10 Huge Rock Artists That Went Electronic (And Nailed It)

The entire aesthetic of the '90s was pretty much designed to kill bands like U2. Since the Joshua Tree made them into global superstars headlining stadiums around the world, how the hell were they supposed to fit in in the same decade where anti rock stars like Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley were climbing the charts? Just before the atomic bomb of Nevermind dropped though, U2 got in on the ground floor of electronica on Achtung Baby.

Being inspired by the work of David Bowie's Berlin period, the band traveled out of their comfort zone and nearly broke up trying to get this record made. While the result is definitely larger than life, what makes it work is that subtle hint of irony that's laced throughout every song on here. From the moment that Bono stepped onstage for the Zoo TV tour, you knew that his approach was much more of a parody of the rich rock star lifestyle, down to the live version of Until the End of the World ending with him shouting "is this rock and roll?."

When it's not reaching for greater heights like that, the electronics can really hit you in the feels as well, especially when they tone things down on songs like Ultraviolet, where Bono lays his heart out on a slab right beside the Edge's delayed guitar work. In this industry, it's easy to get jaded, but U2 managed to take that pent up aggression and make something that felt much more sympathetic. For all of the added effects that they wanted to put into this album, you never forget the humans that are playing at the center of it all.