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The Making of U2's One
U2’s 1987 album The Joshua Tree was a triumph. It won a Grammy for Album of the Year and elevated U2 from an arena act to a stadium band. The resulting tour was made into a documentary film called Rattle and Hum. U2's intention was to praise American blues and gospel music. Instead, the band was seen as attempting to lecture audiences on the history of roots music. Critics labeled the film a pretentious vanity project and excoriated U2 for arrogance and hubris.
The band (Bono, Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton) were stung by reviews. They returned to Dublin and took a break from music. In 1990, they were ready to record a new album. Bono and Edge wanted to go in a new direction focusing on electronic dance music.
Bono was influenced by experimental German bands like Kraftwerk and Einstürzende Neubauten tapping into club culture and industrial sounds. While The Joshua Tree derived inspiration from the American Southwest, U2 would record their next album in Berlin. The Berlin Wall had fallen and the band hoped to be inspired by the reunification of Germany.
U2 chose to record at Hansa Studios in Potsdamer Platz. Just 150 yards from the fallen western wall, Hansa Studios was where David Bowie recorded Low and Iggy Pop recorded Lust for Life. U2’s new album would be called Achtung Baby. In a 2011 documentary about the making of the album, U2 recalled…
