EP · U2
Three by U2
Three is an EP by U2, released in 1979. 2 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 17 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Stories For Boys”, on 10 lists with a best position of #287.
Three, the first release by Dublin's U2, came out on CBS Ireland in September 1979, three songs from a band of former Mount Temple schoolmates: Bono singing, the Edge on guitar, Adam Clayton on bass and Larry Mullen Jr. on drums. They cut it at Windmill Lane Studios that August. "Out of Control" took the A-side, and listeners voting on Dave Fanning's radio show picked "Stories for Boys" and "Boy/Girl" for the flip.
It's rough, urgent post-punk with a big heart, the Edge's guitar already ringing like a bell and Bono straining for something bigger than the room. The 1,000 copies of the limited 12-inch vanished almost at once, and the 7-inch reached number 19 on the Irish singles chart. "Out of Control" and "Stories for Boys" were cut again the following year for Boy, and the record came back for its 40th anniversary in 2019.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Three on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stories For Boys | 10 | #287 | – | 1988–2005 | |
| 2 | Out of Control | 7 | #96 | – | 1988–2016 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.