Album
Songs of Innocence
Songs of Innocence is U2's thirteenth studio album, released on 9 September 2014. Danger Mouse produced it, with further work from Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Declan Gaffney and Flood. It arrived after five and a half years, the longest gap in the band's story to that point, following the weaker sales of No Line on the Horizon and a stretch of unfinished projects, including the abandoned Songs of Ascent.
The songs look back to the band's Irish youth in the 1970s, taking in childhood memories, first loves and losses, with nods to heroes such as the Ramones and the Clash. Bono called it their most personal record, and "The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)" led the way as the first single. It was given free to iTunes customers, which drew criticism and has overshadowed the music since, but the album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album and was followed by Songs of Experience in 2017.
Songs of Innocence: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 48:11Tracklist
- 1The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)U2, Bono, Edge4:15
- 2Every Breaking WaveU2, Bono, Edge4:12
- 3California (There Is No End to Love)U2, Bono, Edge4:00
- 4Song for SomeoneU2, Bono, Edge3:47
- 5Iris (Hold Me Close)U2, Bono, Edge5:19
- 6VolcanoU2, Bono, Edge3:14
- 7Raised by WolvesU2, Bono, Edge4:06
- 8Cedarwood RoadU2, Bono, Edge4:25
- 9Sleep Like a Baby TonightU2, Bono, Edge5:02
- 10This Is Where You Can Reach Me NowU2, Bono, Edge5:05
- 11The TroublesU2, Bono, Edge4:46
- Produced by
- Danger Mouse, Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Declan Gaffney, Flood
- Recorded at
- Electric Lady (New York City), Pull (New York City), The Church (London), Assault & Battery (London), Shangri-La (Malibu), The Woodshed (Los Angeles), Strathmore House (Killiney)
- Recorded
- 2009–2014
- Mixed by
- Declan Gaffney, Matt Wiggins, Ben Baptie, Tom Elmhirst, Tchad Blake, Kennie Takahashi
- Mixed at
- Full Mongrel
- Engineered by
- Declan Gaffney, Kennie Takahashi, Matt Wiggins, Ben Baptie, Carl Glanville
- Label
- Island
- Length
- 48:11
Line-up
- Bono · keyboard, guitar, vocals, hammered dulcimer
- Brian Burton · keyboard, percussion
- Adam Clayton · bass guitar, keyboard
- The Edge · guitar, keyboard, background vocals
- Paul Epworth · percussion, keyboard, handclaps, slide guitar
- Declan Gaffney · acoustic guitar, keyboard, background vocals, handclaps, percussion, other vocals
- Larry Mullen, Jr. · drums (drum set), percussion, background vocals, membranophone
- Ryan Tedder · acoustic guitar, keyboard
- Everett Bradley · choir vocals · guest
- Greg Clark · choir vocals · guest
- Ada Dyer · choir vocals · guest
- Tabitha Fair · choir vocals · guest
- Bobby Harden · choir vocals · guest
- Kim Hill · choir vocals · guest
- Quiona McCollum · choir vocals · guest
- Nicki Richards · choir vocals · guest
- Carlos Ricketts · choir vocals · guest
- Flood · keyboard · guest
- Joe Visciano · handclaps, background vocals · guest
- Leo Pearson · keyboard · guest
- Natalia Bonner · violin · guest
- Caroline Dale · cello · guest
- Lykke Li · vocals · guest
Singles
- “The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)” · 15 September 2014
- “Every Breaking Wave” · 9 December 2014
- “Song for Someone” · 11 May 2015
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 2014 | 6 |
| US Billboard 200 · 2014 | 9 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2014 | 1 |
| Croatian Albums · 2014 | 1 |
| Czech Albums · 2014 | 1 |
| Dutch Albums · 2014 | 1 |
| French Albums · 2014 | 1 |
| Italian Albums · 2014 | 1 |
| Polish Albums · 2014 | 1 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2014 | 1 |
All 30 charts
| Spanish Albums · 2014 | 1 |
| US Tastemaker · 2014 | 1 |
| Austrian Albums · 2014 | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2014 | 2 |
| German Albums · 2014 | 2 |
| Greek Albums (IFPI) · 2014 | 2 |
| Irish Albums · 2014 | 2 |
| Swedish Albums · 2014 | 2 |
| Danish Albums · 2014 | 3 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 2014 | 3 |
| Swiss Albums · 2014 | 3 |
| Scottish Albums · 2014 | 4 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) · 2014 | 5 |
| New Zealand Albums · 2014 | 6 |
| Norwegian Albums · 2014 | 6 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2014 | 7 |
| Brazilian Albums (ABPD) · 2014 | 7 |
| Finnish Albums · 2014 | 10 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2014 | 13 |
| Korea Int · 2014 | 13 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Austria · 2017 | Platinum |
| Brazil · 2015 | Gold |
| Germany · 2023 | Gold |
| Italy · 2015 | 2× Platinum |
| Netherlands · 2015 | Platinum |
| Poland · 2014 | 2× Platinum |
| Portugal · 2018 | Gold |
| Singapore · 2019 | Platinum |
| Spain · 2014 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2014 | Silver |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
88.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
3.6k
ListenBrainz listeners
145k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
177k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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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
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 Experience
2017
The Europa EP
2019
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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
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Carnaval de luz
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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
Boy
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How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
U2 · 2004
Pretty Hate Machine
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All Killer No Filler
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Rattle and Hum
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Pop
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Songs of Experience
U2 · 2017
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 9 September 2014 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 9 September 2014 | |
| Wikidata | 9 September 2014 | |
| Deezer | 1 January 2014 | |
| US release | 23 September 2014 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 10 October 2014 | earliest UK or European date |
18 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2014 | — | Island | 00602547069511 | original |
| 23 September 2014 | US | Interscope Records | 602547055255 | other |
| 10 October 2014 | XE | Island | 602547048943 | other |
| 10 October 2014 | DE | Island | 602547048929 | other |
| 10 October 2014 | XE | Island | 602547048882 | other |
| 14 October 2014 | US | Interscope Records | 602547048882 | other |
| 14 October 2014 | CA | Interscope Records | 602547048943 | deluxe |
| 14 October 2014 | CA | Island | 00602547069177 | deluxe |
| 14 October 2014 | JP | Island | 00602547069207 | deluxe |
| 14 October 2014 | CA | Island | 00602547069528 | other |
| 14 October 2014 | US | Island | 602547048929 | other |
| 22 October 2014 | JP | Island | 4988005860583 | deluxe |
| 22 October 2014 | JP | Island | 4988005860590 | other |
| 18 November 2014 | — | Island | 00602547073730 | other |
| 18 November 2014 | JP | Island | 00602547073624 | other |
| 2017 | JP | UMC | 00602557666182 | other |
| 2017 | — | UMC | 00602557653632 | other |
| 20 September 2017 | JP | Island | 4988031237380 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |