How to Dismantle an Addiction
And reassemble your life
20 years ago, U2 released the album “How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb.”
While it is not among their best albums, it represents the second release in the band’s attempt to recover from their experimental releases of the late 1990s (think Pop album).
As a dedicated U2 fan since Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum (late 1980s), I’m always excited for new music from the band.
Atomic Bomb featured some songs I love. “Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own” spoke to me as it discusses Bono’s tortured relationship with his father (who passed away just before the album was recorded).
“One Step Closer” is a beautiful piece of music — a song about the spirit.
And, Barack Obama used “City of Blinding Lights” for his onstage music during his 2008 campaign — the refrain “Oh, you look so beautiful tonight” always made me think Obama viewed America as beautiful, full of possibility.
Today, U2 re-released the Atomic Bomb album — this time, with 10 new tracks, 5 of which are new releases. All from the recording sessions for the original album. These “new” songs are referred to as “How to Reassemble an Atomic Bomb.”
My favorite of the new ones is “Happiness.” It’s just — it’s fun and a bit of a…
