All That You Can’t Leave Behind by U2

All That You Can't Leave Behind, U2's tenth album, arrived on 30 October 2000, through Island Records worldwide and Interscope in the US, and it's the sound of a band ready to sing its heart out. After a decade of chasing alternative rock and dance music, and stung by the mixed reception to Pop in 1997, U2 went back to a sound closer to their earlier records. Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who had produced three U2 albums together before, came back behind the desk. The record's original name, U2000, had been a working title for the PopMart Tour.

"Beautiful Day" opens up like a sunrise, all ringing guitar and a chorus that lifts right off the ground. "Elevation" is a strutting, fuzzed-out rocker, "Walk On" is a soaring, stubborn hymn, and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" is a warm, gospel-tinged slow-burner. "In a Little While", "Peace on Earth" and "New York" keep it big-hearted and searching.

It topped the charts in 32 countries and sold more than 12 million copies, and the album and its songs picked up seven Grammy Awards, including Best Rock Album. It's the only album ever to give the world two Record of the Year winners, "Beautiful Day" in 2001 and "Walk On" in 2002. The Elevation Tour brought them back to arenas with a more intimate stage, and a 20th-anniversary reissue followed in 2020.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.