In 1987, U2 released their masterpiece. Three years later, they wanted to leave it in the dust

U2’s success with The Joshua Tree and the subsequent Rattle and Hum era left the band feeling trapped by expectations to repeat a familiar sound. Around 1990, they chose to move in a different direction, a decision that helped them reshape their music for the new decade.

The Edge said the established style had begun to feel restrictive, so the band deliberately did the opposite. The article describes the resulting record as creatively adventurous and emotionally difficult to make, with the Edge’s painful divorce informing the guitar work on “Love Is Blindness”; the process nearly split the band.