Zooropa

Zooropa  /zuːˈroʊpɑː/ [nb 1]  is the eighth studio album by rock band U2. Produced by Flood, Brian Eno, and The Edge, it was released on 5 July 1993 on Island Records. Inspired by the band's experiences on the Zoo TV Tour, Zooropa expanded on many of the tour's themes of technology and media oversaturation. The record continued the group's experimentation with alternative rock, electronic dance music, and electronic sound effects that began with their previous album, Achtung Baby, in 1991.

U2 began writing and recording for Zooropa in Dublin in February 1993, during a six-month break between legs of the Zoo TV Tour. The record was originally intended as an EP to promote the "Zooropa" leg of the tour that was to begin in May 1993, but during the sessions, the group decided to extend the record to a full-length LP.[1]  Pressed for time, U2 wrote and recorded at a rapid pace, with songs originating from many sources. The album was not completed in time for the tour's resumption, forcing the band to travel between Dublin and their tour destinations in May to complete mixing and recording.

Zooropa received generally favourable reviews from critics. Despite none of its three singles—"Numb", "Lemon", and "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"—being hits consistently across regions, the record sold well upon release and peaked at number one in multiple countries. The album's charting duration and lifetime sales of 7 million copies, however, were weaker than Achtung Baby. In 1994, Zooropa won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. Although the record was a success and music journalists view the album as one of the group's most creative works, the band regard it with mixed feelings.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Background  ==Background[ edit] == Zooropa was inspired by life on the multimedia-intensive Zoo TV Tour.U2 regained critical favour with their commercially successful 1991 album Achtung Baby and the supporting Zoo TV Tour in 1992. The record was a musical reinvention for the group, incorporating influences from alternative rock, industrial music, and electronic dance music into their sound. The tour was an elaborately staged multimedia event that satirised television and the viewing public's over-stimulation by attempting to instill "sensory overload" in its audience.[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hpfeature_4-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[3]  The band finished 1992 with one of their most successful years, selling 2.9 million concert tickets and reaching 10 million copies sold for Achtung Baby.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4]  Their 73 North American concerts from the year grossed US$67 million, easily the highest amount for any touring artist in 1992.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wapo010693_6-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5]
 * 2 Recording and production
 * 3 Composition
 * 3.1 Music
 * 3.2 Lyrics
 * 4 Packaging and title
 * 5 Release
 * 6 Reception
 * 7 Zoo TV Tour
 * 8 Legacy
 * 9 Track listing
 * 10 Personnel
 * 11 Charting and certifications
 * 12 References
 * 13 External links

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The group concluded the North American "Outside Broadcast" leg of the tour on 25 November 1992,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6]  and they were left with a six-month break before resuming the tour in Europe in May 1993 with the "Zooropa" leg.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-247_8-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  Rather than use the time to rest, lead vocalist Bono and guitarist The Edge were keen to record new material. Following a hectic year of touring, the two did not want to settle back into domestic life. Bono said, "We thought we could live a normal life and then go back on the road [in May 1993]. But it turns out that your whole way of thinking, your whole body has been geared toward the madness of Zoo TV... So we decided to put the madness on a record. Everybody's head was spinning, so we thought, why not keep that momentum going...?"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8]  The Edge also wished to distract himself from the emotions he was feeling after separating from his wife during the Achtung Baby sessions in 1991. The other members, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Mullen,_Jr. Larry Mullen, Jr.], ultimately agreed to join them for recording.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-flan183_10-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9] ==Recording and production<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">After handling audio engineering for the recording of Achtung Baby, Robbie Adams was invited by U2 to manage sound mixing on the Zoo TV Tour. Adams also recorded the group's tour soundchecks. In January 1993, the band asked him to compile these recordings and create loops of interesting parts that they could play to in the studio. After Adams spent a few weeks assembling loops, the group entered The Factory in Dublin that February to begin composing rough demos.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-adams_11-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11]  Bono and The Edge were most involved during this initial demoing process, which lasted six weeks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-adams_11-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]

Zooropa was co-produced byBrian Eno (pictured in 2008), producer of 3 previous U2 albums.<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The group employed Brian Eno and his assisting partner Mark "Flood" Ellis—both of whom worked on Achtung Baby—to produce the sessions;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-247_8-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  long-time Eno collaborator Daniel Lanois was busy promoting his solo album and was unavailable.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]  Similar to the Achtung Baby sessions, Eno worked two-week shifts. The group often gave him in-progress songs to adjust and add his own personality to.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  Initially, the band did not have a clear plan for how to release the sessions' material.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-flan183_10-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  At the time, Clayton said, "I don't know if what we're doing here is the next U2 album or a bunch of rough sketches that in two years will turn into the demos for the next U2 album."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-flan183_10-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  The Edge was a proponent of making an EP of new material to promote the upcoming leg of the tour,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rollstone_2-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1]  describing his mentality as thus: "We've got a bit of time off. We've got some ideas hanging around from the last record, let's do an EP, maybe four new songs to spice the next phase of the tour up a bit. It'll be a fan thing. It'll be cool."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-247_8-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Soon after the sessions commenced, Bono pushed for the band to work towards a full-length LP.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-247_8-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  The Edge was initially hesitant, but saw the opportunity as a challenge to quickly record an album before returning to tour and prove the band had not become spoiled by the luxury of ample recording time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-247_8-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  Additionally, Bono and band manager Paul McGuinness had discussed the possibility of releasing a "one-two punch" of records since the beginning of the Achtung Baby sessions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-247_8-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7] In early March, U2 reached a consensus to work towards an LP.