U2 is the first band that I remember following as a young child. I was only four when Boy came out in 1980, five when October came out in 1981, but I distinctly remember stealing my mom’s War tape back in 1983 and playing it until it broke. I bought The Joshua Tree with my own money, which made my mother happy. Life since then has been one big anticipation after another as the albums have been released.

There’s no doubt that my interest peaked around Achtung Baby, as most of my favorites come from that album, through I’ve found enough great songs on each album to justify the purchase. In today’s single-song based world, we might be tempted to download just the songs that get radio, XM or Sirius airplay when we find them on iTunes. Not with U2. This band in particular demands the purchase of a cd in jewel case with the nicely printed liner notes. Their music deserves a listen from start to finish in order to fully embrace the labor of love produced by one of the best bands in (pop?) rock history.

You’ll find an iTunes iMix for my favorite U2 songs below. What’s missing? iTunes didn’t connect these tracks for the iMix, which is a shame since they share equal play time in my list:

• Sweetest Thing - The Best of 1980-1990
• Electrical Storm (William Orbit Remix) - The Best of 1990-2000
• Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me - The Best of 1990-2000
• The Ground Beneath Her Feet - The Million Dollar Hotel

By the way, it appears that the iMix code doesn’t always work as Apple expects (surprise!), so you may not be able to click on the individual songs and be taken to iTunes. If you click on the artwork image it will open up the iMix within iTunes.

What are your favorite U2 songs?