How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is an album by the Irish rock music group U2. It was released on November 22 2004 (see 2004 in music). U2 lead singer Bono has described the album as "our first rock and roll record." The album deals with the world at the crossroads of its existence. Love, war, peace and harmony are running themes throughout the album.

The album is produced by Steve Lillywhite. Others involved in the production include Flood, Jacknife Lee, Nellee Hooper, Chris Thomas, Daniel Lanois, and Brian Eno.

Following the November 22 2004 release, the album debuted at #1 for 34 countries, including the Billboard 200, the UK album chart, and the Aria charts. Worldwide sales as of 2005 number 7.3 million.

Track listing

1. "Vertigo" (3:13)
2. "Miracle Drug" (3:54)
3. "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" (5:05)
4. "Love and Peace or Else" (4:48)
5. "City of Blinding Lights" (5:46)
6. "All Because of You" (3:34)
7. "A Man and a Woman" (4:27)
8. "Crumbs From Your Table" (4:59)
9. "One Step Closer" (3:47)
10. "Original of the Species" (4:34)
11. "Yahweh" (4:22)

Music by U2, words by Bono and the Edge.

"Fast Cars" (3:44) was an additional track on the Japan and UK CD editions of the album, as well as the vinyl and deluxe editions of the album in all regions.

Singles

Vertigo

The first single from the album, titled "Vertigo", was released for airplay on September 24, 2004. The song received extensive airplay in the United States in the first week after its release and debuted at #18 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart and #46 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In the weeks after its release, the track jumped to #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and also moved from #27 to #3 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and from #35 to #9 on the Adult Top 40. It also debuted at #1 on the Hot Digital Tracks chart and, after falling to #4, returned to the top position. The track later moved into the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #31; it spent over 20 weeks on the chart.

In the United Kingdom, the song moved from BBC Radio 1's B-list on the first week of its release to the A-list in the second week. The song was released on 15 November; it debuted at #1 and remained there for one week; it spent 8 weeks in the top 40.

The track debuted at #5 on the Aria charts.

U2 performed "Vertigo" in a commercial for the Apple iPod as part of a cross-marketing plan to promote both the album and Apple's music products.

As noted by Rolling Stone and many other music publications, the song sounds extremely similar to Sonic Youth's 1990 single "Dirty Boots", taken from the album Goo.

At the beginning of the song, one can listen a voice counting these numbers in Spanish to start the guitars playing on: un, dos, tres, catorce (It could be also in Portuguese as noise cannot let distinguish clearly the pronunciation). Indeed, it's a joke as the translation into English is "1, 2, 3, 14". We can also hear a background greeting behind the "Hello, hello" of the refrain, saying "Hola", pronounced as well like the Spanish and Portuguese salutation, and what appears to be Huomenta!, "Good Morning!" in Finnish.

Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own

The song was released worldwide on 7 February, 2005. The song was added to BBC Radio 1's "C List" Playlist on 29 December 2004. It moved to the B List a week later and to the A List a week after that. The song was also playlisted by XFM. The song debuted at #1 in the UK, marking the first time that a U2 album has produced two UK #1 hits.

The single was also the third release in the United States. It reached #17 on the Adult Top 40 chart and #29 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in April.

Bono wrote the song about his father, Brendan Robert "Bob" Hewson, and his love for the opera, after his father died of cancer in August 2001, and later performed the song at his funeral.

All Because of You

This is the second single in North America. Upon the album's release, "All Because of You" was released for airplay in the United States. The song debuted at #27 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and later peaked at #6. It entered at #39 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart three weeks after its release and has moved to #20 since then. However, the single's airplay is now diminishing. The song achieved significantly less success than the second American single released from U2's last two album, both of which charted on the Hot 100.

City of Blinding Lights

"City of the Blinding Lights" received considerable airplay on US alternative rock radio in mid-February 2005 and is currently (May, 2005) being prepared for release as a single.

A video for this song was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia on April 27 2005.

Charts

Album – Billboard (North America)

Singles – Billboard (North America)

Personnel

• Bono--lead vocals, piano on "City of Blinding Lights"
• The Edge--guitar, keyboards, vocals
• Adam Clayton--bass guitar
• Larry Mullen, Jr.--drums, backing vocal on "Miracle Drug"

• Jacknife Lee--keyboards, synthesizers
• Daniel Lanois--guitar, pedal steel, mandolin, shaker
• Brian Eno--synthesizers

External links

• Discography entry at U2 Wanderer--Comprehensive details on various editions, cover scans, lyrics, and more.
• Album lyrics--Searchable album lyrics.
• U2 tours overview at U2-Vertigo-Tour.com--Includes setlists for every date on the Vertigo Tour.
• U2MoL--Contains fan interpretations and interview excerpts for each song.