4 Key Tracks from U2’s ‘How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb’

On November 22, U2 celebrates the 20th anniversary of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb with a collection called How to Re-Assemble an Atomic Bomb.

The anniversary edition includes the remastered album and previously unreleased tracks. Two non-album tracks, “Country Mile” and “Picture of You (X+W),” are available now on streaming platforms.

In a statement, The Edge explained the album’s inspiration: “The sessions for How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb were such a creative period for the band, we were exploring so many song ideas in the studio. We were inspired to revisit our early music influences, and it was a time of deep personal introspection for Bono who was attempting to process—dismantle—the death of his father.”

Reflecting on the sessions, The Edge added, “We were onto something.” Check out four key tracks from U2’s 11th studio album.

“Vertigo”

“Vertigo” opens How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb with a classic rock guitar riff. It’s not what you’d expect from The Edge, but it ushered in a new era for U2. This new era also included an advertisement campaign for Apple’s iPod. The band appears on the album cover looking like the musicians have traveled from a faraway place. Much farther than Ireland. Since The Joshua Tree, U2 has existed on its own plane; a rock band with the economy of a small country. U2 also became—like most stadium acts—a divisive band. But “Vertigo” is a mammoth rock tune, pushed along by The Edge’s cosmic guitar rig.

“Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own”

Track three on the album is a tribute to Bono’s father, Bob Hewson. The U2 singer has documented the tumultuous relationship with his father, who once told his son, “You’re a baritone who thinks he’s [a] tenor.” A cutting remark from his father, an opera lover, to his son, one of rock and roll’s most famous stars. Though “Vertigo” is the album’s most well-known song, “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own” is the emotional energy of U2’s Atomic Bomb.

“City of Blinding Lights”

The opening verse of “City of Blinding Lights” is set in London. Bono recalled traveling to London with his (future) wife Ali as a teenager. New York City also inspired the song. When U2 played Madison Square Garden on the Elevation Tour, Bono recalled the stage lights illuminating the audience. He said to them, “Oh, you look so beautiful tonight.” He called the line naïve. It became the song’s hook.

“Miracle Drug”

Irish writer Christopher Nolan inspired “Miracle Drug.” Nolan, born with cerebral palsy, only had use of his head and eyes. Doctors prescribed medication that allowed Nolan to move a muscle in his neck and eventually, he learned to type. In 1981, Nolan published a collection of early writings called Dam-Burst of Dreams, which Bono described as “all these poems that he’d been storing up in his head.”

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