The Best of 1990–2000

The Best of 1990–2000 is the second greatest hits album by Irish rock band U2. It was released on 5 November 2002 through Island Records and Interscope Records. It was issued as both a single-disc CD compilation and as a multi-disc compilation called The Best of 1990–2000 & B-Sides, which included a second disc of 14 B-sides released between 1990 and 2000 and a bonus DVD. A video album of the same name was later released in December 2002.

The Best of 1990–2000
Greatest hits album by U2
Released	5 November 2002
Recorded	1990–2002
Genre	Rock, alternative rock
Length	71:53
Label	Island/Interscope
Producer	Steve Lillywhite, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, William Orbit, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr. Flood, Nellee Hooper, Paul Barrett, Howie B^[1]
U2 chronology
7 (2002) The Best of 1990–2000 (2002) U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland (2003)
Singles from The Best of 1990–2000
"Electrical Storm" Released: 21 October 2002

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Blender	^[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B−^[4]
Pitchfork Media	5.6/10^[5]
Rolling Stone	^[6]

The Best of 1990–2000 contained two newly recorded tracks: "Electrical Storm" and "The Hands That Built America"; the former was released as a single, while the latter was released on the soundtrack to Gangs of New York. The compilation also includes "new mixes" of several songs, as well the tracks "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" (a non-album single from 1995) and "Miss Sarajevo" (which was originally credited to Passengers and also released as a single in 1995).

The album charted at number one in 13 countries and was the twelfth-best-selling album of 2002, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.^[7]

Track listing

No.	Title	Album	Length
1.	"Even Better Than the Real Thing"	Achtung Baby (1991)	3:39
2.	"Mysterious Ways" (Best of version)	Achtung Baby	4:02
3.	"Beautiful Day"	All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000)	4:05
4.	"Electrical Storm" (William Orbit mix)	New song	4:37
5.	"One"	Achtung Baby	4:35
6.	"Miss Sarajevo" (Radio edit; originally credited to Passengers (U2 & Brian Eno))	Original Soundtracks 1 (1995)	4:30
7.	"Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"	Zooropa (1993)	4:58
8.	"Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of"	All That You Can't Leave Behind	4:31
9.	"Gone" (New mix)	Pop (1997)	4:32
10.	"Until the End of the World"	Achtung Baby	4:38
11.	"The Hands That Built America" (Theme from Gangs of New York)	New song	4:57
12.	"Discothèque" (New mix)	Pop	4:40
13.	"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me"	Batman Forever Soundtrack (1995)	4:44
14.	"Staring at the Sun" (New mix)	Pop	4:48
15.	"Numb" (New mix)	Zooropa	4:21
16.	"The First Time"	Zooropa	3:44
Total length:			71:53

UK and Japan release

No.	Title	Album	Length
17.	"The Fly"	Achtung Baby	4:28

"Electrical Storm" was released as a single in promotion of the album. "Gone," "Discothèque," "Staring at the Sun," and "Numb" were remixed by Mike Hedges for the compilation. "Mysterious Ways" is identical to the album version with the exception of a single lyric. "Miss Sarajevo," co-written by Brian Eno, was originally included on the album Original Soundtracks 1, which was released by the band under the alias "Passengers".

Limited Edition B-sides Disc

No.	Title	Originally released on	Length
1.	"Lady with the Spinning Head" (Extended dance mix)	"Even Better Than the Real Thing" single	6:06
2.	"Dirty Day" (Junk Day mix)	"Please" single	4:40
3.	"Summer Rain"	"Beautiful Day" single	4:07
4.	"Electrical Storm" (Band version)	New song	4:26
5.	"North and South of the River"	"Staring at the Sun" single	4:36
6.	"Your Blue Room"	Original Soundtracks 1	5:26
7.	"Happiness Is a Warm Gun" (Gun mix)	"Last Night on Earth" single	4:45
8.	"Salomé" (Zooromancer remix edit)	"Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" single	5:51
9.	"Even Better Than the Real Thing" (Perfecto mix)	"Even Better Than the Real Thing" single	6:38
10.	"Numb" (Gimme Some More Dignity Mix edit)	Melon: Remixes for Propaganda	5:50
11.	"Mysterious Ways" (Solar Plexus Club mix)	"Mysterious Ways" single	4:08
12.	"If God Will Send His Angels" (Big Yam mix)	"Mofo" single	5:42
13.	"Lemon" (Jeep mix)	"Lemon" single	5:29
14.	"Discothèque" (Hexidecimal mix edit)	"Discothèque" single	5:45
Total length:			73:52

"North and South of the River" was written with Christy Moore. "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" was written by Lennon–McCartney. "Your Blue Room" was written with Brian Eno.

