# In 1997, U2 released ‘Pop’. Bono later feared they’d become the very thing he hated.

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1997-u2-released-pop-bono-later-feared-theyd-become-the-very-thing-he-hated/
- Published: 2026-11-14T15:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-14T15:21:32+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/in-1997-u2-released-pop-bono-later-feared-theyd-become-the-very-thing-he-hated/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- U2’s *Pop* explored dance textures in 1997.
- Bono later felt its production became too elaborate.
- He said the band learned to focus on the song.

## Summary

U2’s 1997 album *Pop* pursued a dance-influenced sound as the band sought to reinvent itself, but Bono later worried that its elaborate production echoed the progressive rock he had long criticised. The tension mattered because it exposed a risk in their experimentation: prioritising ambitious textures over the song itself.

Bono said the band lacked the discipline to shape tracks such as “Mofo” into the focused rock and dance crossover they intended. He later joked that they had “become progressive rock”, and said they learned from the album. The article presents *Pop* as an uneven experiment, while noting that U2 recovered and could still take pride in parts of its sound.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.