RockLists.com
Cover of Achtung Baby by U2
Cover: Achtung Baby

Song · U2

“Even Better Than The Real Thing” by U2

From the album Achtung Baby (1991)

“Even Better Than The Real Thing” by U2 appears on 45 radio countdowns from 19 stations between 1992 and 2023. It was first released in 1991 on the album Achtung Baby. Its best result is #15 on the 99.1 PLR U2 20. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #28 alternative song of 1992, #565 alternative song of all time and #402 of the '90s.

45countdowns
19stations
#15best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1992–2023years charted

Watch

Even Better Than The Real Thing

Video from YouTube (U2 - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Even Better Than the Real Thing" is the second track on Achtung Baby, U2's seventh album, from 1991, and it's the album's slinkiest, most seductive rush of noise. The Edge's guitar slides and squeals like it's trying to get out of its own skin, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. lock into a strutting groove, and Bono, who plays guitar here too, sings like a man who has decided to enjoy himself.

Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Steve Lillywhite produced it, with Lillywhite and Robbie Adams handling the mix, and the whole thing feels deliberately glossy and trashy.

It became the fourth single pulled from the record, out on Island on 8 June 1992, and it reached number three in Ireland and Canada. A remix that same year gave it a second life, climbing to number eight in the UK, and Kevin Godley directed the video. In 1997, Mojo's readers voted it the 71st-best track of the decade.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1992 31 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1992 107
1992 23 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1992 91
1992 79 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1992 105
1992 31 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1992 101
1992 23 WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1992 100
1992 93 CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON CFNY Top 102 Songs of 1992 102

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1994 339 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 337 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 892 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1996 273 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1999 250 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 479 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 459 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 608 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 268 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 707 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 268 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 268 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 460 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 500
2001 279 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 268 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 1069 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 268 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 1350 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 268 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 359 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2005 272 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 638 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2005 500 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2006 461 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2007 379 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 665 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 668 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 696 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 715 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 678 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 666 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 639 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 764 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 700 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 15 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR U2 20 20
2016 907 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2021 669 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2022 243 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2023 414 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893

Also listed as: Even Better than the Real Thing; Even Better Than the Real Thing; Even Better than the Real thing.

Charting alongside it in 1992

Best songs of 1992 →
  1. 1Friday I'm in LoveThe Cure
  2. 2Under the BridgeRed Hot Chili Peppers
  3. 3DriveR.E.M.
  4. 4OneU2
  5. 5JeremyPearl Jam
  6. 6TomorrowMorrissey

Comments

Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Even Better Than The Real Thing" by U2.

Be kind and stay on topic. Guidelines

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.