
- 4Love and Peace or ElseU2, Bono, Edge4:48
- 5City of Blinding LightsU2 and Bono5:46
- 6All Because of YouU2 and Bono3:34
- 7A Man and a WomanU2 and Bono4:27
- 8Crumbs From Your TableU2 and Bono4:59
- 9One Step CloserU2 and Bono3:48
- 10Original of the SpeciesU2 and Bono4:34
- 11YahwehU2, Bono, Edge4:22
- Produced by
- Steve Lillywhite, Carl Glanville, Jacknife Lee, Nellee Hooper, Chris Thomas, Brian Eno, Flood, Daniel Lanois
- Recorded at
- Hanover Quay (Dublin), South of France
- Recorded
- February 2003 – July 2004
- Mixed by
- Carl Glanville, Steve Lillywhite, Nellee Hooper, Flood, Jacknife Lee
- Engineered by
- Carl Glanville, Greg Collins, Simon Gogerly, Simon Osbourne
- Labels
- Island, Interscope
- Length
- 48:30
Line-up
- Jacknife Lee · synthesizer, keyboard, guitar
- Bono · vocals, guitar, background vocals, lead vocals, piano
- The Edge · background vocals, piano, vocals, keyboard, percussion, synthesizer
- Carl Glanville · percussion, synthesizer · guest
- Larry Mullen, Jr. · background vocals · guest
- Brian Eno · synthesizer · guest
- Daniel Lanois · shakers, guitar, pedal steel guitar, mandolin
Singles
- “Vertigo” · 8 November 2004
- “Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own” · 7 February 2005
- “City of Blinding Lights” · 6 June 2005
- “All Because of You” · 10 October 2005
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Argentine Albums (CAPIF) · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Austrian Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Croatian International Albums (HDU) · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI) · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Danish Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
All 32 charts
| Dutch Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| European Albums (Billboard) · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Finnish Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| French Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| German Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Greek Albums (IFPI) · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Irish Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Italian Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Polish Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Scottish Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Swedish Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Swiss Albums · 2004–2006 | 1 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2004–2006 | 2 |
| Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico) · 2004–2006 | 3 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2004–2006 | 4 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 2004–2006 | 4 |
| US Top Rock Albums · 2004–2006 | 12 |
| US Vinyl Albums · 2017 | 25 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina | 3× Platinum |
| Australia · 2006 | 4× Platinum |
| Austria | Platinum |
| Belgium · 2004 | Platinum |
| Brazil · 2006 | 2× Platinum |
| Canada | 5× Platinum |
| Croatia (HDU) | Silver |
| Denmark · 2017 | 4× Platinum |
| Finland | Gold |
| France · 2004 | Platinum |
| Germany · 2005 | 3× Gold |
| Greece · 2005 | Platinum |
| Hungary · 2004 | Gold |
| Ireland · 2005 | 10× Platinum |
| Japan · 2005 | Platinum |
| Mexico · 2006 | Platinum |
| Netherlands | Gold |
| New Zealand | 3× Platinum |
| Poland · 2004 | Gold |
| Portugal · 2005 | 3× Platinum |
| Russia · 2004 | Gold |
| Spain · 2005 | 2× Platinum |
| Sweden · 2004 | Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 2005 | 4× Platinum |
| United States · 2003 | 3× Platinum |
| Europe · 2004 | 3× Platinum |
Awards
- Grammy Award for Album of the Year · 2005
- Grammy Award for Best Rock Album · 2005
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
86.8
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
6.0k
ListenBrainz listeners
110k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
30k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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Full discography →
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1979
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1981
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1983
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1983
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1984
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1985
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1987
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1988
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1993
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1994
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The best of 2004
All of 2004 →
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U2 · 2000
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 2004-11-17 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 17 November 2004 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 22 November 2004 | |
| Wikidata | 22 November 2004 | |
| US release | 22 November 2004 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 22 November 2004 | earliest UK or European date |
33 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | AR | Island | other | |
| — | BR | Island | other | |
| — | SG | Island | 602498681817 | other |
| 2004 | XE | Island | 602498681725 | other |
| 2004 | AU | Island | 602498678299 | other |
| 2004 | ZA | Island | 6009143115033 | other |
| 2004 | AU | Island | 602498681817 | other |
| 2004 | US | Interscope Records | 602498681800 | other |
| 2004 | US | Interscope Records | other | |
| 17 November 2004 | JP | Island | 4988005375629 | original |
| 17 November 2004 | JP | Island | 4988005375575 | original |
| 17 November 2004 | JP | Island | 4988005375636 | original |
| 22 November 2004 | CA | — | other | |
| 22 November 2004 | XE | Island | 602498681817 | other |
| 22 November 2004 | GB | Island | 602498678282 | deluxe |
| 22 November 2004 | XE | Island | 602498681770 | other |
| 22 November 2004 | XE | Island | 602498678299 | other |
| 22 November 2004 | GB | Island | 602498681787 | other |
| 22 November 2004 | US | Interscope Records | 602498678299 | other |
| 23 November 2004 | US | Interscope Records | 602498681824 | other |
| 23 November 2004 | US | Interscope Records | 602498678299 | other |
| 23 November 2004 | CA | Island | 602498681800 | other |
| 2006 | JP | Island | 4988005423948 | other |
| 6 December 2015 | ES | Island | other | |
| 31 March 2017 | XE | UMC | 602498681725 | other |
| 26 May 2017 | US | Island | 602557608205 | other |
| 20 September 2017 | JP | Island | 4988031237366 | other |
| 7 June 2019 | XE | Island | 602577660153 | other |
| 22 November 2024 | XW | Universal Music Recordings | 602465532852 | deluxe |
| 22 November 2024 | CA | — | 00602475234692 | other |
| 22 November 2024 | — | Universal Music Recordings | 00602475234715 | remaster |
| 22 November 2024 | XW | Island | 602465532982 | other |
| 29 November 2024 | XW | Island Records Ltd. | remaster |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · cropped: cropped from 2827x2825 to 2825x2825
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 2827×2825 | cropped: cropped from 2827x2825 to 2825x2825 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |