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All That You Can't Leave Behind

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All That You Can't Leave Behind is the tenth studio album by rock band U2. It was released on 30 October 2000 by Island Records in the United Kingdom and Interscope Records in the United States. Following the mixed reception to their 1997 album, Pop, All That You Can't Leave Behind represented a return to a more conventional sound for the band after they experimented with alternative rock and dance music in the 1990s. At the time of the album's release, U2 said on a number of occasions that they were "reapplying for the job ... [of] the best band in the world".[1] U2 brought back producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois who had produced a number of the band's previous albums. The album was originally named "U2000", which was a working title for their past PopMart Tour.

All That You Can't Leave Behind received wide critical acclaim and sold over 12 million copies. The songs "Beautiful Day", "Walk On", "Elevation", and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" were all successful singles. The record and its songs won seven Grammy Awards; it is the only album in history to have multiple tracks win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year: "Beautiful Day" in 2001 and "Walk On" in 2002. In 2003, the album was ranked number 139 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time",[2] but it was pushed back to 280 in 2012.[3]

Writing and recording

Throughout the 1990s, U2 experimented with alternative rock and electronic dance music, culminating with their 1997 album Pop and the accompanying PopMart Tour. Guitarist The Edge said that with Pop, the band had "taken the deconstruction of the rock 'n' roll band format to its absolute 'nth degree."[4] However, following the poor reception to the album and tour, the band wished to return to song arrangements that consisted almost entirely of guitar, bass, and drums, and to quickly regroup in the studio after the tour.[4] They reunited with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who also produced their albums The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.[4]

Although the band wanted to develop new material before beginning to record, Eno convinced them to quickly write songs in the studio.[4] For three weeks in late 1998, U2, Eno, and Lanois recorded demos in Hanover Quay Studios.[4] One of the few quality ideas that stemmed from these brief sessions was the song "Kite".[4] Lead singer Bono's vocals inspired everyone in the studio, particularly after he had been suffering from vocal problems for the previous few years.[4] U2 thought they would have a new record completed in time for 1999.[4] After the band's brief demo sessions, The Edge worked alone on song ideas before the band reunited at Hanover Quays.[4] They recorded with the mentality of a "band in a room playing together", an approach that led to the album's more stripped-down sound.[4]

Bono's involvement in the Jubilee 2000 campaign prevented him from dedicating all of his time to the album's recording, something Eno thought was a distraction.[5] There was also a two-month break in the sessions when Bono collaborated with Lanois and Hal Wilner on the Million Dollar Hotel film soundtrack.[5] The band had thought they could complete the album for 1999, but the sessions ran long,[4] with band members' conflicting schedules playing a large part in the delay. U2 did not want to put a deadline on completing the album after their experience with Pop, which had to be rushed to completion into order to meet the deadline set by their pre-booked PopMart Tour.[4]

In the summer 1999, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. bought houses in the South of France, in order to be near Bono and The Edge's homes so they could have a place to both "work and play".[5] That year, a bag holding personal papers and a laptop computer containing lyrics for the album was taken from Bono's car, which was parked outside Dublin's Clarence Hotel, which is owned by Bono and The Edge. Bono offered a reward of £2,000 for the return of the computer. An Irish man returned the laptop after having bought it for £300 thinking it was from a reputable source. He realized it was Bono's when he saw a picture of the singer's child Elijah Bob on the screen, prompting him to contact U2's management.[6]

The band have said that All That You Can't Leave Behind was an album that acknowledged the band's past.[7] For example, there was a big debate amongst the band members during the writing and recording of "Beautiful Day"; The Edge was playing with a guitar tone that he had not used much since their 1983 album War and the band wanted something more forward-looking.[7] The Edge won out and the tone made it into the final studio version of the song. Additionally, although the record was described as "a return to the traditional U2 sound", many songs were complex and retained elements of the band's 1990s experimenting;[7] "Beautiful Day" features an electronic drum beat, and the song's intro features an "electronification of the [chorus] chords with a beat box and a string part";[7] "New York" came together when the band members were away at a meeting and Lanois and Eno were playing around with a drum loop that Mullen had recorded.[7] The album's recording wrapped up in 2000.

Composition

The album was seen as a return to the band's traditional sound after their more experimental records of the 1990s. In many ways, however, this is an oversimplification, as the album breaks new ground by retaining the sonic nuances of their 1990s work and reconciling it with the melodic, hook-filled rock of their 1980s work. The first song (and lead single), "Beautiful Day," for instance, is an optimistic anthem that opens with a drum machine and a rhythm sequencer. The album also includes "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of," a song written by Bono for his friend, lead singer of INXS, Michael Hutchence, who committed suicide in 1997.

Release

The album is banned in Burma by SPDC because "Walk On" is a song that was dedicated to Burmese human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi.[8]

Promotion and singles

Following the comparatively poor reception of their previous album Pop, U2 declared on a number of occasions that they were "re-applying for the job ... of best band in the world."[1] Promotional activities for the album included a number of U2 firsts such as appearances on MTV's Total Request Live, USA Network's Farm Club, and Saturday Night Live. The band kicked off the release of the album by performing a short concert for about 600 people at the ManRay club in Paris, France, on 19 October 2000, as part of the promotion for the 30 October release of the album.[9]

The album was preceded by the lead single "Beautiful Day", released on 9 October 2000. It was U2's fourth #1 single in the UK, their first #1 in the Netherlands, and was also #1 for a week in Australia. The song peaked at #21 in the US.

The album's second single, "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of", was originally released 29 January 2001. It was also a success, reaching #2 on the UK Singles Chart.

A third single, "Elevation", was released 12 June 2001. The version of the song released as the single was the "Tomb Raider Mix", which appeared in television commercials for the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie. It featured a much more hard rock arrangement than the album version, and it is this arrangement that the band plays live.

The album's fourth and final single, "Walk On" was released on 19 November 2001. The song was originally written about and dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi, but the song took on new meaning with listeners following the September 11 attacks.

Cover art

The photograph on the album cover was taken by long-time U2 photographer Anton Corbijn in the Roissy Hall 2F of the Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris, France.[10] Unlike the busy colour sleeves of the band's 1990s records, the cover is a single monochrome image of the band in the airport's departure terminal. The designers describe the look they created as "grown up". Early versions of the cover released to the press show a departure sign that reads "F21-36", however, this was changed to J33-3 in reference to the Bible verse Jeremiah 33:3, "Call unto me and I will answer thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not." Bono referred to it as "God's phone number"[10] The lyric "3:33 when the numbers fell off the clock face" appears on the song "Unknown Caller" from the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon.

Commercial performance

The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart in the US, selling 427,826 copies in its first week.[11] The album debuted at #1 in Canada with first-week sales of 71,470 copies.[11]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(79/100)[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[13]
Chicago Sun-Times[14]
Entertainment WeeklyA[15]
The Guardian[16]
Hot Press(11/12)[17]
New Zealand Herald[18]
NME(7/10)[19]
Pitchfork Media(5.0/10)[20]
Q[21]
Rolling Stone[22]

"All That You Can't Leave Behind is easy to relate to, full of solid songs that appeal to a wide audience with its clear notions of family, friendship, love, death, and re-birth. ...the sounds on this album come from a band that has digested the music it started to consume while making Rattle and Hum. This time they are neither imitating or paying tribute. This time it's soul music, not music about soul."

 —Caroline van Oosten de Boer[23]

The album was generally well received by critics and the public, debuting at #1 in 32 countries (#3 in the United States). Many critics, such as Rolling Stone magazine, declared it as "U2's third masterpiece", alongside The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.[22] Steve Morse of The Boston Globe said the record "has great songs that tie together beautifully—a welcome change from the disjointed nature of U2 discs such as 1993's Zooropa and 1997's Pop". He believed that Bono took extra care in crafting the lyrics, resulting in the "most thoughtful, personal, and tender U2 songs in memory".[24] Robert Christgau gave it an A−, saying, "The feat's offhandedness is its most salient charm and nagging limitation. If I know anything, which with this band I never have, their best."[25]

The first single released was "Beautiful Day", which reached #1 in the UK single charts (which tracks the popularity of individual songs) and in most European countries, Canada and Australia. All That You Can't Leave Behind became the fourth-highest-selling U2 album, with total sales of over 12 million. The album holds an average critic score of 79/100 on Metacritic.[12]

Awards and accolades

All That You Can't Leave Behind and its singles won seven Grammy Awards in two years. In 2001, "Beautiful Day" won "Song of the Year", "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal", and "Record of the Year". In 2002, "Walk On" won "Record of the Year", "Elevation" won "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal", and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" won "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal". The album also won "Best Rock Album" that year. All That You Can't Leave Behind is the only album ever to have two singles win "Record of the Year" in two consecutive years.

In 2012, All That You Can't Leave Behind was ranked number 280 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[26] In 2009, it was ranked by Rolling Stone as the 13th-best album of the decade, while "Beautiful Day" was rated the 9th best song.[27][28]

Elevation Tour

Main article: Elevation Tour
In Kansas City on Elevation Tour

The accompanying Elevation Tour officially began on 24 March 2001 with a two-night stay at the National Car Rental Center near Fort Lauderdale, Florida,[29] and ended back in Miami, Florida on 2 December 2001 at the American Airlines Arena.[30] The tour featured three legs and a total of 113 shows.[31] The Elevation Tour saw U2 return to playing indoor arenas after they spent the 1990s in outdoor stadiums. The stage design of the Elevation Tour was more stripped-down and intimate for the fans. The tour grossed approximately US$110 million, and was at the time the third highest-grossing tour of all time by Pollstar,[32] with many of the stops selling out immediately.[33] The band performed multiple shows in the same location including four consecutive shows in Chicago, Boston and London, respectively.

The song "Beautiful Day", which debuted on the tour, is one of only three U2 songs to have been played at every concert since their introduction (the other two being "One" and "Vertigo").

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Bono except where noted; all music is composed by U2

No.TitleLyricsLength
1."Beautiful Day" 4:06
2."Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of"Bono, The Edge4:32
3."Elevation" 3:45
4."Walk On" 4:55
5."Kite"Bono, The Edge4:23
6."In a Little While" 3:37
7."Wild Honey" 3:47
8."Peace on Earth" 4:46
9."When I Look at the World"Bono, The Edge4:15
10."New York" 5:28
11."Grace" 5:31
Total length:49:25
UK, Ireland, Australia and Japan bonus track
No.TitleLyricsLength
12."The Ground Beneath Her Feet"Salman Rushdie3:44
Total length:53:09

In Japan, Australia, Ireland and the UK, "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" (3:44) is a bonus track at the end. The lyrics were written by Salman Rushdie, and he is featured in the video, shown writing the song. Rushdie also provides an account of his relationship with the band and how the song came to be written in his book of essays, Step Across This Line.

Various limited edition copies included a bonus disc with either "Always," "Summer Rain," or "Big Girls are Best". The 7 (EP) was subsequently released in the U.S., collecting these B-sides previously unavailable in that region.

