The other day I saw a tweet by U2Start.com about ranking every U2 album by ranking every U2 song. I thought it might be fun and wanted to share my results. First I want to rank every U2 album in the order of which I like them and then see if the math supports it after I rank each song from each album (although I would prefer to include the b-sides).

Here’s what I thought my favorite U2 albums were (before the ranking):

1. The Joshua Tree
2. Rattle and Hum
3. Achtung Baby
4. All That You Can’t Leave Behind
5. No Line on the Horizon
6. Pop
7. Unforgettable Fire
8. October
9. Zooropa
10. War
11. Boy
12. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

Here are my rankings:

BOY 

I Will Follow………………………..= 7/10
Twilight………………………………= 8/10
An Cat Dubh……………………….= 6/10
Into The Heart……………………..= 6/10
Out Of Control……………………..= 9/10
Stories For Boys………………….= 9/10
The Ocean………………………….= 6/10
A Day Without Me………………..= 9/10
Another Time, Another Place..= 7/10
The Electric Co……………………..= 8/10
Shadows And Tall Trees………….= 6/10

Average…………………………… = 7.4

OCTOBER

Gloria………………………………….= 9/10
I Fall Down ………………………..= 8/10
I Threw A Brick Through…….= 8/10
Rejoice……………………………….= 10/10
Fire……………………………………= 8/10
Tomorrow…………………………..= 9/10
October……………………………..= 10/10
With A Shout (Jer.) …………….= 8/10
Stranger In A Strange Land..= 8/10
Scarlet………………………………..= 8/10
Is That All?………………………….= 8/10

Average…………………………… = 8.6

WAR

Sunday Bloody Sunday……..= 9/10
New Year’s Day………………..= 9/10
Seconds……………………………= 8/10
Like A Song………………………= 9/10
Drowning Man………………….= 8/10
The Refugee……………………..= 8/10
Two Hearts Beat As One…..= 9/10
Red Light………………………….= 7/10
Surrender…………………………= 7/10
”40”………………………………….= 9/10

Average…………………………… = 8.3

THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE

A Sort Of Homecoming …………= 9/10
Pride (In The Name of Love)…= 10/10
Wire……………………………………..= 8/10
The Unforgettable Fire …………= 9/10
Promenade………………………….= 9/10
4th of July……………………………= 6/10
Bad………………………………………= 10/10
Indian Summer Sky………………= 9/10
Elvis Presley And America…….= 7/10
MLK……………………………………..= 8/10

Average…………………………… = 8.5

THE JOSHUA TREE

Where The Streets Have………….= 9/10
I Still Haven’t Found ……………. ..= 10/10
With Or Without You………………= 9/10
Bullet The Blue Sky ……………….= 7/10
Running To Stand Still…………….= 10/10
Red Hill Mining Town………………= 10/10
In God’s Country……………………= 10/10
Trip Through your Wires…………= 10/10
One Tree Hill………………………….= 10/10
Exit ………………………………………= 10/10
Mother Of The Disappeared……..= 7/10

Average…………………………… = 9.3

RATTLE AND HUM

Helter Skelter……………………..= 8/10
Van Diemen’s Land………………= 7/10
Desire……………………………….= 9/10
Hawkmoon 269…………………..= 9/10
All Along The Watchtower………= 8/10
I Still Haven’t Found …………….= 10/10
Freedom For My People……….= No rating (Not U2 song)
Silver And Gold…………………..= 10/10
Pride (In The Name Of Love)…..= 10/10
Angel Of Harlem………………….= 10/10
Love Rescue Me………………….= 10/10
When love Comes To Town……= 9/10
Heartland…………………………..= 10/10
God Part II………………………….= 9/10
The Starspangled Banner………= No rating (pre-recorded version)
Bullet The Blue Sky …………….= 7/10
All I Want Is You………………….= 9/10

