.jpg "U2 - The Best of 1990–2000 (2002) album front cover")
3.jpg "U2 - The Best of 1990–2000 (2002) album back cover")
U2 – The Best of 1990–2000 (2002)
Released: 5 November 2002
Label: Island Records
Producer: Various (tracks from multiple albums)
Genre: Rock, alternative rock, electronic rock
Length: 78:37
The Best of 1990–2000 is a greatest hits compilation chronicling U2’s work from their experimental and electronic-heavy 1990s era. Covering albums from Achtung Baby (1991) through All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000), the compilation includes hit singles, fan favorites, and two new tracks. It showcases U2’s artistic reinvention, multimedia experimentation, and return to classic rock, making it both a retrospective and a bridge to their 2000s work.
Background
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Released alongside The Best of 1980–1990 in 2002 (as a companion collection).
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Features singles from Achtung Baby, Zooropa, Pop, Original Soundtracks 1, and All That You Can’t Leave Behind.
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Includes two new tracks: Electrical Storm and The Hands That Built America.
Tracklist
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Beautiful Day – 4:06
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Gone – 4:26
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Discothèque – 5:19
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Staring at the Sun – 4:36
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Numb – 4:20
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Mysterious Ways – 4:02
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Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me – 4:35
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Even Better Than the Real Thing – 3:43
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Electrical Storm – 4:29
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The Hands That Built America – 4:00
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One – 4:36
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Please – 5:00
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Walk On – 4:55
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Elevation – 3:46
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Until the End of the World – 4:39
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Miss Sarajevo – 5:40
Notable Singles:
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Beautiful Day
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Elevation
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Electrical Storm
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Mysterious Ways
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One
Album Credits
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Compilation produced by various original producers, including Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Flood, and Howie B
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Art Direction & Design: Shaughn McGrath, Ross Fraser
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Photography: Anton Corbijn, others
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Label: Island Records
Commercial Performance
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Peaked at No. 1 in the UK, Ireland, and multiple European countries
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Peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200
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Certified 5× Platinum in the UK
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Certified 3× Platinum in the US
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Worldwide sales: over 7 million copies
The album reinforced U2’s dominance in the 1990s and early 2000s, highlighting their commercial and artistic success during that decade.
Critical Reception
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Rolling Stone: ★★★★ (4/5)
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AllMusic: ★★★★½ (4.5/5)
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Critics praised the compilation’s cohesive selection of hits and strong representation of U2’s 1990s evolution.
Fun Facts
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Electrical Storm was one of the first new tracks released specifically for this compilation.
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The Hands That Built America was written for the 2002 film Gangs of New York directed by Martin Scorsese.
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The album balances U2’s electronically experimental tracks with their classic rock anthems, showing their stylistic range.
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It serves as a chronological follow-up to The Best of 1980–1990, covering the band’s second decade.
Trivia
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The compilation includes tracks from U2’s Passengers project (Original Soundtracks 1), which is rare for a greatest hits release.
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The album was released to coincide with U2’s Elevation Tour DVD and ongoing promotion of their 2000s work.
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It is one of the last compilations to cover U2’s 1990s electronic and alternative rock era before moving into the post-2000s material.
Did You Know?
💡 Electrical Storm was produced by William Orbit, famous for his work with Madonna.
💡 The Hands That Built America won a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song.
💡 The compilation demonstrates U2’s transitional period from experimental 1990s sounds back to melodic rock.
💡 It was particularly popular in Europe, where U2’s 1990s work had massive commercial success.
U2 – The Best of 1990–2000 (2002) Cover Art
The cover shows two bulls facing each other against a neutral, dark background. The image is symbolic, emphasizing strength, tension, and confrontation, echoing the intensity and dramatic themes of U2’s 1990s music. No band members appear on the cover, making it a conceptual and striking visual statement rather than a traditional band portrait.
