Bono
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (/ˈbɒnoʊ/), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist.[1] He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2.
Bono | |
|---|---|
Bono performing on the Joshua Tree Tour 2017 in Indianapolis | |
| Born | Paul David Hewson 10 May 1960 |
| Other names | Bono Vox |
| Education | Mount Temple Comprehensive School |
| Occupations |
|
| Organization | One Campaign |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, including Eve and Elijah |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) |
|
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | U2 |
| Signature | |
Born and raised in Dublin, he attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where in 1976 he began dating his future wife, Alison Stewart, as well as forming, with schoolmates, the band that became U2.[2][3] Bono soon established himself as a passionate frontman for the band through his expressive vocal style and grandiose gestures and songwriting. His lyrics frequently include social and political themes, and religious imagery inspired by his Christian beliefs.[4][5] During U2's early years, Bono's lyrics contributed to the group's rebellious and spiritual tone.[4] As the band matured, his lyrics became inspired more by personal experiences shared with the other members.[2][4] As a member of U2, Bono has received 22 Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Aside from his music, Bono is an activist for social justice causes, both through U2 and as an individual. He is particularly active in campaigning for Africa, for which he co-founded DATA, EDUN, the ONE Campaign, and Product Red.[2][6] In pursuit of these causes, he has participated in benefit concerts and lobbied politicians and heads of state for relief.[6][7][8] Bono has been honoured for his philanthropic efforts.[9][10][11] In 2005, Bono was named one of the Time Persons of the Year. He was granted an honorary knighthood by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 2007 for "his services to the music industry and for his humanitarian work", and was made a Commandeur of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) in 2013.[9][12][13] Bono has also attracted criticism for bypassing African businesses in his activist efforts and for tax avoidance in his personal finances.
Outside the band, he has recorded with numerous artists.[14][15][16] He has collaborated with U2 bandmate the Edge on several projects, including: songs for Roy Orbison, Tina Turner, and Martin Garrix; and the soundtracks to the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and a London stage adaptation of A Clockwork Orange. In business, he invested in the refurbishment of the Clarence Hotel in Dublin, and was managing director and a managing partner of the private equity firm Elevation Partners, which invested in several companies.[17][18][19]
Early life
Bono was born Paul David Hewson in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin on 10 May 1960,[20] the second child of Iris (née Rankin) and Brendan Robert "Bob" Hewson. Bono's brother, Norman, is eight years his senior. Bono was raised in the Northside suburb of Finglas.[21][22] The Hewson household was an interdenominational Christian one; Bono's mother was a member of the Church of Ireland, and his father was a Roman Catholic.[23][2] His parents initially agreed that the first child would be raised Anglican and the second Catholic.[24] Although Bono was the second child, he also attended Church of Ireland services with his mother and brother,[24] while his father also brought him to Mass at the nearby Catholic church, St Canice's.[25] In 2000, Bono learned that Scott Rankin, a relative he thought to be his cousin, was actually his half-brother; Rankin was the offspring of an affair that Bob Hewson had with his wife's sister Barbara.[26]
Bono attended the local primary school, Glasnevin National School.[27] His teenage musical idols were Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, David Bowie and Marc Bolan of T. Rex.[28]
Bono's mother died on 10 September 1974, after developing a cerebral aneurysm at her father's funeral.[2] Many U2 songs, including "I Will Follow", "Mofo", "Out of Control", "Lemon" and "Tomorrow", focus on the loss of his mother.[2][29][30] He said "because of the way I grew up in Finglas -- sleeping on a couch, or because my mother died when I was a kid, I was in the house on my own a lot of the time, so I'd knock on the door of the Hanveys at teatime, or the Rowens at lunchtime."[31]
After attending St. Patrick's Cathedral Grammar School for a year, Bono moved to Mount Temple Comprehensive School, a multi-denominational school in Clontarf.[32] During his childhood and adolescence, Bono and his friends were part of a surrealist street gang called "Lypton Village". Two of his closest childhood friends, the artist Guggi and the musician Gavin Friday, lived on the same street; Guggi was also in Lypton Village. The gang had a ritual of giving nicknames. Bono had several names: first, he was known as "Steinhegvanhuysenolegbangbangbang",[33] then just "Huyseman", followed by "Houseman", "Bon Murray", "Bono Vox of O'Connell Street", and finally just "Bono".[2] "Bono Vox" is an alteration of Bonavox, which was the name of a hearing aid shop in Dublin.[25][34] The name derives from the Latin phrase for "good voice". The nickname was given by Guggi; Bono initially disliked it but after learning of its translation, he accepted it. Hewson has been known as "Bono" since the age of 14 or 15.[25] In addition to it being his stage name, close family, friends and fellow band members also refer to him as Bono.[2]
After Bono left school,[when?] his father told him he could live at home for one year, but if he was not able to pay his own way, he would have to leave the house.[35]
Musical career
U2
On 25 September 1976, Bono, David Evans ("The Edge"), his brother Dik Evans, and Adam Clayton responded to an advertisement on a bulletin board at Mount Temple posted by fellow student Larry Mullen Jr. seeking people interested in forming a rock band. The band had occasional jam sessions in which they did covers of other bands. Tired of long guitar solos and hard rock, Bono wanted to play The Rolling Stones and Beach Boys songs.[36] The band could not play covers very well, so they started writing their own songs.[37]
The band went by the name "Feedback" for a few months, before changing to "The Hype" later on. After Dik Evans left the group to join another local band, the Virgin Prunes, the remaining four officially changed the name from "The Hype" to "U2". Initially Bono sang, played guitar and wrote the band's songs. He said of his early guitar playing in a 1982 interview, "When we started out I was the guitar player, along with the Edge—except I couldn't play guitar. I still can't. I was such a lousy guitar player that one day they broke it to me that maybe I should sing instead. I had tried before, but I had no voice at all. I remember the day I found I could sing. I said, 'Oh, that's how you do it.'"[38] When The Edge's guitar playing improved, Bono was relegated mostly to the microphone, although he occasionally still plays rhythm guitar and harmonica. As of 2006, Bono has taken piano lessons from his children's piano teacher as a means to improve his songwriting.[39]
On 13 July 1985, U2 performed at the Live Aid benefit concert at Wembley Stadium before a crowd of 72,000 fans and a worldwide television audience of 1.5 billion people.[40][41] During a 12-minute performance of "Bad", Bono climbed down from the stage to embrace and dance with a female fan he had picked out of the crowd,[40] showing television viewers the personal connection that he could make with audiences.[42] Bono's impromptu departure from the stage extended the length of "Bad", cutting into their allotted time and forcing them to drop "Pride (In the Name of Love)", their biggest hit at the time, from their setlist. The group initially regarded the concert as a missed opportunity,[40] but many journalists called their performance one of the show's highlights;[41] The Guardian cited Live Aid as the event that made stars of U2 and their performance as one of 50 key events in rock history.[43]
Bono writes the lyrics for almost all U2 songs, which often have social and political themes.[4] His lyrics frequently allude to a religious connection or meaning, evident in songs such as "Gloria" from the band's album October and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" from The Joshua Tree.[5] During the band's early years, Bono was known for his rebellious tone which turned to political anger and rage during the band's War, The Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum eras.[4] Following the Enniskillen bombing that left 11 dead and 63 injured on 8 November 1987, the Provisional IRA paramilitaries threatened to kidnap Bono.[2] IRA supporters also attacked a vehicle carrying the band members.[2] These acts were in response to his speech condemning the Enniskillen bombing during a live performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday".[2] Bono had been advised to cut his on-stage outburst from the Rattle and Hum film, but it was left in.[44]
