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Cover of How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb by U2 — Cover: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

Song · U2

“City of Blinding Lights” by U2

From the album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)

“City of Blinding Lights” by U2 appears on 16 radio countdowns from 13 stations between 2005 and 2025. It was first released in 2004 on the album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Its best result is #38 on the WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2005. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #86 alternative song of 2005.

16countdowns

13stations

#38best position

0#1 finishes

0top 10 finishes

2005–2025years charted

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U2 - City of Blinding Lights

Video from YouTube (Island Records UK). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"City of Blinding Lights" sits at the heart of U2's 2004 album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, a Flood production with extra work by Chris Thomas and Jacknife Lee, and it had been kicking around since the sessions for Pop. Bono and the Edge share the piano, Lee adds synthesizer, and the build is pure widescreen U2, the ringing chime of The Unforgettable Fire and "Where the Streets Have No Name" reborn.

Bono's lyrics circle lost innocence: memories of his first trip to London, of playing New York in the raw aftermath of September 11, of his wife Ali, and of a photo of his younger self. It won the Grammy for Best Rock Song in 2006, opened shows on the Vertigo Tour, and Barack Obama took it as his entrance music.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year	#	Station	Countdown	of
2005	83	91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana	91X Top 91 Songs of 2005	91
2005	38	WFNX Boston, MA	WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2005	100
2005	73	89X Detroit, MI / Windsor, ON	89X Top 89 Songs of 2005	89
2005	66	Y100 Philadelphia, PA	Y100 Top 150 Songs of 2005	150
2005	58	CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON	CFNY Top 102 Songs of 2005	102
2005	60	102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany)	WEQX Top 102.7 of 2005	103
2005	38	CRNC 90.1 Niagara / Toronto, ON	CRNC Top 90.1 Songs of 2005	91
2005	114	ModernRock.com Online	ModernRock.com Top 400 Songs of 2005	400

All-time and decade countdowns

Year	#	Station	Countdown	of
2009	768	WYEP	WYEP 913 Songs That Matter from the Last Decade	913
2009	167	WXPN	WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009)	885
2013	875	WXPN	WXPN 885 Greatest Songs of the New Millennium (2013)	885
2018	443	WTMD	WTMD Listeners' Top 897 Songs, 2003-2018	896
2022	832	90.9 The Bridge	90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s	907
2023	734	The Colorado Sound	The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places	800
2024	963	The Colorado Sound	The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century	1055
2025	231	WYEP	WYEP Best Songs of the 21st Century (So Far)	714

Also listed as: City Of Blinding Lights; City of Blinding Light.

Charting alongside it in 2005

Best songs of 2005 →

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