Music Video of the Day: Bad by U2 (1984, directed by Barry Devlin)


This video is from back in the day and I mean way back in the day. Believe it or not, there was a time when U2 was a pretty rocking band. It may be hard to believe it now that the band is often used as a punchline and Bono is better known for his messianic tendencies than his abilities as a singer but in the 80s and, for much of the 90s, U2 was one of the best and, dare I say it, most interesting bands around.

If you doubt me, watch this performance clip which also served as the video for their song Bad. Regardless of how people feel about them in the aftermath of the Songs of Innocence debacle, there was a time when U2 rocked.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For by U2 (1987, directed by Barry Devlin)


Filmed over the course of one night on Fremont Street in Las Vegas, the music video for I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For accomplished two things.  First, it showcased the members of U2 at their most approachable and likable.  Secondly, it did wonders to improve the image of Las Vegas as a city.  Instead of focusing on people gambling away their life savings, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For portrayed Vegas as a friendly and diverse city where, if you go out on the right night, you might even run into one of the biggest bands in the world.  According to civic leader Pat Christensen in a 2002 interview with the Las Vegas Review Journal, “”The whole perception of Vegas changed with that video.  Now all the big names come here, some of them five, six times a year.”

As usual, in this video, the focus is on Bono and the Edge.  Larry Mullen, Jr. and Adam Clayton are both present but it would be easy to mistake them for being a part of the crowd that gathers to watch The Edge play his guitar.  Perhaps that is why, at the end of the video, Adam appears to just wander away from the shoot and get in a waiting taxi cab.