The film also contains footage of the band's 11 November 1987 free "Save the Yuppies" concert at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco, during which Bono spray-painted "Rock N Roll Stops the Traffic" on the Vaillancourt Fountain sculpture. Bono was criticised by Mayor Dianne Feinstein and faced a misdemeanor for defacing public property. He apologised in a written statement to local officials, and the band's promoter Bill Graham agreed to pay to clean up the graffiti.[45] With the band feeling a sense of musical stagnation towards the end of the Lovetown Tour, Bono hinted at changes to come during a 30 December 1989 concert; before a hometown crowd in Dublin, he said on stage that it was "the end of something for U2", and that "we have to go away and ... dream it all up again".[46][47]
U2's sound and focus dramatically changed with their 1991 album, Achtung Baby. Bono's lyrics became more personal, inspired by experiences related to the private lives of the members of the band.[2][4] During the band's 1992–1993 Zoo TV Tour, Bono assumed a number of costumed stage personae in an attempt to be more lighthearted and escape the group's reputation of being overly serious and self-righteous.[48] Bono said: "All through the Eighties we tried to be ourselves and failed when the lights were on. Which is what set us up for Zoo TV. We decided to have some fun being other people, or at least other versions of ourselves."[49] Bono's primary persona during the tour was "the Fly", which originated from him wearing an oversized pair of blaxploitation sunglasses, given to him by wardrobe manager Fintan Fitzgerald, to lighten the mood in the studio.[50][51] He developed the persona into a leather-clad egomaniac, and described his outfit as having Lou Reed's glasses, Elvis Presley's jacket, and Jim Morrison's leather trousers.[52] To match the character's dark fashion, Bono dyed his naturally-brown hair black.[53] In contrast to his earnest stage demeanour of the 1980s, as the Fly, Bono strutted around the stage with "swagger and style", exhibiting mannerisms of an egotistical rock star.[54] He often stayed in character as the Fly away from the stage, including for public appearances and when staying in hotels.[55]
For his "Mirror Ball Man" stage character, Bono dressed in a shining silver lamé suit with matching shoes and cowboy hat.[56] The character was meant to parody greedy American televangelists, showmen, and car salesman, and was inspired by Phil Ochs' Elvis persona from his 1970 tour.[57] Bono said that the character represented "a kind of showman America. He had the confidence and charm to pick up a mirror and look at himself and give the glass a big kiss. He loved cash and in his mind success was God's blessing."[58] Mirror Ball Man appeared during encores of concerts in 1992 and made prank calls from the stage, often to the White House in an attempt to reach U.S. President George H. W. Bush.[56] Bono portrayed this alter ego on the first three legs of the tour, but replaced him with "MacPhisto" in 1993.[59] MacPhisto was created to parody the devil and was named after Mephistopheles of the Faust legend.[59] As MacPhisto, Bono wore a gold lamé suit with gold platform shoes, pale makeup, lipstick, and devil's horns on his head.[60] As the character, Bono spoke with an exaggerated upper-class English accent, similar to that of a down-on-his-luck character actor.[59] According to him, "We came up with a sort of old English Devil, a pop star long past his prime returning regularly from sessions on The Strip in Vegas and regaling anyone who would listen to him at cocktail hour with stories from the good old, bad old days."[61] As MacPhisto, Bono continued his routine of making in-concert prank calls, targeting local politicians and mocking them by engaging them in character as the devil;[62] he said, "When you're dressed as the Devil, your conversation is immediately loaded, so if you tell somebody you really like what they're doing, you know it's not a compliment."[61]
During performances, Bono attempts to interact with the crowd as often as possible. He is known for pulling audience members onto the stage or moving himself down to the physical level of the audience.[2] In 2005, during U2's Vertigo Tour stop in Chicago, he pulled a boy onto the stage during the song "An Cat Dubh / Into the Heart".[2][63] Bono has often allowed fans to come on stage and perform songs with the band.
While accepting the 2003 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "The Hands That Built America", Bono called the award "really, really fucking brilliant!" during the live television broadcast.[64] In response, the Parents Television Council condemned Bono for his profanity and started a campaign for its members to file complaints with the FCC.[65] Although Bono's use of "fuck" violated FCC indecency standards, the FCC refused to fine NBC because the network did not receive advance notice of the consequences of broadcasting such profanity and the profanity in question was not used in its literal sexual meaning.[66] In apparent reaction to the refusal,[67] a group of congressmen introduced House Resolution 3687, the "Clean Airwaves Act",[68] on 8 December 2003,[69] aiming to amend section 1464 of title 18 of the United States Code to provide an explicit list of profane words and phrases and remove ambiguity that could enable certain uses of the phrases to be allowed.[70] The bill was not enacted.[69] The incident has had a long-term impact in the handling of profanity on live broadcasts.[68]
U2 were criticised in 2007 for moving part of their multimillion-euro song catalogue from Ireland to Amsterdam six months before Ireland ended a tax exemption on musicians' royalties.[11][71] Under Dutch tax law, bands are subject to low to non-existent tax rates.[11] U2 manager Paul McGuinness stated that the arrangement was legal and customary and businesses often sought to minimise their tax burdens.[11] The move prompted criticisms in the Irish parliament.[72][73] The band later responded by stating that approximately 95% of their business took place outside Ireland, and that they were taxed globally because of this.[74] Bono was one of several wealthy figures whose tax arrangements were singled out for criticism in a report by the charity Christian Aid in 2008.[75]
Collaborations
In addition to his work with U2, Bono has collaborated with Frank Sinatra,[14] Johnny Cash,[15] Willie Nelson,[76] Luciano Pavarotti,[77] Sinéad O'Connor,[78] Green Day, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison,[79] Bob Dylan,[16] Patti Smith, Tina Turner,[80] B.B. King and Zucchero.[81][82][83] He has recorded with Ray Charles,[84] Quincy Jones, Kirk Franklin,[85] Bruce Springsteen,[86] Tony Bennett,[87] Clannad,[88] The Corrs,[89] Wyclef Jean,[90] Kylie Minogue,[91] Carl Perkins,[92] and Herbert Grönemeyer.[93] On Robbie Robertson's 1987 eponymous album, he played bass guitar and sang.[94] For Michael Hutchence's 1999 posthumous eponymous album, Bono and producer Andy Gill completed the unfinished song "Slide Away" by writing an additional verse and recording vocals by Bono.[95] In 2015, he collaborated with African stars D'banj, Waje and Omotola Jalade Ekeinde for a women's empowerment song entitled "Strong Girl".[96]
Bono and the Edge have written and recorded several songs together outside of U2. They wrote the musical score for the Royal Shakespeare Company's London stage adaptation of A Clockwork Orange, which opened in 1990. The duo also wrote the eponymous theme song of the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, which was performed by Tina Turner. Bono and the Edge ventured into theatre again when they composed the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark;[97] they were featured on the soundtrack's single "Rise Above 1" with Reeve Carney in 2011.[98][99] The duo collaborated with Jay-Z and Rihanna for the 2010 song "Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)", which benefitted the Hope for Haiti Now relief telethon for the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[100] Bono and the Edge were featured on the song "We Are the People" by Dutch DJ Martin Garrix, which served as the official song of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament and was released on 14 May 2021.[101]
On 17 March 2020, Bono performed a new song, "Let Your Love Be Known", via livestream to fans during the COVID-19 pandemic.[102] On 24 March, the song was released on YouTube,[103] retitled "#SING4LIFE", as a collaboration with will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson, and Yoshiki.[104]
Musical style
Vocals
Bono is known for his impassioned vocal style, often delivered in a high register through open-throated belting.[105][106][107][108] Bono has been classified as a tenor,[109][110] and according to him has a three-octave vocal range;[111] one analysis found it to span from C♯2 to G♯5 on studio recordings over the course of his career.[112] He frequently employs "whoa-oh-oh" vocalisations in his singing.[113] Rock musician Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day said: "He's a physical singer, like the leader of a gospel choir, and he gets lost in the melodic moment. He goes to a place outside himself, especially in front of an audience, when he hits those high notes." He added that Bono is "not afraid to go beyond what he's capable of".[114]
