U2

1
  • Year:
    2005
  • Inducted by:
    Bruce Springsteen
  • Category:
    Performers

Introduction

Philanthropic. Hopeful. Committed. U2 are proof of the power of music.

While U2 have experimented and evolved musically throughout their career, the core members and their commitment to positive change have remained steady.

 

Hall of Fame Essay

2005

James Henke

Back in 1985, when I was the music editor of Rolling Stone, I convinced Jann Wenner to put U2 on the cover.

It took some doing. I had first met U2 some five years earlier, when I was one of a handful of American journalists sent to England to see the band shortly after the U.K. release of its first album, Boy. I rode in a van with the band members - then barely in their twenties - from London to Coventry for their gig at a university gymnasium.

The show totally knocked me out, and I came back convinced that U2 was going to be, as the headline of my story put it, “the next big thing.” From that day on, I was constantly championing the band around Rolling Stone. When Jann finally gave in and let me put it on the cover, our headline boldly declared: our choice: BAND OF THE EIGHTIES.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Program Cover 2005
1 of 3
2005 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees U2
faith in the great inspirational and resurrective power of rock
Bruce Springsteen

2

Gallery

Backstage

Join Us

Get free admission, membership merchandise, invites to members-only events and so much more by joining the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.