Song · U2
“Out of Control” by U2
From the EP Three (1979)
“Out of Control” by U2 appears on 7 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 1988 and 2016. It was first released in 1979 on the EP Three. Its best result is #96 on the WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,120 alternative song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (U2 - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Out of Control" was the lead track on Three, the September 1979 EP that marked U2's first release of any kind, and it made number 19 on the Irish singles chart. Bono sings, the Edge plays electric guitar, Adam Clayton bass and Larry Mullen Jr. drums, all four share the writing credit, and the band produced it with Chas de Whalley.
It didn't come easily. Nearly two-thirds of the way in, the band drop out for a stretch built on a bare bass-drum pattern before climbing back, and Mullen kept losing his place, dragging everyone off course. De Whalley thought it was their best song and made them grind out take after take, tempers fraying (Bono grumbled that Mullen's drum lessons should have fixed his timing), until one finally held. They cut it again for Boy in 1980, and revisited it acoustically on Songs of Surrender in 2023.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 96 | WLIR / WDRE | WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988) | 200 |
| 2003 | 1071 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2012 | 1172 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) | 1200 |
| 2013 | 807 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) | 1000 |
| 2014 | 906 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) | 1000 |
| 2015 | 814 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) | 1007 |
| 2016 | 975 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 | 1007 |
Also listed as: Out Of Control.
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Out of Control" by U2.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.