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  Much like they had for the Achtung Baby sessions, the band split work between two studios at once; Adams operated a Soundtracs mixing console at The Factory, while Flood used an SSL console at the newly relocated Windmill Lane Studios.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-adams_11-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Due to the time limit, U2 were forced to write and record songs at a more rapid pace.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-247_8-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  They continued their long-time practice of jamming in the studio. Eno and Flood edited together song sections they liked and then discussed the arrangements with the group. U2 suggested alterations and added lyrics and melodies, before performing to the edited arrangements. Eno used an eraseable whiteboard to give instructions and cues to the band while they jammed; he pointed at chords and various commands, such as "hold", "stop", "change", and "change back", to direct their performances.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15]  To record all of the band's material and test different arrangements, the engineers utilised a technique they called "fatting", which allowed them to achieve more than 48 tracks of audio by using a 24-track analogue recording, aDAT machine, and a synchroniser.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-adams_11-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  The production crew faced issues with audio spill at The Factory, as all group members recorded in the same room as the mixing desk and Bono frequently sang in-progress lyrics that were to be replaced. Flightcases and wood booths were built to separate the performers' sound as much as possible.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-adams_11-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10] <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:inherit;">"Some of the ideas we started out with on Achtung Babystarted to come into focus on the tour as we played around with the new stage set, the TV screens, the whole concept of a TV station on the road. We found out what it could do and then we started playing around with the imagery and the ideas that were in the airstream, gleaned from the world of advertising, CNN, MTV and so on. It struck a chord in us and the music that came out on Zooropa was very influenced by the tour. Normally it's the other way around; you put an album together and then you go off on the road and you're drawing from the album for your inspiration."

—The Edge<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16] <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Songs originated from and were inspired by a variety of sources. "Zooropa" was the result of combining two separate pieces of music together, one of which the band discovered while reviewing recordings of tour soundchecks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-247_8-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  The verse melody to "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" and an instrumental backing track that became "Numb" were originally from the sessions to Achtung Baby.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-247_8-8" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  "Babyface", "Dirty Day", "Lemon", and "The Wanderer" were written during the Zooropa sessions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-247_8-9" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-m249_18-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  Country singer Johnny Cash recorded vocals for "The Wanderer" during a visit to Dublin, and although Bono recorded his own vocals for the song, he preferred Cash's version. The production crew and the band debated which version to include on the record.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18]  Throughout the sessions, U2 were undecided on a unifying musical style for the release, and as a result, they maintained three potential track listings—one for the best songs, one for "vibes", and one for a soundtrack album. Bono suggested editing the best segments of songs together to create a montage.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">As May's "Zooropa" leg of the tour approached, U2 continued to record while simultaneously rehearsing for the tour. Their time limit prevented them from working on live arrangements for any of the new songs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20]  Despite the sessions' rapid pace, the album was not completed by the time they had to resume touring. Moreover, Flood and Eno had to begin work on other projects. The Edge remembers everyone was telling the group, "Well, it's an EP. You did good but there's a lot more work needed to finish some of these songs."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-247_8-10" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  However, the band did not want to shelve the project, as they believed they were on a "creative roll" and that they would be in a completely different frame of mind if they revisited the material six months later.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-adams_11-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The group's solution was to fly back and forth between Dublin and their concert destinations for about ten days to finish recording and mixing at night and during their off-days.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-247_8-11" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-closeredge_22-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21]  Clayton called the process "about the craziest thing you could do to yourself", while Mullen said of it, "It was mad, but it was mad good, as opposed to mad bad."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-247_8-12" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  McGuinness later said the band had nearly wrecked themselves in the process.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]  The group simultaneously used three separate rooms at Windmill Lane to mix, overdub, and edit. Adams said the hectic approach meant "there was never anybody sitting around waiting or doing nothing".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-adams_11-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  Flood called the period one of "absolute lunacy".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[23]  Eschewing console automation, the engineers adopted a "live performance" attitude to mixing, based on past experiences with Lanois. The band and production crew sat in on the mixing and offered encouragement, creating, as Adams put it, "a kind of cheerleader thing. It all induces a nervous energy in you and creates a lot of pressure, and gives the whole thing a performance feel."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-adams_11-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In the final weeks, the band decided to exclude the traditional rock songs and guitar-driven tracks they had written in favour of an "album of disjointed, experimental pop". The Edge received a production credit—his first on a U2 record<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-latimesglobal_25-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24] —for the extra level of responsibility he assumed for the album.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25]  Twenty songs were recorded during the sessions, but ultimately 10 were chosen for the final track listing.