In the early days of U2, Bono unintentionally developed an English vocal accent as a result of him mimicking his musical influences such as Siouxsie and the Banshees.[115] His vocal style evolved during the band's exploration of roots music for The Joshua Tree; Spin said that he learned to command "the full whisper-to-shout range of blues mannerisms".[116] Bono attributed this maturation to "loosening up", "discover[ing] other voices", and employing more restraint in his singing.[117] For "Where the Streets Have No Name", Bono varied the timbre of his voice extensively and used rubato to vary its timing,[118] while author Susan Fast found "With or Without You" to be the first track on which he "extended his vocal range downward in an appreciable way".[119]
Bono continued to explore a lower range in the 1990s, using what Fast described as "breathy and subdued colors" for Achtung Baby.[120] One technique used on the album is octave doubling, in which his vocals are sung in two different octaves, either simultaneously or alternating between verses and choruses. According to Fast, this technique introduces "a contrasting lyrical idea and vocal character to deliver it", leading to both literal and ironic interpretations of Bono's vocals.[121] On tracks such as "Zoo Station" and "The Fly", his vocals were highly processed,[109][122][123] giving them a different emotional feel from his previous work.[124] Bono said that lowering his voice helped him find a new vocal vocabulary, as he previously felt limited to "certain words and tones" by his tenor voice.[125] His singing on Zooropa was an even further departure from U2's previous style; throughout the record, Bono "underplay[ed] his lung power", according to Jon Pareles,[126] and he also used an operatic falsetto he calls the "Fat Lady" voice on the tracks "Lemon" and "Numb".[61][127]
Activism and philanthropy
Bono has been involved in philanthropy and activism for human rights and social justice causes, both as a member of U2 and as an individual. He explained that he was motivated to become involved in social and political causes by seeing one of the Secret Policeman's Ball benefit shows, staged by Monty Python member John Cleese and producer Martin Lewis for the human-rights organisation Amnesty International in 1979.[128] Bono stated, "I saw The Secret Policeman's Ball and it became a part of me. It sowed a seed...".[129]
In 1984, musician Bob Geldof enlisted Bono to participate in the Band Aid charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?";[130] Bono reprised his singing role for the 2004 Band Aid 20 and 2014 Band Aid 30 singles of the same name. In July 1985, U2 performed at the Live Aid charity concert, which was organised by Geldof to benefit the Ethiopian famine;[131] he and Bono later collaborated to organise the 20th anniversary Live 8 concerts in 2005, at which U2 also performed.[8]
From September to October 1985, Bono and his wife Ali Hewson made a humanitarian visit to Africa, spending a month working at a feeding center in Ajibar, Ethiopia.[132] Along with other volunteers, they developed an educational programme consisting of songs and one-act plays to teach Ethiopian children important information about issues such as health and hygiene.[133] During the trip, he also became aware of the corruption, trade agreements, and debts that were all claimed to be contributing factors to the famine and poverty in Africa.[133] The trip was cited as fueling Bono's passion for African issues that would come to characterise his future philanthropic and activist efforts.[132][133]
In 1986, Bono and U2 performed on Amnesty International's Conspiracy of Hope Tour of benefit concerts in the United States,[7] alongside musicians such as Sting and Bryan Adams.
Since 1999, Bono has become increasingly involved with raising awareness of the plight of Africa and campaigning on its behalf. From 1999 to 2000, Bono was involved with the Jubilee 2000 coalition, working as an activist on its Drop the Debt campaign. He met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, and with U.S. Republican politicians such as Jesse Helms, John Kasich, Orrin Hatch, J. Dennis Hastert, and Dick Armey in an effort to secure bipartisan support for the U.S. forgiving the debt of developing countries.[134] He has met with several influential politicians, including former U.S. President George W. Bush and former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.[135] During a March 2002 visit to the White House, Bono lobbied Bush to provide financial assistance to developing countries.[135][136] The following year, Bush signed legislation authorising the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program,[137] which has been credited with saving 17 million lives over its lifetime.[138] Bush told Bono that the initiative "never would have made it out of Congress had [Bono] not been engaged".[139]
The advocacy non-government organisation (NGO) DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) was established in 2002 by Bono and Bobby Shriver, along with activists from Drop the Debt.[140] The organisation was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, George Soros, and Edward W. Scott.[141] In 2004, Bono and Shriver co-founded the One Campaign, with the aim of eliminating extreme poverty and disease in Africa by building citizen support.[142][143] The organisation received a $3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.[144] In 2006, Bono and Shriver collaborated again to found (Red), an organization that licenses the Product Red brand to partner companies to raise money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Each company creates a product with the Product Red logo, and a percentage of the profits from the sale of these labelled products benefit the Global Fund.[145] Partner companies include American Express, Apple, Converse, Motorola, Microsoft, Dell, The Gap, Giorgio Armani,[146][147] Nike, and Starbucks; Bono was involved with securing most of Red's corporate partners.[148] In October 2007, it was announced that DATA and One Campaign would merge in the United States and that the new organization would be known simply as One.[142] Red currently operates as a sister organisation of One.[143] As of December 2018, One has 10 million members, 3 million of whom are in Africa.[143] As of December 2020, Red has generated $650 million to support HIV/AIDS grants.[149]
In 2005, Bono recorded a version of "Don't Give Up" with Alicia Keys, with proceeds going to Keep a Child Alive.[150]
Bono has spoken at numerous events on behalf of his activist efforts. He spoke at the 54th Annual National Prayer Breakfast on 2 February 2006, encouraging the care of the socially and economically depressed and calling for an extra one percent tithe of the United States' national budget.[6] He has made multiple appearances at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.[151][152][153][154]
Bono was a special guest editor of the July 2007 issue of Vanity Fair magazine, named "The Africa Issue: Politics & Power". It featured an assortment of 20 different covers, with photographs by Annie Leibovitz of a number of celebrities, political leaders, and philanthropists, each showcasing their contributions to the humanitarian relief in Africa.[155]
In 2021, Bono lent his voice to One's animated series Pandemica, which was created to raise awareness of the importance of vaccines in ending the COVID-19 pandemic and the inequalities in worldwide vaccine availability.[156]
In 2022, Bono supported Ukraine's resistance to being invaded by Russia. A poem written by Bono about Saint Patrick and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine was recited by Nancy Pelosi at a White House event for Saint Patrick's Day, on 17 March 2022. The poem was widely derided by the public.[157][158][159][160] In early April, Bono and the Edge recorded an acoustic rendition of "Walk On" for Global Citizen's Stand Up for Ukraine livestream, which was organised to urge world leaders to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees.[161] On 8 May 2022, as a show of solidarity for Ukrainians and at the invitation of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Bono and the Edge performed in a Kyiv metro station that was being used as a makeshift bomb shelter.[162]
Efficacy and analysis
Bono has become one of the world's best-known philanthropic performers and was named the most politically effective celebrity of all time by the National Journal.[163][164][165] He has been dubbed "the face of fusion philanthropy",[166] both for his success enlisting powerful allies from a diverse spectrum of leaders in government, religious institutions, philanthropic organisations, popular media, and the business world, as well as for spearheading new organizational networks that bind global humanitarian relief with geopolitical activism and corporate commercial enterprise.[13]
On 15 December 2005, Paul Theroux published an op-ed in The New York Times called "The Rock Star's Burden" (cf. Kipling's "The White Man's Burden") that criticised stars such as Bono, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie, labelling them as "mythomaniacs, people who wish to convince the world of their worth." Theroux, who lived in Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer, added that "the impression that Africa is fatally troubled and can be saved only by outside help—not to mention celebrities and charity concerts—is a destructive and misleading conceit."[167]