Limited Edition Bonus DVD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The History Mix"	7:40
2.	"U2: The Best of 1990–2000 DVD Trailer"	2:27
3.	"Please" (Live mural cut)	5:00
4.	"Beautiful Day" (Èze version)	4:04
Total length:		19:11

"The History Mix" is a video montage anthologizing the band's nineties albums and tours. It includes snippets of interviews, promotional videos, and so forth. The live version of "Please" is from the Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland, recorded on 9 August 1997 and directed by Maurice Linnane.

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for The Best of 1990–2000 Chart (2002) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)^[8] 1 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[9] 1 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[10] 1 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[11] 3 Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[12] 1 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)^[13] 1 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[14] 1 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[15] 4 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[16] 4 Greek Albums (IFPI)^[17] 1 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[18] 3 Irish Albums (IRMA)^[19] 1 Italian Albums (FIMI)^[20] 1 Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[21] 3 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[22] 1 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[23] 2 Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[24] 47 Scottish Albums (OCC)^[25] 30 Scottish Albums (OCC)^[26] & B-Sides 1 Spanish Albums (AFYVE)^[27] 1 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[28] 6 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[29] 1 UK Albums (OCC)^[30] 37 UK Albums (OCC)^[31] & B-Sides 2 US Billboard 200^[32] 34 US Billboard 200^[32] & B-Sides 3

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for The Best of 1990–2000 Chart (2002) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)^[33] 14 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[34] 34 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[35] 12 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[36] 25 Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[37] 95 Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[38] 28 Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[38] & B-Sides 7 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[39] 24 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[40] 81 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[41] 19 UK Albums (OCC)^[42] 108 UK Albums (OCC)^[43] & B-Sides 45 Worldwide Albums (IFPI)^[44] 12 Chart (2003) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)^[45] 24 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[46] 54 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[47] 34 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[48] 73 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[49] 36 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[50] 93 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[51] 35 UK Albums (OCC)^[52] & B-Sides 160 Decade-end charts Chart (2000–09) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)^[53] 74

Certifications

‹See Tfd›‹See Tfd›

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)^[54]	2× Platinum	80,000^^
Australia (ARIA)^[55]	2× Platinum	140,000^^
Austria (IFPI Austria)^[56]	Platinum	30,000^*
Belgium (BEA)^[57]	2× Platinum	100,000^*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)^[58]	Platinum	125,000^*
Canada (Music Canada)^[59]	3× Platinum	300,000^^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)^[60]	Platinum	50,000^^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)^[61]	Gold	29,864^[61]
France (SNEP)^[62]	2× Gold	200,000^*
Germany (BVMI)^[63]	Gold	150,000^^
Greece (IFPI Greece)^[17]	Platinum	30,000^^
Hungary (MAHASZ)^[64]	Gold	10,000^^
Italy (FIMI)^[65] sales since 2009	Gold	25,000^*
Japan (RIAJ)^[66]	Gold	100,000^^
Mexico (AMPROFON)^[67]	Gold	75,000^^
Netherlands (NVPI)^[68]	Platinum	80,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[69]	4× Platinum	60,000^^
Poland (ZPAV)^[70]	Gold	35,000^*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[71]	Platinum	100,000^^
Sweden (GLF)^[72]	Gold	30,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)^[73]	2× Platinum	80,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)^[74]	2× Platinum	600,000^^
United States (RIAA)^[75]	Platinum	1,000,000^^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)^[76]	3× Platinum	3,000,000^*
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Video

The Best of 1990–2000
Video by U2
Released	2 December 2002
Recorded	1991–2002
Genre	Rock
Length	176:00 111:49 (main feature) 77:31 (tracks 1-16 only)
Label	Island, Interscope
Director	Kevin Godley, Stéphane Sednaoui, Jonas Åkerlund, Anton Corbijn, et al.
Producer	Ned O'Hanlon
U2 chronology
Elevation 2001: Live from Boston (2002) The Best of 1990–2000 (2002) U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, Ireland (2003)

The Best of 1990–2000 was also released as a video compilation, featuring music videos from the songs on the album. The DVD version of the video featured one to two videos for each song on the album, plus seven bonus videos (for songs not on the album), as well as directors' commentaries, and three mini-documentaries. The VHS version of the video featured simply one video for the 16 songs from the album.

