But did you know that Bono and company also are pop philosophers?
A new book, U2 and Philosophy: How to Decipher an Atomic Band (Open Court publishers; $17.95), deconstructs the band's lyrics to place the music in a philosophical context. Edited by Mark A. Wrathall, a philosophy professor at Brigham Young University, the book contains 15 thoughtful essays by a variety of scholars on the band's thematic links to such thinkers as Aristotle, Kierkegaard and Heidegger.
"I didn't want this book to be a tribute by U2 fans; I wanted it to be a solid philosophical examination of U2's work," said Wrathall, who has been incorporating the band's lyrics into his classes since the late 1990s. "That meant that I was pretty selective and turned away a number of people who wanted to contribute but who didn't seem to me to be philosophically rigorous enough."
Wrathall, who wrote or co-wrote two of the book's essays, researched his topic by reading, annotating and cross-referencing the lyrics from all 12 U2 albums. He also placed the words in their musical context by immersing himself in the band's music, watching videos and catching two live shows on the band's most recent tour.
"In the process, I developed an immense respect for [lead singer/songwriter] Bono as a poet and thinker, and for the group as musicians," he said in an e-mail interview. "I started out thinking that Bono was accidentally hitting on some interesting philosophical themes with his lyrics. But I ended up by concluding that he is a very intelligent, thoughtful, well-read man. He has an intuitive grasp of and interest in the kind of problems that excite philosophers."
Problems such as: What is the meaning of life? How do we find spiritual fulfillment? And where do we turn when we still haven't found what we're looking for? Bono's lyrics skillfully probe religious themes and philosophical concepts while remaining universal enough to touch broad audiences who feel the songs are speaking to them.
Wrathall's book identifies several distinct philosophical stages of U2's career, from early Christian earnestness to 1990s existential despair and postmodern irony to the recent records on which the band revisits its roots to achieve a form of existential joy.
"We're not making things up or projecting meanings onto the music that don't fit. I'm confident that we are explaining some of the layers of meaning which are actually there to be found in the songs," he said. "The most common reaction I get when I lecture on U2 is amazement - U2 fans suddenly realize that there's a profound philosophical dimension to songs they thought they knew."
Some of the essays are dense, academic treatises that may be daunting to readers with no background in philosophy. But others are quite accessible. Writers tackle such topics as Bono's evolving persona, the meanings behind "The Joshua Tree" album and the link between U2's song lyrics and the band's commercial success. The title of one essay even asks, "Why Listen to U2?" (Answer: It offers an inspiring vision of a better world.)
Wrathall hopes U2 and Philosophy will deepen fans' appreciation for the band's music while introducing readers to some important thinkers and central philosophical themes. He's seen a range of reactions to the book, from academics dismissive of studying popular music to "overwhelmingly positive" e-mails from fans.
"Some very prominent and well-respected philosophers . . . have told me they think this is exactly the kind of thing that academic philosophers should be doing," he said. "Philosophy is a discipline that ought to be speaking to everybody. Too often, philosophers end up huddling together in a corner, talking to each other in a way that excludes anybody without a degree in philosophy. That's a shame, since the central questions of philosophy are so vitally important."
---
* BRANDON GRIGGS can be contacted at griggs@sltrib.com or 801-257-8689. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