In February 2006, Bono responded to his critics by calling them "cranks carping from the sidelines. A lot of them wouldn't know what to do if they were on the field. They're the party who will always be in opposition so they'll never have to take responsibility for decisions because they know they'll never be able to implement them."[168]
In an article in Bloomberg Markets in March 2007, journalists Richard Tomlinson and Fergal O'Brien noted that Bono used his band's 2006 Vertigo world tour to promote his ONE Campaign while at the same time "U2 was racking up $389 million in gross ticket receipts, making Vertigo the second-most lucrative tour of all time, according to Billboard magazine ... Revenue from the Vertigo tour is funnelled through companies that are mostly registered in Ireland and structured to minimise taxes."[169]
Further criticism came in November 2007, when Bono's various charity campaigns were targeted by Jobs Selasie, head of African Aid Action. Selasie claimed that these charities had increased corruption and dependency in Africa because they failed to work with African entrepreneurs and grassroots organisations, and as a result, Africa has become more dependent on international handouts.[170]
Other creative works
Film
Bono was an executive producer of the 2000 film The Million Dollar Hotel, which was developed from a story by him and Nicholas Klein. It starred Jeremy Davies, Milla Jovovich, and Mel Gibson.[171]
In the 2007 musical film Across the Universe, Bono made a cameo appearance during a psychedelic sequence, portraying the character "Dr. Robert" and singing the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus".[172]
Bono voiced a character in the 2021 animated musical film Sing 2, the lion rock legend Clay Calloway.[173]
Writings
Bono's memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, was released on 1 November 2022. He promoted it with a 14-city book tour across North America and Europe called "Stories of Surrender" that started on 2 November.[174] The book debuted at number two on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for the week ending 5 November 2022.[175]
Business ventures
In 1992, Bono, along with the Edge, bought and refurbished Dublin's two-star 70-bedroom Clarence Hotel, and converted it into a five-star 49-bedroom hotel.[19] In 2019, they sold the hotel leasehold, but they continue to own the building with Paddy McKillen Sr.[176]
In 2005, Bono, Ali Hewson, and designer Rogan Gregory co-founded the EDUN fashion label ("nude" spelled backwards, to suggest both "natural" and the Garden of Eden).[177] It was intended to help bring about positive change in Africa through a fair trade-based relationship rather than by direct aid.[178][179]
Bono was a board member of the Elevation Partners private-equity firm, which attempted to purchase Eidos Interactive in 2005 and subsequently invested in other entertainment businesses.[18][180] Bono was an investor in the Forbes Media group in the U.S. through Elevation Partners; his firm took a minority stake in Forbes Media, which encompassed the 89-year-old business that includes Forbes magazine, the Forbes.com website, and other assets. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but reports said the stake was worth about €194 million ($250 million).[181][182][183] Elevation Partners also owned a 1.5 percent stake in social networking site Facebook, originally purchased for $210 million.[17] Although it was reported that Bono's stake was valued at approximately US$1 billion in February 2012,[184][185] a 2015 article in Forbes stated that this estimate was based on an incorrect attribution of shares.[186]
In 2016, Bono invested in and joined the board of directors of the "Rise Fund", a new $2 billion impact investment fund founded by TPG.[187] Rise's investments fell across seven sectors, including agriculture, education, and healthcare, and were made into companies making "a measurable positive social and/or environmental impact".[188] In 2019, Bono and TPG announced the creation of Y Analytics, a company intended to measure the social and environmental impacts of investments.[189]
Bono was among those named in the 2017 Paradise Papers after he was identified as an investor in Nude Estates, which bought a shopping mall in Lithuania in 2007 and transferred ownership to Nude Estates 1 in Guernsey, in an apparent attempt to avoid tax. Bono welcomed the subsequent investigation by the Lithuanian tax authority, saying that transparency was necessary and he had personally campaigned for it.[190] Nude Estates paid €53,000 in taxes and fines after the investigation was completed and Bono severed ties with the company.[191]
In September 2019, Bono joined the board of directors of Zipline.[192]
Awards and recognition
Bono has won numerous awards with U2, including 22 Grammy Awards[10] and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Song (for "The Hands That Built America" in 2003 and "Ordinary Love" in 2014).[193][194] In 2005, Bono was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of U2, in the group's first year of eligibility.[195] In November 2008, Rolling Stone ranked Bono the 32nd-greatest singer of all time,[114] while Consequence of Sound also ranked him 32nd on its 2016 list.[196] In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked Bono and the Edge at number 35 on its list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time.[197]
In 2003, Bono received the Legion of Honour from the French government,[198] and the MusiCares Person of the Year award.[199] The following year he was awarded the Pablo Neruda International Presidential Medal of Honour from the Government of Chile.[200] Time included Bono on its annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in 2004[201] and 2006.[202] In 2005, the magazine named him, Bill and Melinda Gates the Persons of the Year.[13] Also in 2005, he received the Portuguese Order of Liberty for his humanitarian work.[203] That year Bono was also among the first three recipients of the TED Prize, which grants each winner a "wish to change the world".[204] Bono made three wishes,[205] the first two related to the One Campaign and the third that every hospital, health clinic, and school in Ethiopia could be connected to the Internet. TED rejected the third wish as being a sub-optimal way for TED to help Africa[205] and instead organised a TED conference in Arusha, Tanzania. Bono attended the conference, which was held in June 2007.
In 2007, Bono received several honours. At the 38th NAACP Image Awards, he won the Chairman's Award.[206] He was named in the UK's New Year Honours List as an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.[12][207] He was formally granted honorary knighthood on 29 March in a ceremony at the residence of British Ambassador David Reddaway in Dublin, Ireland.[208] On 27 September, Bono and DATA received the Philadelphia Liberty Medal for their humanitarian efforts. While accepting the honour, Bono said, "When you are trapped by poverty, you are not free. When trade laws prevent you from selling the food you grew, you are not free." Bono donated the $100,000 prize to DATA; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala accepted the prize on the organisation's behalf.[209]
On 11 December 2008, Bono received the annual Man of Peace prize, which is awarded by several Nobel Peace Prize laureates in Paris, France.[210]
Time ranked Bono 8th on its list of the "Most Influential Celebrities" in 2013; he was the only person from the music industry in the Top 10.[211] In July 2013, he was honoured by the French government as a Commandeur de Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the country's highest cultural honour.[198]
In 2016, Glamour named him "Man of the Year", breaking the 26-year tradition that saw the "Woman of the Year" accolade reserved only for women. Bono was recognized for establishing a campaign called "Poverty is Sexist," which is "specifically aimed at helping the world's poorest women".[212] In 2018, he was the first recipient of the George W. Bush Medal for Distinguished Leadership, which was awarded by Bush's Presidential Center; the honour was in recognition of Bono's humanitarian work against poverty and HIV/AIDS.[213]
On 1 April 2022, Bono received the 2021 J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding from the Fulbright Association in recognition of his activist efforts.[214]
Personal life
Bono is married to activist and businesswoman Alison Hewson (née Stewart).[3] The couple have four children: daughters Jordan (born 10 May 1989) and Eve (born 7 July 1991) and sons Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q (born 17 August 1999) and John Abraham (born 20 May 2001).[215] Elijah is lead guitarist and vocalist in the rock band Inhaler.[216] In a 2022 interview, Bono revealed he had a half-brother, following a relationship that his father had, unknown to his mother.[217]
"Spending time with Bono was like eating dinner on a train—feels like you're moving, going somewhere. Bono's got the soul of an ancient poet and you have to be careful around him. He can roar 'till the earth shakes. He's also a closet philosopher...talks about the rightness, the richness, glory, beauty, wonder and magnificence of America."