On all versions however, there is no video for "The First Time", as one was never made or rather released. In its place was put the video of "The Fly", which itself was on certain versions of the album. The DVD case had two disc slots, one for the main videos, the other for the "History Mix" DVD from the "A and B sides" version of the album. In its absence, a CD/DVD-shaped paper disc is used as a placeholder.

Track listing

Music and words by U2, except where otherwise noted.

1. "Even Better Than the Real Thing"
   • Kevin Godley video with commentary
   • Ritchie Smyth remix video
2. "Mysterious Ways"
   • Stéphane Sednaoui video with commentary
3. "Beautiful Day"
   • Jonas Åkerlund video with commentary
4. "Electrical Storm"
   • Anton Corbijn video with commentary
   • U2 Sur Mer documentary
5. "One"
   • Anton Corbijn video with commentary
   • Phil Joanou video with commentary
   • A Story of One documentary
6. "Miss Sarajevo"
   • Maurice Linnane video and commentary
   • Missing Sarajevo documentary
7. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"
   • Wim Wenders video and commentary
8. "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of"
   • Joseph Kahn video with commentary
   • Kevin Godley video with commentary
9. "Gone"
   • David Mallet video (excerpt from PopMart: Live from Mexico City)
10. "Until the End of the World"
    • Kevin Godley video (live from Zoo TV Tour)
11. "The Hands That Built America"
    • Maurice Linnane studio version video
12. "Discothèque"
    • Stéphane Sednaoui video with commentary
13. "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me"
    • Godley/Linanne video with commentary
14. "Staring at the Sun"
    • Jake Scott video with commentary
    • Morleigh Steinberg video
15. "Numb"
    • Kevin Godley video with commentary
    • Emergency Broadcast Network remix video
16. "The Fly"
    • Smith/Klein remix video with commentary

Bonus videos

1. "Please"
   • Anton Corbijn video with commentary
2. "If God Will Send His Angels"
   • Phil Joanou video with commentary
3. "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses"
   • Phil Joanou video with commentary
4. "Lemon"
   • Mark Neale video with commentary
5. "Last Night on Earth"
   • Ritchie Smyth video with commentary
6. "Mofo"
   • Maurice Linnane remix video
7. "The Ground Beneath Her Feet"
   • Wim Wenders video with commentary

• An "easter egg" also features. From the main menu on the DVD, if "One" is clicked, the main screen for "One" will appear. Once on this screen, the digit '1' could be clicked on the remote control three times. If clicked three times, a three-minute video of a fish tank, with fish swimming in it, appears. After some time, some Trabants will appear in the video as fishes, which swim from one end of the screen to the other.^[77]

All tracks were remastered for these releases.

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)^[78]	Platinum	8,000^^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)^[79]	Platinum	50,000^*
France (SNEP)^[80]	Platinum	20,000^*
Mexico (AMPROFON)^[81]	Gold	10,000^^
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.^[82]

• Bono – lead vocals, guitar
• The Edge – guitar, keyboards, vocals
• Adam Clayton – bass guitar
• Larry Mullen Jr. – drums and percussion