Personnel

Charts and certifications

References

Footnotes
  1. ^ a b Tyrangiel, Josh (23 February 2002). "Bono's Mission". Time. Retrieved 10 March 2007.
  2. ^ "TOP 500 ALBUMS OF ALL TIME". Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  3. ^ "All That You Can't Leave Behind". The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l McCormick (2006), p. 289
  5. ^ a b c McCormick (2006), pp. 289–290, 293–294
  6. ^ Quinn, Ben (16 July 2004). "French police still haven't found what U2's looking for". Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d e McCormick (2006), pp. 296, 299–300
  8. ^ "U2's Criminal Record". NME. 24 November 2000. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  9. ^ "U2 Paris, 2000-10-19, Manray Club, All That You Can't Leave Behind Promo". U2Gigs. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b Graham (2004), pp. 68-69
  11. ^ a b "U2 debuts at #1 in Canada". Jam!. Retrieved 13 June 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for All That You Can't Leave Behind". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  13. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "All That You Can't Leave Behind – U2". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  14. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (31 October 2000). "Yes, U2 can go home again". Chicago Sun-Times.
  15. ^ Browne, David (3 November 2000). "Music Review: All That You Can't Leave Behind". Entertainment Weekly (567). Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  16. ^ Sweeting, Adam (27 October 2000). "Pop CD of the Week: Time to get the leathers out". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  17. ^ Murphy, Peter (26 October 2000). "One from the Heart". Hot Press.
  18. ^ Baillie, Russell (28 October 2000). "Album review: All That You Can't Leave Behind". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  19. ^ Long, April (28 October 2000). "Even Better Than the Surreal Thing!". NME. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  20. ^ DiCrescenzo, Brent (31 October 2000). "Album Reviews: U2: All That You Can't Leave Behind". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  21. ^ Blake, Mark (December 2000). "U2: All That You Can't Leave Behind". Q (171).
  22. ^ a b Hunter, James (26 October 2000). "Music Reviews: All That You Can't Leave Behind". Rolling Stone (852). Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  23. ^ Graham (2004), p. 21
  24. ^ Morse, Steve (26 October 2000). "U2 leaves the present behind". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  25. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: U2". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  26. ^ Wenner, Jann S. (ed.) (2012). "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone (Special Collectors Issue). ISBN 978-7-09-893419-6. Retrieved 20 June 2012. {{cite journal}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  27. ^ "100 Best Albums of the Decade". Rolling Stone. 9 December 2009. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ "100 Best Songs of the Decade". Rolling Stone. 9 December 2009. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 10 December 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ "U2 Elevation Tour 1st leg: North America". U2Gigs. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  30. ^ "U2 Elevation Tour 3rd leg: North America". U2Gigs. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  31. ^ "U2 Tour overview". U2Gigs. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  32. ^ Gundersen, Edna (23 January 2005). "U2 tour has the concert business getting dizzy". USA Today. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  33. ^ More U2 For The U.S. - Pollstar, 8 November 2001
  34. ^ a b c All That You Can't Leave Behind (Media notes). Interscope Records. 2000. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help)
  35. ^ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 2 November 2000". GFK Chart Track. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  36. ^ a b "Gold & Platinum". IFPI Austria (in German). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) Note: U2 must be searched manually.
  37. ^ a b c d e f g h "U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind". Hung Median. Retrieved 26 November 2009. Cite error: The named reference "Ultratop" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  38. ^ "ARIA Charts — Accreditations - 2001 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ a b "All That You Can't Leave Behind — U2". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 29 July 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  40. ^ a b "Gold and Platinum Search: All That You Can't Leave Behind". Music Canada. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  41. ^ "Album Top-40: Uge 18- 2002". Hitlisten (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  42. ^ a b "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2002". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
  43. ^ a b "Kulta — ja platinalevyt" (in Finnish). IFPI Finland. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 21 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  44. ^ "Goud/Platina" (in Dutch). NVPI. Retrieved 9 January 2011. [dead link]
  45. ^ "OLiS - 20 listopada 2000" (in Polish). Oficjalna Lista Sprzedaży. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  46. ^ "Listy bestsellerow, wyroznienia — Złote CD" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  47. ^ "Listy bestsellerow, wyroznienia — Pełny Tekst Regulaminu Przyznawania Wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  48. ^ "Certifications – Search for: All That You Can't Leave Behind". The Official Swiss Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  49. ^ "TOP 40 OFFICIAL UK ALBUMS ARCHIVE – 11th November 2000". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  50. ^ a b "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 November 2009. Note: U2 must be searched manually.
  51. ^ "Gold & Platinum – Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 April 2011. Note: U2 must be searched manually.
  52. ^ "Gold & Platinum – Certification Criteria". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  53. ^ "Search the charts". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 29 October 2009. Note: U2 must be searched manually
  54. ^ a b "U2: Charts and Awards". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
  55. ^ "U2 singles". Everyhit.com. Retrieved 29 October 2009. Note: U2 must be searched manually.
Bibliography
Preceded by Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
6 November 2000 – 19 November 2000 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water
by Limp Bizkit
 Canadian Albums Chart number-one album
18 November 2000 – 25 November 2000 		Succeeded by
1 by The Beatles
Preceded by UK number one album
11 November 2000 – 17 November 2000 		Succeeded by


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