In the late 1980s or early 1990s,[when?] Bono bought a top-floor duplex apartment in Manhattan's San Remo apartment building from Steve Jobs for $15 million. Jobs had renovated it for his own use, but never moved in.[219]
In 2004, Bono was given an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Pennsylvania.[220]
With regard to Bono's 2013 declarations in interviews published and videotaped of his faith in Jesus Christ,[221] he stated that Christ was either who he said he was, or he is "a complete and utter nutcase".[222] As early as 2005, Bono was invoking this argument,[223][224] identified as the "Lewis trilemma".
Health
Bono is almost never seen in public without sunglasses, as he has glaucoma.[225] During a Rolling Stone interview, he stated:
[I have] very sensitive eyes to light. If somebody takes my photograph, I will see the flash for the rest of the day. My right eye swells up. I've a blockage there, so that my eyes go red a lot. So it's part vanity, it's part privacy and part sensitivity.[226]
In May 2010, while rehearsing for a North American leg of the U2 360° Tour, Bono suffered a herniated disk and severe compression of the sciatic nerve,[227] and he was taken to a clinic in Munich for emergency neurosurgery.[228][229] The North American tour was postponed and rescheduled for 2011.[230][231]
On 16 November 2014, Bono was involved in a "high energy bicycle accident" when he attempted to avoid another rider in New York's Central Park. Bono was rushed to NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center's Emergency Department and underwent "multiple X-rays and CAT scans" followed by five hours of surgery. Bono sustained fractures of the shoulder blade, humerus, orbit and pinky finger. Orthopedic trauma surgeon Dean Lorich, MD, stated that "[Bono] was taken urgently to the operating room... where the elbow was washed out and debrided, a nerve trapped in the break was moved and the bone was repaired with three metal plates and 18 screws."[232][233] Bono posted to U2's official website, "As I write this, it is not clear that I will ever play guitar again," as reported in Cycling Weekly.[234][235]
In 2016, during the recording sessions for U2's album Songs of Experience, Bono had what the Edge called a "brush with mortality"; as a result of the episode, he decided to rework the album's lyrics.[236] The Irish Times reported that sometime in late 2016 between Christmas and New Year's Day, Bono had a near-death experience.[237] At the time, he did not specify what had happened,[238] but in his 2022 memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, he revealed that he had undergone open-heart surgery due to a "blister" that formed over time in his aorta as a result of having a bicuspid aortic valve.[239] The eight-hour operation was performed by David H. Adams at Mount Sinai Hospital, and Bono made a full recovery.[240]
Discography
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "Silver and Gold" (with Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood) | Sun City |
| 1992 | "Can't Help Falling in Love" | Honeymoon in Vegas |
| 1995 | "Hallelujah" | Tower of Song |
| "Save the Children" | Inner City Blues: The Music of Marvin Gaye | |
| 1997 | "Dreaming with Tears in Your Eyes" | The Songs of Jimmie Rodgers: A Tribute[241] |
| 2000 | "Never Let Me Go" (with the MDH Band), "Falling at Your Feet" (with Daniel Lanois), and "Dancin' Shoes" (with the MDH Band) | The Million Dollar Hotel |
| 2021 | "Eden (To Find Love)" | Citizen Penn[242] |
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Rattle and Hum | Himself | Rockumentary |
| 1998 | The Simpsons | Himself | TV series; one episode, "Trash of the Titans" |
| 1999 | Classic Albums | Himself | TV series; one episode, "The Joshua Tree" |
| Entropy | Himself | ||
| 2000 | The Million Dollar Hotel | Man in the hotel lobby | Uncredited cameo appearance, original storywriter, producer |
| Sightings of Bono | Himself | Short film | |
| 2005 | Entourage | Himself | TV series; one episode, "I Love You Too" |
| 2007 | Rewind | Himself | Rockumentary |
| Across The Universe | Dr. Robert | Sang the Beatles songs "I Am the Walrus" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" | |
| American Idol | Himself | TV series; "Idol Gives Back" | |
| 2008 | U2 3D | Himself | 3D concert film |
| 2009 | Entourage | Himself | TV series; one episode, "Give a Little Bit" |
| Brüno | Himself | Mockumentary comedy film | |
| 2011 | From the Sky Down | Himself | Rockumentary |
| Anton Corbijn Inside Out | Himself | ||
| 2012 | B.B. King – The Life of Riley | Himself | Documentary |
| The Resurrection of Victor Jara | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2013 | Arcade Fire in Here Comes The Night Time | Win Butler impersonator | NBC Special |
| Who the F**K Is Arthur Fogel | Himself | Documentary | |
| Muscle Shoals | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2017 | Lost in London | Himself | Voice cameo |
| 2021 | Sing 2 | Clay Calloway | Voice role |
| 2023 | Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman | Himself | Documentary |
In addition to his acting credits, Bono has contributed music to films, as part of U2 and other collaborations.
Honours
- (Chev. L.H.) (Knight): Chevalier dans l'Ordre de la Légion d'honneur (Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honour), France (28 February 2003)
- (OL): Oficial da Ordem da Liberdade (Officer of the Order of Liberty), Portugal (21 April 2005)[243][244]
- (KBE) Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, United Kingdom (20 January 2007)[245][246]
- Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters), France (16 July 2013)[247]
See also
- Timeline of U2
- List of peace activists
- A. bonoi, a species of spider in the genus Aptostichus named after Bono
References
- Footnotes
- ^ "Bono: A Global Rock Star and Activist". Oprah.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Assayas, Michka (2005). Bono on Bono: Conversations with Michka Assayas. London: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0-340-83276-9.
- ^ a b . atU2.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2010.; Moss, Vincent (24 December 2006). . Sunday Mirror. Archived from the original on 4 February 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2010.; McIntosh, Elise (3 October 2006). "In Music and Love, U2 Has Staying Power". Staten Island Advance.
- ^ a b c d e f "Bono: Biography from @U2". atU2.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ a b Stockman (2005)
- ^ a b c Bono. (February 2006). Remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast. Speech presented at Hilton Washington Hotel at Washington, DC.
- ^ a b Booth, Cathy (23 June 1986). "Conspiracy of Hope Tour". Time. Vol. 127, no. 25.
- ^ a b Wolinsky, David (31 May 2005). "DMB, U2 Lead Live 8 Shows". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 March 2021.p
- ^ a b Mellgren, D. (24 February 2006). Bono Among Nobel Peace Prize Nominees. Associated Press. Retrieved 14 January 2007, from Bono Among Nobel Peace Prize Nominees.
- ^ a b "U2 Artist". Grammy.com. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ a b c d Browning, Lynnley (4 February 2007). "The Netherlands, the New Tax Shelter Hot Spot". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
- ^ a b "Honorary knighthood for U2's Bono". BBC News. (23 December 2006). Retrieved 14 January 2007
- ^ a b c Gibbs, Nancy (26 December 2005 – 2 January 2006). "The Good Samaritans". Time. Vol. 166, no. 26. pp. 24–31. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ a b Simon, S. (Host). (13 November 1993). Weekend Edition Saturday. Washington, DC: National Public Radio.
- ^ a b . Lost Highway Records. 10 October 2005. Archived from the original on 24 October 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ a b Bono (10 August 1984). BONO, BOB AND VAN. Hot Press.
- ^ a b . Billboard. 18 May 2012. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ a b Elevation Partners. (2007). Introduction to Elevation Partners 3 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ a b The Clarence Hotel. (Unknown last update). At the Clarence 5 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ Wall, Mick (2006). Bono: In the Name of Love. Andre Deutsch Ltd. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-233-00177-7. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ McCormick (2006), p. 15
- ^ "It's where I shaped my future, says Bono". Evening Herald. Herald.ie. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ McCormick (2006), p. 17
- ^ a b Dunphy, Eamon (1987). Unforgettable Fire: The Definitive Biography of U2. New York: Warner Books. ISBN 978-0-446-51459-0.
- ^ a b c Laverne, Lauren (26 June 2022). "Bono". Desert Island Discs. BBC. Radio 4.
