Music / Pop (Album)

You can reach, but you can't grab it
You can hold it, control it; no, you can't bag it

Weather 'round here chopping and changing
Surgery in the air
Print shirts and southern accents
Cigars and big hair
We got the wheels, petrol's cheap
We only went there for a week
Got the sun, got the sand
Got the batteries in the handycam...

—"Miami"

Pop is the ninth studio album recorded by the Irish rock band U2. It was released through Island Records on 3 March 1997.

In the aftermath of Zooropa, the members of U2 did some side projects. Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen were involved in the the soundtrack for the 1996 film adaptation of Mission: Impossible. They also offered "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me", a song off the cutting-room floor from the previous album, for the soundtrack to Batman Forever.

When they returned to the recording studio for a new album in 1995, they took some of the other excerpts not included for Zooropa. But complications would arise in 1996. Mullen's availability was limited due to family obligations and back surgery. One of the producers, Nellee Hooper, had to step away due to obligations connected to the soundtrack for 1996's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet.

Things got worse as their manager booked up the supporting tour, PopMart, before the album was done. It was set to begin in April 1997, but the band struggled to complete the songs for the album. A hoped-for Christmas 1996 release was shelved.

While reviews were okay, more negativity was forming. Neil Strauss of The New York Times claimed they had lost their inspiration. Perry Gettelman of The Orlando Sentinel called out their lack of "zest for experimentation" which normally flavors electronic music.

Retrospectively, multiple sources, including Allmusic and Spin magazine, refer to Pop as U2's nadir period. Though in counterpoint, Sal Cinquemani of Slant said in 2003 that Pop was "better (and deeper) than anything on" their next album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, and complained that "the reason why Pop wasn't a bigger hit in the U.S. is a mystery".

The album debuted at #1 in the United States and the United Kingdom, but tapered off quicker than Zooropa did, only earning a single Platinum in both.

Pop was supported by six singles: "Discothèque", "Staring at the Sun", "Last Night on Earth", "Please", "Mofo", and "If God Will Send His Angels". While they performed better in general in the British Isles, with "Discothèque" going #1 in both the UK and Ireland, only the first two were hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with "Discothèque" peaking at #10.

Following the PopMart Tour, which was mired in technical difficulties and was treated by the band as more of a self-parody, even U2 began to despise the work. U2 has since re-recorded many of the songs; Bono would later claim that the album wasn't even finished when it was released. They wouldn't use the songs from the album while touring again until 2018, after its remaster.

Tracklist:

1. "Discothèque" (5:19)
2. "Do You Feel Loved" (5:07)
3. "Mofo" (5:49)
4. "If God Will Send His Angels" (5:22)
5. "Staring at the Sun" (4:36)
6. "Last Night on Earth" (4:45)
7. "Gone" (4:26)
8. "Miami" (4:52)
9. "The Playboy Mansion" (4:40)
10. "If You Wear That Velvet Dress" (5:15)
11. "Please" (5:02)
12. "Wake Up Dead Man" (4:52)
13. "Holy Joe" (Guilty Mix) (Bonus track only released in Japan) (5:08)

Personnel:

• Bono – lead vocals, additional guitar
• The Edge – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
• Adam Clayton – bass guitar
• Larry Mullen Jr. – drums, percussion, programming

"Lookin' in the places where no tropes grow:"

• Alternative Dance: Prominent in the album, especially in the first three tracks with later songs blending this with their traditional sound and industrial elements.
• The Cameo: William S. Burroughs in the video for "Last Night on Earth", which became his last filmed performance as he died only a month after the video was filmed. The video itself ends with a closeup of his eyes.
• Careful with That Axe: Bono actually does this right at the payoff of "Miami", screaming "MIIAMIIII" twice.
• Crapsack World: The "fucked-up world" in 'Wake Up Dead Man". The bridge expands on this by describing the chaotic sounds of said world the protagonist is in.
• Darker and Edgier: Moreso than Achtung Baby and Zooropa.
• Determinator: The Broken Record one-line chorus of "Gone".
• Downer Ending: "Wake Up Dead Man" is easily their bleakest closer to date, where the protagonist sees the world in shambles and pleads desperately for Jesus to wake up.
• Escapism: "Staring at the Sun" uses the topic alluded on the title as a metaphor for trying to get away from the horrible things that happen on the real world.
• Face on the Cover: The cover has the close up of the band members' faces arranged in different colors and a four figure grid.
• Intercourse with You: "If You Wear That Velvet Dress"
• Location Song: "Miami", as the song is based on the band's experiences in the city while taking a break from the album's recording sessions.
• Mood Whiplash: The heavy techno-rock "Mofo" is later followed up by the mellower, more traditional U2-sounding "If God Will Send His Angels".
• One-Word Title: "Mofo", "Gone", "Miami" and "Please". Also the album name. Pop.
• Perishing Alt-Rock Voice: Pop is pretty notable for featuring Bono's most restrained vocal performances. Even the most powerful vocals that he's very known for are much more limited in the album.
• Precision F-Strike: "Wake Up Dead Man" has the only known F-word used in their discography.
• Protest Song: "Please" is about The Troubles, painting a clear picture of the war that was dominating the streets at the time, and pleading for politicians to stop fueling the flames and actually do something about it.
• Rearrange the Song: Owing to the rushed state of the album, a lot of the songs were performed live differently from their studio counterpart. Some of those versions ended up in their The Best of 1990-2000 and a rerecorded version of "Please" was released as a promotional single for the album.
• Religion Rant Song: The lyrics in "Please" can be interpreted as how much political leaders twist their own vision towards God and how they can negatively impact the people they were meant to protect.
• Rock Star Song: "Gone", which according to Bono in the U2 by U2 biography, is a portrait of a young rock star cutting himself free from responsibilities and just enjoying the ride.
• Scatting: Present a few times in "Miami".
• Shout-Out: The line "Stuck together with God's glue" was lifted from the title of the album by the Irish rock band Something Happens.
• Unusual Euphemism: A non-explicit example; the line "And the Cartoon Network turns into the news" in "If God Will Send His Angels" for something lighthearted to cut into the Breaking News covering a tragic event.