Song · U2
“Wire” by U2
From the album The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
“Wire” by U2 appears on 14 radio countdowns from 1 station between 1999 and 2014. It was first released in 1984 on the album The Unforgettable Fire. Its best result is #1048 on the CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,029 alternative song of all time.
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"Wire" crackles through the middle of U2's 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire, a jittery, restless rocker that sounds like it was cut with the power lines sparking. All four members share the music credit and Bono wrote the words and sings them, yelping and swooping over a band pulling in a dozen directions at once.
Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois produced and engineered it, with Kevin Killen and Randy Ezratty lending a hand, and they let the track fizz and twitch instead of tidying it up. It sounds like a live wire whipping loose across a stage, dangerous and thrilling in equal measure.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1566 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 1566 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 1566 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2002 | 1561 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2003 | 1565 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2004 | 1565 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 1563 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
| 2007 | 1450 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) | 2008 |
| 2008 | 1256 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) | 2009 |
| 2009 | 1156 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) | 2010 |
| 2010 | 1048 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) | 2011 |
| 2011 | 1085 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) | 2011 |
| 2013 | 1125 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) | 2012 |
| 2014 | 1140 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
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