- ^ O'Loughlin, Ciara (22 October 2022). "'We felt like brothers before we knew' – Bono reveals his cousin Scott Rankin is actually his half-brother". Irish Independent. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ Matthews (2008), p. 8
- ^ McSherry, Cormac (17 June 2007). "Bono's Teenage Kicks". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ McCormick, Neil (1 January 1997). "Growing Up With U2". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Schruers, Fred (May 1983). "U2: Small Victories in a Rock and Roll Struggle of Sound and Emotion Report". Musician.
- ^ "It's where I shaped my future, says Bono". independent. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ McCormick (2006), p. 18
- ^ McCormick (2006), p. 39
- ^ "Bonavox Celebrate 50 Years in DublinTown". DublinTown. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ McCormick (2006), p. 59
- ^ Wenner, Jann S. (3 November 2005). "Bono: The Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ Henke, James (9 June 1983). "Blessed Are the Peacemakers". Rolling Stone. No. 397. pp. 11–14.
- ^ "Bono in San Antonio". U2 Magazine (3). May 1982.
- ^ "U2—Bono Takes Piano Lessons". Contactmusic.com. 6 February 2006. Retrieved 14 February 2008.
- ^ a b c Edwards, Gavin (10 July 2014). "U2's 'Bad' Break: 12 Minutes at Live Aid That Made the Band's Career". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ a b McGee (2008), pp. 88–89
- ^ de la Parra (2003), pp. 72–73
- ^ Paphides, Pete (12 June 2011). "U2 become stars after Live Aid". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Hamlyn, Michael (producer), and Joanou, Phil (director) (1988). Rattle and Hum (Motion picture). United States: Paramount Pictures.
- ^ Jobling (2014), pp. 189–190
- ^ McGee (2008), p. 129
- ^ McCormick (2006), p. 213
- ^ Dalton, Stephen (November 2004). "Achtung Stations". Uncut. No. 90. p. 52.
- ^ McCormick (2006), pp. 234–235
- ^ McGee (2008), pp. 134–135
- ^ McCormick (2006), pp. 224–225, 227, 232
- ^ "U2". Legends. Season 1. Episode 6. 11 December 1998. VH1.
- ^ Flanagan (1996), pp. 97, 521
- ^ McGee (2008), pp. 143–144
- ^ Light, Alan (4 March 1993). "Behind the Fly". Rolling Stone. No. 651. pp. 42+. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
- ^ a b Flanagan (1996), p. 62
- ^ Flanagan (1996), p. 61
- ^ McCormick (2006), p. 238
- ^ a b c Flanagan (1996), pp. 228–231
- ^ McGee (2008), pp. 160–161
- ^ a b c McCormick (2006), p. 248
- ^ Flanagan (1996), p. 245
- ^ O'Hanlon, Ned (producer), and Hamilton, Hamish (director) (2005). Vertigo 2005: Live From Chicago (Motion picture). United States: 3DD Entertainment.
- ^ Boliek, Brooks (5 June 2007). "Appeals court throws out FCC indecency ruling". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on 7 July 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
- ^ (Press release). Parents Television Council. 20 January 2003. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
- ^ Ahrens, Frank (19 March 2004). . The Washington Post. pp. E1. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2007.
- ^ . Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. 8 January 2004. Archived from the original on 24 June 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ^ a b Clay Calvert (2004). . Seattle University Law Review. 28 (1): 61–95. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
- ^ a b H.R. 3687 (108th) 24 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine – GovTrack
- ^ Bill Holland (10 January 2004). "Fox Runs Afoul of FCC". Billboard. p. 8.
- ^ McConnell, Daniel (6 August 2006). "U2 move their rock empire out of Ireland". The Irish Independent. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
- ^ Fergal O'Brien (15 October 2006). . Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ Hyde, Marina (February 2007). "They live like aristocrats. Now they think like them". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 16 February 2007.
- ^ "U2 reject tax avoidance claims". Belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Belfast Telegraph. 26 February 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
- ^ Horin, Adele (26 July 2008). "Tax tourists and the crown prince of thieves". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ^ U2. (1998). Slow Dancing. On If God Will Send His Angels [CD-Single]. New York: Island Records.
- ^ Louie, R. (6 February 1996). Short Takes. Buffalo News. Retrieved 3 May 2007, from Opera man Luciano Pavarotti wants to be hip 5 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Voyer, Robert (1 October 2005). . Splendid. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
- ^ Orbison, R. (1989). "She's a Mystery to Me". On Mystery Girl [CD]. London: Virgin Records.
- ^ Various Artists. (1995). Goldeneye. On Goldeneye: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [CD]. New York: Virgin Records.
- ^ Miserere (CD). Zucchero / Luciano Pavarotti. PolyGram Italia s.r.i. 1992. 864 401–2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Kissel, Howard (6 August 1998). "Platinum Tenor Meet Opera Sensation Andrea Bocelli, Italy's 'Young Pavarotti'". Daily News (New York). Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ^ U2. (1988). When Love Comes to Town. On Rattle and Hum [CD]. New York: Island Records.
- ^ U2 Wanderer. (Unknown last update). U2 Discography—Q's Jook Joint. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ Kirk Franklin. (1998). Lean on me. On The Nu Nation Project [CD-Album]. Inglewood: GospoCentric Records.
- ^ Stanley, A. (19 May 2007). "Bruce Springsteen: The Rising Tour 2003-2003 Final Tour Statistics" 10 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ TonyBennett.net. (Unknown last update). . Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ U2tour.de. (Unknown last update). In A Lifetime (Clannad & Bono) 15 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ Cashmere, P. (14 April 2004). The Corrs Record Another Bono Song. Undercover Media. Retrieved 4 July 2007, from undercover.com.au 19 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ U2Wanderer.org. (Unknown last update). U2 Discography—New Day Single. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ "Kylie's Bono Moment – Kylie Minogue – News – MTV UK". MTV UK. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ Koda, Cub. Go Cat Go – Carl Perkins at AllMusic. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ Mensch feat. Bono von Herbert Grönemeyer – laut.de – Song
- ^ Robbie Robertson. (1987). Sweet Fire of Love. On Robbie Robertson [CD-Album]. Santa Monica: Geffen Records.
- ^ Eliezer, Christie (23 October 1999). "Radio sets up V2's Hutchence solo set". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 43. pp. 64, 86.
- ^ "D'banj Bono, Waje, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde star in conscious 'Strong girl' remix". Pulse.com.gh. David Mawuli. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
- ^ Kit, Borys (19 April 2007). "Bono, Edge Penning Tunes For 'Spider-Man' Musical". Billboard. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ "'Spider-Man' star Reeve Carney in new video with Bono, the Edge". Los Angeles Times. 28 July 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ Reid, Shaheem (22 January 2010). "Jay-Z, U2, Rihanna Team Up for Haiti Telethon". MTV News. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ Greene, Andy (13 May 2021). "Hear Martin Garrix's New Song 'We Are the People,' Featuring Bono and the Edge". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ Krol, Charlotte (17 March 2020). "U2's Bono performs brand new song 'Let Your Love Be Known' via livestream". NME. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the : #SING4LIFE – Featuring Bono, will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson and Yoshiki, retrieved 25 March 2020
- ^ "Bono Enlists Will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson and Yoshiki for 'Sing for Life'". Rolling Stone. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ Fast (2000), pp. 33–53
- ^ Hogg, Colin (20 March 1987). "Album review: The Joshua Tree". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
- ^ Hilburn, Robert (15 March 1987). "U2's Roots Go Deeper". Los Angeles Times. section Calendar, p. 61. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
- ^ Rooksby (2001), pp. 122–123
- ^ a b Pareles, Jon (17 November 1991). "U2 Takes a Turn From the Universal To the Domestic". The New York Times (National ed.). sec. Arts and Leisure, p. 29. from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
- ^ Stout, Gene (2 March 2009). "On Music: U2's latest CD takes time to settle in". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
- ^ Jackson, Joe (16 June 1993). "Even Better Than the Surreal Thing". Hot Press. Vol. 17, no. 11.