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-billboarddeal_27-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[26] One piece that was left off the record was "In Cold Blood",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hotpress_28-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]  which featured somber lyrics written by Bono in response to the Bosnian War and was previewed prior to the album's release.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]  Other tracks that were left off the album included "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me", "If God Will Send His Angels", "If You Wear That Velvet Dress", and "Wake Up Dead Man". The first was later released as a single from the Batman Forever soundtrack in 1995, and the latter three were included on the band's following studio album, Pop, in 1997. ==Composition<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ===Music<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">With an even more "European" musical aesthetic than U2's previous album Achtung Baby, Zooropa is a further departure from the group's "rootsy" sound of the late-1980s. Much like how the group embraced technology for the Zoo TV Tour, they utilized technology as a musical resource to a greater extent on Zooropa. The record exhibits additional influences from alternative rock, electronic dance music, and industrial music—it is more synthesised than U2's past work, featuring various sound effects, audio loops, and use of synthesiser.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt_30-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ew_31-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  In addition to The Edge playing synthesiser, Brian Eno was credited with playing the instrument on six tracks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-albumnotes_32-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]  The Edge's guitar playing on Zooropa marks a further shift away from his trademark style, highlighted by a heavier reliance on guitar effects<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ew_31-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  and the songs' reduced emphasis on his guitar parts.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-orlsent_33-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32]  The danceable "Lemon", called a "space-age German disco" by Stephen Thomas Erlewine,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic_34-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33]  features a guitar part played with rhythmic gated effect.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-248_35-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]  The distorted "Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car" was described by Bono as "industrial blues".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hotpress_28-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Similar to how the Zoo TV Tour display screens sampled video footage from television programming, a number of songs from Zooropa sample audio. The introduction to the title track, "Zooropa", contains a noisy collage of indecipherable human voices from radio signals—credited to the "advertising world"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-albumnotes_32-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31] —played over sustained synthesiser chords.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-independent_36-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35]  The industrial-influenced "Numb" features a noisy backdrop of sampled, rhythmic noises, including "arcade sounds", a Walkman rewinding, and a Hitler Youth boy banging a bass drum in the 1935 propaganda film Triumph of the Will.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hotpress_28-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27] "Daddy's Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car" begins with a snippet of fanfare from Lenin's Favourite Songs and samples MC 900 Ft. Jesus' song "The City Sleeps".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-albumnotes_32-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The vocals on Zooropa are a further departure from U2's previous style. As Jon Pareles describes, Bono "underplays his lung power" throughout the record, in contrast to his impassioned, belting vocals from past work.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt_30-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  Additionally, in songs such as "Lemon" and "Numb", Bono sings in an operaticfalsetto he calls the "Fat Lady" voice.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-248_35-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37]  Two tracks feature other people on lead vocals: for "Numb", The Edge provides lead vocals in the form of a droning, monotonous list of "don't" commands;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rollstone_2-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1]  for the closing song "The Wanderer", country musician Johnny Cash sings lead vocals.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-stokes122_39-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38]  The song was sequenced as the final track because U2 wanted to end the album on a "musical joke". It features Cash's haggard voice juxtaposed against a synthesised bassline. The group described the instrumentation as resembling the "ultimate Holiday Inn band from hell".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-stokes122_39-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38] ===Lyrics<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Bono is credited as the sole lyricist for eight of the ten songs, while The Edge received sole credit for "Numb". The duo share credits for the lyrics to "Dirty Day". Technology is a common theme on Zooropa, inspired by the group's experiences on the Zoo TV Tour. Jon Pareles wrote that the songs are about how "media messages infect characters' souls",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt_30-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  while music journalist David Browne said the songs are concerned with "emotional fracturing in the techno-tronic age".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ew_31-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  Critic Robert Hilburn interpreted the album as U2 probing into what they saw as the "disillusionment of the modern age".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-latimesreview_40-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">"Zooropa" is set amongst neon signs of a brightly lit futuristic city.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-stokes111_41-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40]  In the song's introduction, background voices ask, "What do you want?"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rollstone_2-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1]  In response to the question, the lyrics in the first three verses consist of various advertising slogans,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt_30-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-stokes111_41-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40]  including, "Better by design", "Be all that you can be", and "Vorsprung durch technik".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-albumnotes_32-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]  Critic Parry Gettelman interpreted these lines as meaning to "signify the emptiness of modern, godless life".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-orlsent_33-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32]  In the song's second half, the theme of moral confusion and uncertainty is introduced, particularly in the lines "I have no compass / And I have no map".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-m249_18-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ew_31-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30] "Babyface" is about a man practicing his obsessive love for a celebrity by manipulating her image on a TV recording.