Album · 45 years old this year
October
October is the second studio album by U2, released on 12 October 1981 on Island Records. Steve Lillywhite produced it at Windmill Lane Studios, as he had done for the band's debut, Boy, the year before. Work began in July 1981, after the third leg of the Boy Tour had finished in February. Bono lost a briefcase holding the unfinished lyrics, so the words had to be put together in a hurry, with plenty of improvisation to meet the deadline.
The record is shaped by the spiritual and religious themes that came from Bono, the Edge and Larry Mullen Jr. belonging to a Christian group called the Shalom Fellowship. Their doubts over how faith sat alongside a rock and roll life even threatened to split the band. "Fire" came out ahead of the album and "Gloria" arrived alongside it. Reviews were mixed and radio play limited, but it is a revealing snapshot of U2 at a crossroads. A remastered edition followed in 2008.
October: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 41:07Tracklist
- 1GloriaBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:12
- 2I Fall DownBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.3:40
- 3I Threw a Brick Through a WindowBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:55
- 4RejoiceBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.3:38
- 5FireBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.3:51
- 6TomorrowBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:39
- 7OctoberBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.2:21
- 8With a ShoutBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:03
- 9Stranger in a Strange LandBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.3:58
- 10ScarletBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.2:52
- 11Is That All?Bono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.2:59
- Produced by
- Steve Lillywhite
- Recorded at
- Compass Point (Nassau, The Bahamas), Windmill Lane (Dublin), Compass Point Studios
- Recorded
- April and July–August 1981
- Label
- Island
- Length
- 41:07
Line-up
- Adam Clayton · bass guitar
- The Edge · guitar, piano
- Larry Mullen, Jr. · drums (drum set)
- Bono · lead vocals
Singles
- “Fire” · 27 July 1981
- “Gloria” · 5 October 1981
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | 11 |
| New Zealand Albums | 6 |
| Ireland 2 | 17 |
| Dutch Albums | 31 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 34 |
| Italian Albums | 35 |
| Swedish Albums | 40 |
| Spanish Albums | 41 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) | 47 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) | 56 |
All 12 charts
| German Albums | 96 |
| US Billboard Top LPs & Tape | 104 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 2019 | Gold |
| France · 1992 | Gold |
| New Zealand · 2006 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1992 | Platinum |
| United States · 1995 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
81.8
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
2.4k
ListenBrainz listeners
97k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
43k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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More from U2
Full discography →
Three
1979
Boy
1980
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 1981
All of 1981 →The Rolling Stones 4 Sucessos 1981
4 Sucessos
The Rolling Stones · 1981
Tattoo You
The Rolling Stones · 1981
Moving Pictures
Rush · 1981
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
AC/DC · 1981
Killers
Iron Maiden · 1981
Faith
The Cure · 1981
Diary of a Madman
Ozzy Osbourne · 1981
Fair Warning
Van Halen · 1981
Discipline
King Crimson · 1981
High ’n’ Dry
Def Leppard · 1981
Mob Rules
Black Sabbath · 1981
Point of Entry
Judas Priest · 1981
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
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
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 12 October 1981 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 12 October 1981 | |
| Wikidata | 12 October 1981 | |
| US release | 1981 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 12 October 1981 | earliest UK or European date |
37 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | CA | Columbia House | 777495523641 | other |
| — | GB | Island | 5014474301117 | other |
| — | US | Island | 075679009227 | other |
| — | US | Island | 075679009227 | other |
| — | US | Island | 075679009227 | other |
| — | US | Island | 075679009227 | other |
| — | US | Island | 075679009227 | other |
| — | US | Island | other | |
| — | CA | Island | other | |
| 1981 | CA | Island | other | |
| 1981 | US | Island | 0736790092108 | other |
| 12 October 1981 | GB | Island | original | |
| 12 October 1981 | GB | Island | original | |
| 1983 | AR | Ariola | other | |
| 1983 | US | Island | 075679009210 | other |
| 1986 | XE | Island | 4007196105607 | other |
| 1987 | AR | Island | other | |
| 1988 | US | Island | other | |
| 1990 | BR | PolyGram do Brasil | 042284229722 | other |
| 1990 | AU | Phonogram | 9399084229720 | other |
| 1990 | DE | Island | 4007196105607 | other |
| 15 June 1990 | US | Island | 042284229722 | other |
| 1991 | XE | Island | 4007196105607 | other |
| 1992 | CA | Island | 060439011121 | other |
| 1996 | GB | Island Masters | 042284229722 | other |
| 21 October 2004 | JP | Island | 4988005374110 | other |
| 2008 | US | Universal Island Records | 602517616790 | other |
| 2008 | US | Interscope Records | 602517616783 | other |
| 2008 | — | Interscope Records | 602517616783 | other |
| 18 July 2008 | XE | Universal Island Records | 602517641938 | other |
| 18 July 2008 | XE | Mercury Records | 602517616790 | other |
| 21 July 2008 | XW | Island | 0060251780051 | remaster |
| 22 July 2008 | US | Universal Island Records | 602517641938 | remaster |
| 22 July 2008 | US | Island | other | |
| 29 November 2015 | ES | Island | other | |
| 26 May 2017 | US | Island | 602557629569 | other |
| 20 September 2017 | JP | Island | 4988031237274 | 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) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 295×300 | upscaled |