Publication date:
09 November 2018Length of book:
260 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781538114575
U2’s significant career far exceeds that of most average successful rock bands, with a prolific output of thirteen well-received studio albums and a sometimes relentless touring schedule. The band is famous for uniquely drawing together music, art, faith, and activism, all within a lucrative career that has given each of these elements an unusual degree of social and cultural resonance. Broad-minded musically and intellectually, U2’soutput is thematically rich, addressing a slew of topics, from questions of faith to anxieties about commercialism to outright political statements.
With one of the largest fan bases in the history of rock music, U2 and their work require contextualization and exploration. In U2: Rock ’n’ Roll to Change the World, Timothy D. Neufeld takes up this challenge. Neufeld explores U2’s move from the youthful idealism of a band barely able to play instruments through its many phases of artistic expression and cultural engagement to its employment of faith and activism as a foundation for its success. This book outlines how U2 reshaped the very musical and even political culture that had originally shaped it, demonstrating through close readings of its musical work the dynamic interplay of artistic expression and social engagement.
With one of the largest fan bases in the history of rock music, U2 and their work require contextualization and exploration. In U2: Rock ’n’ Roll to Change the World, Timothy D. Neufeld takes up this challenge. Neufeld explores U2’s move from the youthful idealism of a band barely able to play instruments through its many phases of artistic expression and cultural engagement to its employment of faith and activism as a foundation for its success. This book outlines how U2 reshaped the very musical and even political culture that had originally shaped it, demonstrating through close readings of its musical work the dynamic interplay of artistic expression and social engagement.
First-time author Neufeld, a professor of biblical and religious studies at Fresno Pacific University, maintains that through an 'ever-changing interplay of artistic expression and social engagement,' U2 has blended 'spiritual faith and social activism since its 1980 debut album.' Going from the band’s early days in 1970s Dublin to its 2015 tour, Neufeld provides a detailed history of the band members’ growth as musicians and their various attempts at political and social activism. Sometimes, his observations are aptly concise: 'While U2 in the 1980s had been consumed with global justice and conflicts in distant places such as El Salvador and South Africa, the U2 of the 1990s focused on the inner demons of greed, list, addiction, and hypocrisy.' At other times, Neufeld is unrestrained in his belief in U2’s spiritual importance: 'U2 has developed a unique integration of faith and culture that transcends traditional approaches to popular religious music by engaging the world.' .... Neufeld succeeds in his goal of showing how pop musicians can help shape culture.