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Cover of Achtung Baby by U2
Cover: Achtung Baby

Song · U2

“Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” by U2

From the album Achtung Baby (1991)

“Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” by U2 appears on 24 radio countdowns from 15 stations between 1992 and 2023. It was first released in 1991 on the album Achtung Baby. Its best result is #14 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1992. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #54 alternative song of 1992 and #1,330 alternative song of all time.

24countdowns
15stations
#14best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1992–2023years charted

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Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

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"Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" sits fifth on U2's Achtung Baby, and in 1992 it became the fifth and final single from the 1991 album. Its story is a lesson in leaving well enough alone: the band first put it down as a demo at STS Studios in 1990, then wrestled with it through the album sessions, including failed runs at Hansa Studios in Berlin, piling up versions and around a dozen mixes.

The demo kept winning. Jimmy Iovine told Bono he liked it best, and when Steve Lillywhite was called in to Dublin in 1991 to give the song fresh ears and mix it, the version that made the record came out closest to that first sketch. What survives is loose and aching, a big-hearted rock song that still carries the rough glow of a first take.

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#StationCountdownof
1992 37 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1992 107
1992 14 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1992 91
1992 37 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1992 101

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1994 288 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1996 355 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1999 306 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 583 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 996 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 583 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 584 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 584 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 809 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 925 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 584 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 584 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 769 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2005 584 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 913 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2007 499 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2008 1993 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2015 19 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR U2 20 20
2021 452 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2022 138 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2023 353 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893

Also listed as: Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?; Whos Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.

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

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