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hotpress_28-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]  "Lemon", inspired by an old video of Bono's late mother in a lemon-coloured dress, describes man's attempts to preserve time through technology.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-248_35-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]  This is reflected in lines such as, "A man makes a picture / A moving picture / Through the light projected he can see himself up close".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-albumnotes_32-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31] The lyrics to "Numb" are a series of "don't" commands, amidst a noisy backdrop of sounds. The Edge notes that the song was inspired by one of the themes of Zoo TV, "that sense that you were getting bombarded with so much that you actually were finding yourself shutting down and unable to respond because there was so much imagery and information being thrown at you".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-248_35-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">In contrast to the technology-inspired lyrics of many songs, others had more domestic themes. "The First Time" was Bono's interpretation of the story of the Prodigal son,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41]  but in his version, the son decides not to return home.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-m249_18-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  Similarly, "Dirty Day" was written about a character who abandons his family and returns years later to meet his son. Many of the track's lyrics are taken from phrases that Bono's father commonly used, such as "No blood is thicker than ink" and "It won't last kissing time".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-m249_18-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42]  "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" is a love song written for an abused woman.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt_30-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  Bono based his lyrics to "The Wanderer" on the Old Testament's Book of Ecclesiastes, and he modeled the song's character after the book's narrator, "The Preacher".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-m249_18-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  In the song, the narrator wanders through a post-apocalyptic world "in search of experience", sampling all facets of human culture and hoping to find meaning in life.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  Bono described the song as an "antidote to the Zooropa manifesto of uncertainty", and he believes it presents a possible solution to the uncertainty expressed earlier on the album.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-m249_18-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17] ==Packaging and title<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The sleeve was designed by Works Associates of Dublin under the direction of Steve Averill,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-albumnotes_32-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]  who had created the majority of U2's album covers. The cover features a sketch of the circle of stars from theFlag of Europe with a "sad cosmonaut" drawing in the center.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-dlp160_46-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45]  The illustration, created by Shaughn McGrath,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-albumnotes_32-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]  was an alteration of the "graffiti babyface" by Charlie Whisker that was originally on the face of the Achtung Baby compact disc/vinyl record.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-dlp160_46-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46]  The cover's drawing was meant to represent an urban legend referring to a Soviet cosmonaut left floating in orbit for weeks after the collapse of theSoviet Union.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47]  In the background is a 3-by-3 montage of blurred images—similar to the 4-by-4 arrangement of images on Achtung Baby ' s sleeve. The images include shots of a woman's face and mouth, as well as photographs of European leaders, including Vladimir Lenin, Benito Mussolini, and Nicolae Ceauşescu.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-irishphen_49-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[48]  These images are obscured by distorted purple text, which comprises the names of unfinished songs from the album sessions that were later completed and released between 1995 and 1997. Author Višnja Cogan described this text as giving the impression of a "torn veil".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-irishphen_49-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[48]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Zooropa was named for the "Zooropa" leg of the Zoo TV Tour, which began in May 1993 while the band completed the record. The name is a portmanteau of "zoo" (from Zoo TV Tour and "Zoo Station") and "Europa", respectively. During the album's production, one of the proposed titles was Squeaky.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hotpress_28-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27] ==Release<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == The video for the album's third and most successful single, "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)", was shot in Berlin.<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Zooropa completed U2's contractual obligation to Island Records, and to PolyGram,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-flan232_50-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[49]  the multinational that purchased Island in 1989.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-billboarddeal_27-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[26]  Although the group were free to sign a new contract elsewhere, their strong relationship with the label and its founder Chris Blackwell prompted the band to remain with Island/Polygram by signing a long-term, six-album deal.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-flan232_50-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[49]  The Los Angeles Times estimated that the deal was worth US$60 million to U2,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-latimesdeal_51-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[50]  making them the highest-paid rock group ever.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mcg161_52-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51]  At the time, the group were cognizant of several emerging technologies that would potentially impact the delivery and transmission of music to consumers in the following years. Author Bill Flanagan speculated, "Record stores could become obsolete as music is delivered over cable, telephone wires, or satellite transmissions directly into consumers' homes." With uncertainty over the future of these technologies and the implications of entertainment and telecommunications companies merging, the band negotiated with Island that the division of their earnings from future transmission systems would be flexible and decided upon at a relevant time. U2 toyed with the idea of releasing Zooropa as an interactive audio-video presentation in lieu of conventional physical formats, but the deadline imposed by the Zoo TV Tour prevented the band from realising this idea.