- ^ "The Vocal Ranges of the World's Greatest Singers". ConcertHotels.com. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ Power, Ed (15 September 2014). "U2's Songs of Innocence Forget the hype: what about the music?". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ a b Lethem, Jonathan (27 November 2008). "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. No. 1066. pp. 67–108. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ McCormick (2006), p. 58
- ^ Piccarella, John (June 1987). "Spins: U2 – The Joshua Tree". Spin. Vol. 3, no. 3. pp. 32–33.
- ^ Stokes, Niall; Graham, Bill (26 March 1987). . Hot Press. Vol. 11, no. 5. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
- ^ Butler, Mark (January 2003). "Taking it seriously: intertextuality and authenticity in two covers by the Pet Shop Boys". Popular Music. Vol. 22, no. 1. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–19. doi:10.1017/S0261143003003015. JSTOR 853553.
- ^ Fast (2000), p. 48
- ^ Fast (2000), pp. 45–48
- ^ Fast (2000), pp. 49–50
- ^ Morse, Steve (15 November 1991). "U2 bounces back". The Boston Globe. pp. 53–54. from the original on 12 December 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
- ^ Wyman, Bill (29 November 1991). "Burn, Bono, Burn". Entertainment Weekly. No. 94. p. 90. from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2009.
- ^ Stokes (2005), p. 96
- ^ Hilburn, Robert (8 August 2004). "'Where craft ends and spirit begins'". Los Angeles Times. pp. E1, E40–E41. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (4 July 1993). "A Raucous U2 Moves Farther Out on a Limb". The New York Times. sec. Arts and Leisure, p. 22. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
- ^ Jackson, Joe (August 1993). "Bono vs. The Beast". Musician.
- ^ Boyd, B. (20 October 2006). "A secret history of the old Ball game"[permanent dead link]. The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ (PDF). Amnesty International. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- ^ Palmer, Robert (21 April 1985). "Music Becomes Food for the Hungry". The New York Times (National ed.). p. 60.
- ^ Flannery, Mary (15 July 1985). "Bob Geldof". Philadelphia Daily News. p. L15.
- ^ a b McGee (2008), pp. 89–91
- ^ a b c McCormick (2006), pp. 167–169
- ^ Peterson, Jonathan (7 January 2001). "The Rock Star, the Pope and the World's Poor". Los Angeles Times. pp. E1, E3–E4. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ a b Denny, C., & Black, I. (15 March 2002). US and Europe boost aid to poorest countries. The Guardian. Retrieved 14 January 2007.
- ^ Saraceno, Christina (15 March 2002). "Bono Meets Bush". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ Richinick, Michele (28 May 2013). "PEPFAR: Celebrating 10 years working toward AIDS-free generation". NBC News. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ "The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief 2019" (PDF). state.gov. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (20 April 2018). "Bono Awarded George W. Bush Medal for Distinguished Leadership for AIDS Work". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ . ONE. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ Tyrangiel, Josh (26 December 2005 – 2 January 2006). "The Constant Charmer". Time. Vol. 166, no. 26. pp. 46–50, 55, 57, 59–60, 62. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Bono's U.S.-based anti-poverty groups to merge". Reuters. 29 October 2007. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ a b c Legaspi, Althea (7 December 2018). "Bono Wants His Charity to Be 'the NRA For the World's Poor'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ "ONE Receives $3 Million from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation" (Press release). One.org. 4 December 2004. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ Smykil, J. (4 November 2006). Update: The Other Red
meat"charity". Message posted to arstechnica.com 21 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine; Macintouch Reader Reports. (7 November 2006). Fraud Reports: Jack Campbell. Retrieved 14 January 2007, from . - ^ Persuaders, LLC. (2007). What RED Is, How RED Works 4 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ Persuaders, LLC. (2007). Products 3 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ McGirt, Ellen (April 2016). . Fortune. Vol. 173, no. 5. pp. 94–105. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (1 December 2020). "(RED), Mavin Records Unveil Partnership, Remix Competition With Ladipoe Single". Variety. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ . Associated Press. 2 December 2005. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ McGee (2008), p. 244
- ^ Friedman, Alan (31 January 2005). "Hollywood Goes to Davos; Celebrities Attend World Economic Forum and, in Some Cases, Steal the Show". The Wall Street Journal. p. B2. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ Landler, Mark (23 January 2008). "Anxiety Crashes the Party at Davos". The New York Times. p. C1. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ Elliott, Larry (25 January 2019). "Bono: western world turning its back on HIV fight". The Guardian. p. 16. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "The Africa Issue: Politics & Power" 5 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Vanity Fair July 2007. The concept behind the 20 covers was termed as to represent a "visual chain letter". The covers feature Don Cheadle, Barack Obama, Muhammad Ali, Bono, Queen Rania of Jordan, Condoleezza Rice, George W. Bush, Desmond Tutu, Brad Pitt, Djimon Hounsou, Madonna, Maya Angelou, Chris Rock, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, and Iman Abdulmajid.
- ^ Gardner, Chris (25 March 2021). "Bono, Penelope Cruz, David Oyelowo and Kumail Nanjiani Lend Voices to Pro-Vaccine Animated Series 'Pandemica'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ Kilander, Gustaf (17 March 2022). "Pelosi ridiculed for reading a Bono poem about Ukraine at lawmakers' lunch". The Independent. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ Capplis, Conor (18 March 2022). "'Don't read it': Ireland reacts to Bono's St Patrick's Day Ukraine poem". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Fetherstonhaugh, Neil (18 March 2022). "WORD FAIL Bono's poem about Russia Ukraine conflict is torn apart on Twitter - Is this literally the worst poem ever written?". Sunday World. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ "Irish Twitter calls for sanctions against Bono for his St. Patrick's Day poem". Irish Central. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (9 April 2022). "See U2, Springsteen, Kacey Musgraves 'Stand Up for Ukraine' on Livestream". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ Bloom, Madison (8 May 2022). "Watch U2's Bono and the Edge Perform in Kyiv Bomb Shelter". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ Brownstein, Ronald (28 April 2011). . National Journal. Archived from the original on 2 May 2011.
- ^ Michael Anft, Brennen Jensen, and Ian Wilhelm, "Voicing Support for Charity", The Chronicle of Philanthropy 3 August 2006.
- ^ Dean Goodman, "Hollywood Hails U2's Bono for Philanthropy", Reuters New Media 15 February 2002 . Archived from the original on 22 December 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2007.
- ^ Zeller, Tom Jr. (13 November 2006). "Paul Hewson, Trying to Throw His Arms Around the World". The New York Times. p. F16.
- ^ Theroux, Paul (15 December 2005). "The Rock Star's Burden". The New York Times. p. A35. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ Assayas, Michka (19 February 2006). "Michka Assayas meets Bono". The Times. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ "Bloomberg Markets, "Bono Inc", March 2007" (PDF). Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ "Bono and Bob Geldof increase Africa's problems say charity". NME.COM. 23 November 2007. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ Mitchell, Elvis (2 February 2001). "Film Review: A Mel Gibson Action Adventure, Taken at a Stroll". The New York Times (National ed.). p. E10. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (14 September 2007). "Lovers in the '60s Take A Magical Mystery Tour". The New York Times (East coast, late ed.). p. E12. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (21 December 2020). "Bono, Letitia Wright and Pharrell Williams Join 'Sing 2' Cast". Variety. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (3 October 2022). "U2's Bono to Launch Book Tour in Support of Memoir, 'Surrender'". Variety. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction". The New York Times. 20 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ Brady, Nicola (25 February 2023). "The Clarence hotel review - a beautiful day for revamped U2 hotel". Irish Independent. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ Masterson, John (6 March 2005). "Ali's other Eden". Irish Independent. Dublin. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013.
