Album dossier / 1981

October

U2 · Post-Punk

U2's sophomore album was written largely on the road, including during a sound check at Minneapolis's First Avenue club, and nearly derailed when Bono's briefcase of in-progress lyrics and musical ideas was lost backstage in Portland, Oregon during the Boy Tour. The band entered Windmill Lane Studios in July 1981 largely unprepared, forcing Bono to improvise lyrics on the microphone under time pressure; returning producer Steve Lillywhite called the sessions 'completely chaotic and mad.' Its lyrical preoccupation with faith reflects the band's involvement with the Shalom Fellowship Christian group, which at the time nearly split the band over the compatibility of rock and roll with their beliefs.