Album
War
War is U2's third studio album, released on 28 February 1983 on Island. Steve Lillywhite produced it at Windmill Lane Studios, the third record in a row the band made there with him, and the sessions ran from September to November 1982. Where Boy dwelt on adolescence and October on spirituality, this one turns to the realities of conflict and what it leaves behind. Bono said war seemed to be the motif for 1982, and the music is noticeably harsher than before.
It is often seen as the band's first openly political record, with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day" at its heart. It also brought a commercial breakthrough: it knocked Michael Jackson's Thriller off the top of the UK charts to give U2 their first British number one, and it became their first gold album in the United States. The War Tour carried it through the rest of 1983, and Rolling Stone later placed it 223rd in its 500 greatest albums list.
War: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 42:09Tracklist
- 1Sunday Bloody SundayBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:40
- 2SecondsBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.3:11
- 3New Year’s DayBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.5:36
- 4Like a Song…Bono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:47
- 5Drowning ManBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:15
- 6The RefugeeBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.3:41
- 7Two Hearts Beat as OneBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.4:03
- 8Red LightBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.3:46
- 9SurrenderBono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.5:34
- 10“40”Bono, Clayton, Edge, Jr.2:36
- Produced by
- Steve Lillywhite, Bill Whelan
- Recorded at
- Windmill Lane Studios, Windmill Lane (Dublin, Ireland)
- Recorded
- September–November 1982
- Mixed by
- Steve Lillywhite
- Engineered by
- Paul Thomas
- Label
- Island
- Length
- 42:09
Line-up
- Bono · guitar, lead vocals
- Adam Clayton · bass guitar
- The Edge · electric guitar, piano, vocals, lap steel guitar
- Kenny Fradley · trumpet
- Larry Mullen, Jr. · drums (drum set), percussion
- Steve Wickham · electric violin · guest
- Jessica Felton · background vocals · guest
- Taryn Hagey · background vocals · guest
- Adriana Kaegi · background vocals · guest
- Cheryl Poirier · background vocals · guest
Singles
- “New Year's Day” · 10 January 1983
- “Two Hearts Beat as One” · 21 March 1983
- “Sunday Bloody Sunday” · 21 March 1983
- “40” · 20 August 1983, (Germany only)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1983 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1983 | 12 |
| Swedish Albums · 1983 | 2 |
| Dutch Albums · 1983 | 3 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1983 | 4 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1983 | 5 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report) · 1983 | 9 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1983 | 15 |
| Ireland 2 · 1983 | 16 |
| Portuguese Albums · 1983 | 26 |
All 16 charts
| French Albums · 1983 | 30 |
| Italian Albums · 1983 | 31 |
| Spanish Albums · 1983 | 38 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 1983 | 41 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1983 | 51 |
| German Albums · 1983 | 59 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1996 | 2× Platinum |
| Belgium · 2009 | Platinum |
| Brazil · 1994 | Gold |
| Canada · 1987 | 3× Platinum |
| France · 1996 | 2× Platinum |
| Germany · 1990 | Gold |
| Netherlands · 1984 | Gold |
| New Zealand | Platinum |
| Spain · 1987 | Gold |
| Switzerland · 1989 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1992 | 2× Platinum |
| United States · 1995 | 4× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
93.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
9.4k
ListenBrainz listeners
156k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
109k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 28 February
Every year →
More from U2
Full discography →
Three
1979
Boy
1980
October
1981
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 1983
All of 1983 →
Kill ’Em All
Metallica · 1983
The Rolling Stones Super 4 on 45 1983
Super 4 on 45
The Rolling Stones · 1983
Let’s Dance
David Bowie · 1983
Piece of Mind
Iron Maiden · 1983
The Final Cut
Pink Floyd · 1983
Bark at the Moon
Ozzy Osbourne · 1983
Supergroups
David Bowie · 1983
Holy Diver
Dio · 1983
Flick of the Switch
AC/DC · 1983
Iron Maiden No me puedes dejar así / Decídete 1983
No me puedes dejar así / Decídete
Iron Maiden · 1983
Iron Maiden Lo mejor de Iron Maiden 1983
Lo mejor de Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden · 1983
Pyromania
Def Leppard · 1983
More on Island
The label →The Joshua Tree
U2 · 1987
Achtung Baby
U2 · 1991
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 | 28 February 1983 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 28 February 1983 | |
| Wikidata | 28 February 1983 | |
| US release | 1983 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 28 February 1983 | earliest UK or European date |
46 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | — | remaster | |
| — | XE | Island | 042281114823 | other |
| — | US | Island | other | |
| — | CA | Island | 77749543553102 | other |
| — | XE | Island | 042281114823 | other |
| — | US | Island | other | |
| — | XE | Island | 4007196105331 | other |
| — | CA | Island | other | |
| — | CA | Island | 042281114823 | other |
| — | IT | Island | other | |
| — | AU | Island | other | |
| 1983 | FR | Island | 042281114823 | other |
| 1983 | US | Island | 075679006721 | other |
| 1983 | US | Island | 075679006721 | other |
| 1983 | GB | Island | 5014474011221 | other |
| 1983 | XE | Island | other | |
| 1983 | XE | Island | 042281114823 | other |
| 1983 | US | Island | other | |
| 1983 | US | Island | 075679006721 | other |
| February 1983 | US | Island | 075679006714 | other |
| 28 February 1983 | GB | Island | original | |
| 1985 | AT | Island | 4007196105331 | other |
| 1988 | CA | Island | other | |
| 1990 | AU | Phonogram | 9399081114821 | other |
| 1990 | US | Island | other | |
| 15 June 1990 | US | Island | 042281114823 | other |
| 1991 | XE | Island | 4007192620517 | other |
| 1991 | GB | Island | 042281114823 | other |
| August 1991 | XE | Island | 042281114823 | other |
| 1992 | ZA | Island | 6001210584339 | other |
| 1993 | US | Island | 075679006721 | other |
| 12 January 1993 | US | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | 015775157125 | remaster |
| 25 November 1995 | JP | Island | 4988011339127 | other |
| 26 November 2007 | NL | Island | 0600753030370 | other |
| 2008 | XW | Island | 602517812277 | remaster |
| 17 July 2008 | XE | Universal Island Records | 602517646476 | deluxe |
| 18 July 2008 | XE | Mercury Records | 602517616745 | other |
| 18 July 2008 | XE | Universal Island Records | 602517616752 | other |
| 18 July 2008 | XE | Universal Island Records | 602517646476 | other |
| 21 July 2008 | XW | Island | 602517812246 | other |
| 22 July 2008 | US | Island | 602517616752 | remaster |
| 22 July 2008 | US | Universal Island Records | 602517646476 | other |
| 8 November 2015 | ES | Island | other | |
| 31 March 2017 | XE | Interscope Records | 602517616745 | other |
| 26 May 2017 | — | Island | 602557608175 | other |
| 20 September 2017 | JP | Island | 4988031237281 | 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 | 301×300 | upscaled |