# U2 name the 10 songs that have soundtracked their lives

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/u2-name-the-10-songs-that-have-soundtracked-their-lives/
- Published: 2026-11-15T00:02:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T02:33:29+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/u2-name-the-10-songs-that-have-soundtracked-their-lives/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- U2 shared songs that shaped their lives and music.
- The Edge linked The Skids to U2’s early sound.
- Bono recalled an unfinished song written with Johnny Cash.

## Summary

U2’s four members have named songs that have shaped their musical lives and influenced the band’s sound, sharing their selections on Vernon Kay’s BBC Radio 2 programme *Tracks of My Years*. Their choices range across rock, pop, country and Irish music, showing the artists and tracks that stayed with them and, in some cases, helped inspire U2’s early work.

The Edge chose The Skids’ ‘Into the Valley’ as an influence on the band’s formative sound, as well as David Bowie’s ‘Sound and Vision’. Larry Mullen Jr picked Wings’ ‘Live and Let Die’ for its melody and orchestral quality, while Bono recalled writing an unreleased song, ‘Ellis Island’, with Johnny Cash and praised Shane MacGowan’s songwriting. The article also notes U2’s recent projects and says the band are expected to tour stadiums in 2027.

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