Average…………………………… = 9

ACHTUNG BABY

Zoo Station………………………..= 9/10
Even Better Than The Real…..= 8/10
One………………………………….= 10/10
Until The End Of The World …..= 8/10
Who’s Gonna Ride Your W….. = 10/10
So Cruel …………………………….= 10/10
The Fly……………………………….= 9/10
Mysterious Ways……………….= 9/10
Tryin’ To Throw Your Arms……= 9/10
Ultraviolet……………………………= 9/10
Acrobat………………………………= 10/10
Love Is Blindness………………..= 9/10

Average…………………………… = 9.2

ZOOROPA

Zooropa………………………………= 9/10
Babyface…………………………….= 7/10
Numb…………………………………= 8/10
Lemon……………………………….= 7/10
Stay………………………………….= 8/10
Daddy’s Gonna Pay For…………= 7/10
Some Days Are Better… ……….= 8/10
The First Time………………………= 9/10
Dirty Day…………………………….= 9/10
The Wanderer………………………= 9/10

Average…………………………… = 8.1

POP

Discoteque………………………….= 9/10
Do You Feel Loved………………. = 9/10
Mofo………………………………….= 7/10
If God Will Send His Angels…….= 9/10
Staring At The Sun……………….= 10/10
Last Night On Earth………………= 9/10
Gone…………………………………= 10/10
Miami…………………………………= 7/10
The Playboy Mansion…………….= 7/10
If You Wear That Velvet………….= 8/10
Please……………………………….= 10/10
Wake Up Dead Man………………= 7/10

Average…………………………… = 8.5

ALL THAT YOU CAN’T LEAVE BEHIND

Beautiful Day………………………= 9/10
Stuck in A Moment………………= 9/10
Elevation……………………………= 9/10
Walk On…………………………….= 10/10
Kite…………………………………..= 8/10
In A Little While…………………..= 10/10
Wild Honey………………………..= 8/10
Peace On Earth………………….= 7/10
When I Look At The World…….= 9/10
New York………………………….= 7/10
Grace……………………………….= 7/10

Average…………………………… = 8.5

HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOMB

Vertigo………………………………= 8/10
Miracle Drug………………………= 7/10
Sometimes You Can’t Make…. = 8/10
Love And Peace Or Else………= 10/10
City Of Blinding Lights…………= 8/10
All Because Of You…………….= 7/10
A Man And A Woman………….= 7/10
Crumbs From Your Table……..= 7/10
One Step Closer…………………= 6/10
Original Of The Species………..= 10/10
Yahweh…………………………….= 8/10

Average…………………………… = 7.8

NO LINE ON THE HORIZON

NLOTH………………………………= 9/10
Magnificent…………………………= 9/10
Moment Of Surrender………….. = 9/10
Unknown Caller……………………..= 8/10
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight….= 9/10
Get On Your Boots…………….= 10/10
Stand Up Comedy………………..= 8/10
Fez / Being Born………………..= 7/10
White As Snow…………………..= 7/10
Breathe…………………………..= 10/10
Cedars Of Lebanon………………..= 7/10

Average…………………………… = 8.5

Here are my Favorite U2 Albums (after the ranking):

1. The Joshua Tree 9.3
2. Achtung Baby 9.2
3. Rattle and Hum 9.0
4. October 8.6
5. All That You Can’t Leave Behind 8.5
6. No Line on the Horizon 8.5
7. Pop 8.5
8. Unforgettable Fire 8.5
9. War 8.3
10. Zooropa 8.1
11. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb 7.8
12. Boy 7.4

These results are very interesting to me. The most shocking is October is 4th! I knew I loved October, but I did not think it would rank higher than All That You Can’t Leave Behind! It was only 1/10 higher though. The other shocking result was Boy ranking lower than How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. I am really not a fan of HTDAAB or the Vertigo Tour. And I have to qualify Achtung Baby being second in between The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum. I always say that AB is my second favorite U2 album because I consider JT and RnH the same album, the latter just an extension of the first. If I had also ranked the b-sides of all the albums, The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum would have surely been first and second.

Try ranking every U2 album by songs and tweet me your results @OnTheRoadWithU2.