See also

• U2 discography

References

1. The Best of 1990–2000 & B-Sides (CD liner). U2. Island Records. 2002. CIDTU213/ 063 443-0 LC 00407.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
2. The Best of 1990–2000 at AllMusic
3. . www.blender.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
4. Jim Farber (8 November 2002). . Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
5. William Bowers (10 February 2003). "U2: The Best of 1990-2000". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
6. Anthony DeCurtis (5 November 2002). "The Best Of 1990-2000 | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
7. (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2009.
8. "Australiancharts.com – U2 – The Best of 1990-2000". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
9. "Austriancharts.at – U2 – The Best of 1990-2000" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
10. "Ultratop.be – U2 – The Best of 1990-2000" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
11. "Ultratop.be – U2 – The Best of 1990-2000" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
12. "U2 Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
13. "Danishcharts.dk – U2 – The Best of 1990-2000". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
14. "Dutchcharts.nl – U2 – The Best of 1990-2000" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
15. "U2: The Best of 1990-2000" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
16. "Offiziellecharts.de – U2 – The Best of 1990-2000" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
17. . IFPI Greece (in Greek). Archived from the original on 5 February 2003.
18. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2002. 48. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
19. "Irish-charts.com – Discography U2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
20. "Italiancharts.com – U2 – The Best of 1990-2000". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
21. 2002年11月第2週の邦楽アルバムランキング情報 (PHP). Oricon Style (in Japanese). Retrieved 13 August 2011.
22. "Charts.nz – U2 – The Best of 1990-2000". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
23. "Norwegiancharts.com – U2 – The Best of 1990-2000". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
24. "Portuguesecharts.com – U2 – The Best of 1990-2000". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
25. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
26. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
27. "Hits of the World – Spain". Billboard. 23 November 2002. p. 42.
28. "Swedishcharts.com – U2 – The Best of 1990-2000". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
29. "Swisscharts.com – U2 – The Best of 1990-2000". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
30. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
31. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
32. "U2 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
33. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2002". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
34. "Jahreshitparade Alben 2002". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
35. "Jaaroverzichten 2002". Ultratop. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
36. "Rapports Annuels 2002". Ultratop. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
37. . Jam!. Archived from the original on 12 August 2004. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
38. . Jam!. Archived from the original on 4 December 2003. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
39. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2002". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
40. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
41. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2002". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
42. "UK Year-End Charts 2002" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
43. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2002". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
44. (PDF). IFPI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
45. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2003". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
46. "Jahreshitparade Alben 2003". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
47. "Jaaroverzichten 2003". Ultratop. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
48. "Rapports Annuels 2003". Ultratop. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
49. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2003". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
50. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
51. "Top Selling Albums of 2003". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
52. "The Official UK Albums Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
53. "2009 ARIA End of Decade Albums Chart". ARIA. January 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
54. "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
55. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
56. "Austrian album certifications – U2 – Best of 1990-2000" (in German). IFPI Austria.
57. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2007". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
58. "Brazilian album certifications – U2 – The Best of 1990–2000" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
59. "Canadian album certifications – U2 – The Best of - 1990-2000". Music Canada.
60. "Danish album certifications – U2 – The Best of 1990–2000". IFPI Danmark.
61. "U2" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
62. "French album certifications – U2 – THE BEST OF 1990-2000" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
63. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (U2; 'The Best Of 1990-2000')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
64. "Adatbázis – Arany- és platinalemezek – 2003" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ.
65. "Italian album certifications – U2 – The Best of 1990–2000" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "2015" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "The Best of 1990–2000" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
66. "Japanese album certifications – U2 – The Best of 1990–2000" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 11 June 2019. Select 2002年10月 on the drop-down menu
67. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type U2 in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and The Best of 1990-2000 in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
68. "Dutch album certifications – U2 – The Best of 1990–2000" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter The Best of 1990–2000 in the "Artiest of titel" box.
69. "New Zealand album certifications – U2 – The Best of 1990–2000". Recorded Music NZ.
70. "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2003 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. 19 March 2003. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
71. "Spanish album certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select Álbumes under "Categoría", select 2005 under "Año". Select 04 under "Semana". Click on "BUSCAR LISTA".
72. (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011.
73. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('The Best of 1990 - 2000')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
74. "British album certifications – U2 – The Best of 1990–2000". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type The Best of 1990–2000 in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
75. "American album certifications – U2 – Best of 1990 - 2000". Recording Industry Association of America.
76. . International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
77. . Media.community.u2.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
78. "Argentinian video certifications – U2 – Best of 1990- 2000". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers.
79. "Brazilian video certifications – U2 – The Best of 1990–2000" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
80. "French video certifications – U2 – Best of" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
81. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Type U2 in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Best of 1990-2000 in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
82. The Best of 1990-2000 (CD booklet). U2. Island Records. 2002.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

External links

• The Best of 1990–2000 (standard edition) at U2 Wanderer, with comprehensive details on various editions, cover scans, lyrics, and more
• The Best of 1990–2000 (limited edition) at U2 Wanderer
• The Best of 1990–2000 (video) at U2 Wanderer