Entertainment news and discussion on TalkFuse.
In 1997, George Harrison dismissed one band as the downfall of music. They’ve since gone on to sell over 200,000,000 records
George Harrison criticised U2 in 1997, saying the band’s showmanship and self-importance reflected what he saw as music’s decline. He also doubted they would be remembered 30 years later, a prediction that sits uneasily with their lasting commercial success.
Harrison argued that music was becoming more focused on selling and attracting attention than on talent or experimentation. U2 have since sold more than 200 million records, placing them 14th among the best-selling artists of all time, according to the article. Bono said the band loved Harrison despite his criticism.
In short
- Harrison questioned U2’s lasting significance.
- U2 have sold more than 200 million records.
- He criticised music’s growing focus on attention and sales.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Harrison’s criticism can be read as a defence of music as an art rather than a spectacle: he worried that marketing, grand presentation and celebrity could overshadow musicianship and experimentation. From that perspective, U2’s commercial success does not by itself answer whether their prominence reflected the musical values he thought were being lost.
The case against
U2’s longevity and sales suggest that their scale and showmanship did not prevent them from making work that resonated with a large audience over time. A thoughtful defence of the band would argue that ambition, performance and commercial reach can coexist with artistic substance, and that popularity alone is not evidence of music’s decline.