Song · U2
“Staring At The Sun” by U2
From the album Pop (1997)
“Staring At The Sun” by U2 appears on 25 radio countdowns from 16 stations between 1997 and 2022. It was first released in 1997 on the album Pop. Its best result is #23 on the WEQX Top 102.7 of 1997. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #29 alternative song of 1997, #3,015 alternative song of all time and #239 of the '90s.
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"Staring at the Sun" sits fifth on U2's 1997 album Pop and went out on Island as its second single, a big, bruised guitar song the band believed could stand as an anthem alongside "One"; it has also drawn comparisons to Oasis. Flood produced, with Nellee Hooper and Steve Osborne adding production, Osborne also on keyboards and mixing with Mark "Spike" Stent, and Howie B among the recording crew. Larry Mullen, Jr. works a sampler as well as the kit, and the Edge sings behind Bono.
One lyric borrows its phrasing from the title of an album by Something Happens, Irish friends of the band. It topped Billboard's Modern Rock and Triple-A charts and reached 3 in the UK. A new mix turned up on The Best of 1990–2000, and parts of it were recorded afresh in 2002.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
Hard Rock & Metal
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 36 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1997 | 107 |
| 1997 | 37 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1997 | 91 |
| 1997 | 52 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1997 | 105 |
| 1997 | 37 | Q101 Chicago, IL | Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1997 | 101 |
| 1997 | 73 | WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD | WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1997 | 100 |
| 1997 | 34 | 107.7 The End Seattle, WA | The End Top 107 Songs of 1997 | 107 |
| 1997 | 90 | X103.9 Riverside-San Bernardino, CA | X103.9 Top 103.9 Songs of 1997 | 104 |
| 1997 | 31 | KNRK Portland, OR | KNRK Top 94 Songs of 1997 | 94 |
| 1997 | 50 | 105.7 The Point St. Louis, MO | 105.7 The Point Top 105.7 of 1997 | 106 |
| 1997 | 23 | 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) | WEQX Top 102.7 of 1997 | 103 |
| 1997 | 23 | Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) | Radio & Records Top 97 Songs of 1997 | 97 |
| 1997 | 79 | WRCX Rock 103.5 Chicago, IL | WRCX Top 103 Songs of 1997 | 103 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 357 | WHFS | WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) | 500 |
| 1999 | 575 | Q101 | Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1017 |
| 1999 | 715 | 107.7 The End | The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1077 |
| 1999 | 1669 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 1669 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 1669 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2002 | 1661 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2002 | 1516 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 1648 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2004 | 1648 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 1647 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
| 2021 | 382 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s | 908 |
| 2022 | 656 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s | 900 |
Also listed as: Staring at the Sun; Staring At the Sun.
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