- ^ . Heyoka. Spring 2006. Archived from the original on 17 June 2006.
- ^ . EDUN. Archived from the original on 29 March 2007. Retrieved 24 March 2007.
- ^ Fahey, R. (22 April 2005). Elevation Partners withdraws its offer for Eidos. gi. Retrieved 4 July 2007.
- ^ . Rte.ie. 22 September 2014. Archived from the original on 25 August 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ Carr, David (7 August 2006). "Investors, Including Bono, Buy a Piece of Forbes". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ Nussbaum, Bruce. (7 August 2006) Bono Buys Into Forbes, Launches Product Red in US and Expands His Brand. BusinessWeek. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ Deegan, Gordon (30 August 2015). "Bono become world's richest pop star with '£1 billion' fortune". mirror. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ "$1 billion Facebook fortune for Bono". New Zealand Herald. 4 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ Robehmed, Natalie. "Why U2's Bono Isn't A Billionaire". Forbes. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- ^ Sorkin, Andrew Ross (20 December 2016). "Seeking Financial and Social Returns". The New York Times. pp. B1, B4. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ Schultz, Abby (1 October 2019). "Future Returns: How TPG's Rise Fund Invests in Energy". Barron's. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ Clark, Simon (23 January 2019). "U2's Bono and TPG Launch Company to Measure 'Impact Investments'". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ O'Connor, Roisin (8 November 2017). "Paradise Papers: Bono says he welcomes investigation into offshore investment". The Independent. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ Osborne, Hilary (5 January 2018). "Lithuanian company linked to Bono fined after Paradise Papers revelations". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 13 September 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- ^ . Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
- ^ McGovern, Kyle (13 January 2014). "U2's Mandela Tribute 'Ordinary Love' Wins Best Song Golden Globe". Spin. from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ [1] 23 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ COS Staff (11 October 2016). "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time". Rolling Stone. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ^ a b Richford, Rhonda (17 July 2013). "Bono Awarded France's Highest Cultural Honor". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
- ^ "Bono Named MusiCares 'Person Of The Year'". Billboard. 7 October 2002. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ Langlois, F. (23 September 2004). John Ralston Saul awarded the Pablo Neruda International Presidential Medal of Honour. Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 14 January 2007
- ^ . Time. 26 April 2004. Archived from the original on 19 April 2004. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
- ^ . Time. 2006. p. 84. Archived from the original on 2 May 2006. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
- ^ "Visão Online – Cultura – U2 em Lisboa". Archived from the original on 18 August 2007.
- ^ "TED Prize". TED. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ a b . Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ [2] 29 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ [Unknown Author] (23 December 2006). Bono gets honorary knighthood. RTÉ News. Retrieved 14 January 2007, from RTE.
- ^ [Unknown Author], (29 March 2007). Don't call him 'sir': U2's Bono knighted 28 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Associated Press. Retrieved 29 March 2007.
- ^ "Bono Gets Medal for His Work in Africa". The Oklahoman. 28 September 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ "Nobel laureates crown U2's Bono 'man of peace'". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 December 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ Pomerantz, Dorothy (14 March 2013). "Down, But Hardly Out: Oprah Winfrey Tops Forbes 2013 List Of The Most Influential Celebrities". Forbes. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ Amanpour, Christiane (1 November 2016). . Glamour. Archived from the original on 2 November 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ^ "Bono gets new George W. Bush Medal for leadership". Associated Press. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ "Fulbright Prize Honors Bono, Lead Singer of U2, Activist, and Co-founder of ONE and (RED)" (Press release). Fulbright Association. PR Newswire. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ Biography for Bono at IMDb
- ^ "Everything you need to know about Inhaler, featuring Bono's son Elijah Hewson". Radio X. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ Crowley, Sinéad (26 June 2022). "Bono reveals he has a half-brother who he 'loves and adores'". RTÉ News. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ Dylan, Bob. Bob Dylan Chronicles, vol. I, Simon & Schuster, N.Y. (2004) p. 174
- ^ Isaacson, Walter (2011). Steve Jobs. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. pp. 180. ISBN 978-1-4516-4853-9.
- ^ . Upenn.edu. 15 March 2004. Archived from the original on 8 September 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
- ^ . Christian News, The Gospel Herald. 29 March 2014. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ Video on YouTube, Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- ^ Michka Assayas, Bono in Conversation, (Riverhead Hardcover, 2005) page 205.
- ^ . Crosswalk. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (17 October 2014). "Bono: I've had glaucoma for past 20 years". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- ^ Wenner, Jann (3 November 2005). "Bono – The Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone. No. 986.
- ^ . Chicago Tribune. 25 May 2010. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ "Bono's back surgery puts U2 dates in jeopardy". The BBC. 21 May 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
- ^ "Bono Discharged From Hospital". U2.com. 25 May 2010.
- ^ "North American Leg Postponed". U2.com. 25 May 2010.
- ^ "North American Dates Will Be Rescheduled in 2011". U2.com. 25 May 2010.
- ^ Newman, Jason (19 November 2014). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ^ . evoke.ie. 24 December 2014. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ . Cycling Weekly. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ . evoke.ie. 2 January 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
- ^ Greene, Andy (18 September 2017). "The Edge on U2's 'Songs of Experience,' Bono's 'Brush With Mortality'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- ^ Boyd, Brian (1 December 2017). "U2's new album Songs of Experience: the most tortuous journey". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
- ^ Wenner, Jann S. (11–25 January 2018). "Bono: The Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone. No. 1304/1305. pp. 32–41. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ Skinner, Tom (3 November 2022). "Bono had heart surgery in 2016 to repair 'blister' on his aorta". NME. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ Bono (2022). "Lights of Home". Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. Knopf. ISBN 978-0593663691.
- ^ Various - The Songs Of Jimmie Rodgers (A Tribute), retrieved 17 August 2022
- ^ Blistein, Jon (20 May 2021). "Bono Joins Linda Perry on New Song 'Eden (To Find Love)' From 'Citizen Penn' Soundtrack". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ^ "Cidadãos Nacionais Agraciados com Ordens Portuguesas". Página Oficial das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
- ^ . Público. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2005.
- ^ Ginsberg, Jodie (20 January 2007). "Bono receives honorary British knighthood". Reuters. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ . Today. 29 March 2007. Archived from the original on 6 June 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ Marlowe, Lara. "Francophile Bono receives honour from a grateful nation". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- Bibliography
- Assayas, Michka; Bono (2005). Bono in Conversation with Michka Assayas. New York City: Riverhead Books. ISBN 978-1-57322-309-6.
- de la Parra, Pimm Jal (2003). U2 Live: A Concert Documentary (Updated ed.). London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-9198-9.
- Jobling, John (2014). U2: The Definitive Biography. New York: Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-1-250-02789-4.
- Matthews, Sheelagh (2008). Bono. Remarkable People. New York City: Weigl Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59036-638-7.
- McGee, Matt (2008). U2: A Diary. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-84772-108-2.
- Stockman, Steve (2001). Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2. Lake Mary: Relevant Books. ISBN 978-0-88419-793-5.
- Stokes, Niall (2005). U2: Into the Heart – The Stories Behind Every Song. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN 1-56025-765-2.
- U2 (2006). McCormick, Neil (ed.). U2 by U2. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-719668-7.
- Vagacs, Robert (2005). Religious Nuts, Political Fanatics: U2 in Theological Perspective. Cascade Books. ISBN 978-1-59752-336-3.
External links
- U2.com – Official U2 website
- ONE Campaign – Advocacy and campaigning organization cofounded by Bono
- – Fashion label started by Bono and his wife Ali
- Bono at AllMovie
- Bono at TED
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Bono on Charlie Rose
- Bono at IMDb
- Bono collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Works by or about Bono in libraries (WorldCat catalog)