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[52]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">U2's delivery of Zooropa in late May caught PolyGram somewhat off-guard,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-billboardrelease_54-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[53]  because they were not expecting a new album by the group for several years.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-248_35-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34] With Achtung Baby, PolyGram had approximately six months to market the record and plan its release strategy, but the sudden completion of Zooropa necessitated a more hurried promotional plan. PolyGram president/CEO Rick Dobbis explained: "For the last one, we prepared for six months. It was like a marathon. But this is like a sprint, and that is the spirit it was made in. The band was so excited about it, they sprinted to complete the album before the ... tour. We want to bring it to the street with that same spirit." Island/PolyGram's and U2's marketing for Zooropa was intended to focus less on singles and more on the record as a whole,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-billboardrelease_54-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[53]  and ultimately, only three singles were released, compared to Achtung Baby ' s five singles. The first single "Numb" was released in June 1993 exclusively on VHS as a "video single".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mcg161_52-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-55" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[54]  The music video was directed by Kevin Godley.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-56" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[55]  The song peaked at number seven in Australia and number nine in Canada,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-australiacharts_57-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[56] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Canada_singles_58-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[57]  while reaching number two on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-US_altsongs_59-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58]  However, it failed to chart on the singles charts in the UK or US.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-US_Hot_100_60-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[59] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ukprofile_61-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[60]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Zooropa was released on 5 July 1993, during the Zooropa leg of the Zoo TV Tour.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-248_35-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]  An initial shipment of 1.6 million copies was made available in stores at the time of release.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-globe_62-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[61]  The album performed very well commercially, debuting at number one in the United States,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-us-debut_63-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[62]  United Kingdom,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-uk-album_64-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[63]  Canada,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-canada-album_65-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[64]  Australia,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-australiacharts_57-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[56]  New Zealand,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nzcharts_66-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[65]  France,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-francecharts_67-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[66]  Germany,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-germany-album_68-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[67]  Austria,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-austriacharts_69-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[68]  Sweden,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-swedencharts_70-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[69]  and Switzerland.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-switzerlandcharts_71-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[70]  It also reached number one in the Netherlands,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-netherlandscharts_72-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[71]  Italy, Japan, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, and Iceland.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2com_73-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[72]  In the US, the album spent its first two weeks on the Billboard 200 at the top spot, staying in the top 10 for seven weeks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-us-debut_63-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[62]  In its first week on sale, Zooropa sold 377,000 copies in the US, the group's best debut in the country to that point.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-74" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[73]  The album reached the top 10 in 26 countries.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-75" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[74]  Despite reaching impressive peak positions, it had a shorter stay on the music charts than Achtung Baby did. In total, Zooropa spent 40 weeks on the Billboard 200, 60 fewer weeks than Achtung Baby.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-billboard200_76-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[75]  Similarly, the album's stay of 31 weeks on the UK Albums Chart was a decrease of 56 weeks from its predecessor.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ukprofile_61-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[60]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Two additional commercial singles were released from the album. "Lemon" received a limited commercial release in North America, Australia, and Japan in September 1993.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-77" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[76] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-78" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[77]  The single peaked at number six in Australia<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-australiacharts_57-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[56]  and number three on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-US_altsongs_59-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58]  The final commercial single was "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)", released worldwide on 22 November 1993.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-79" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[78] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-80" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[79]  It was the album's most successful single, topping the Irish Singles Chart<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Ireland_singles_81-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[80]  and peaking at number five in Australia,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-australiacharts_57-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[56]  number six in New Zealand,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nzcharts_66-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[65]  number four in the UK,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-UK_singles_82-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[81]  and number 61 in the US<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-US_Hot_100_60-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[59] —making it the record's only single to chart on the UK Singles Chart and Hot 100. "Zooropa" was released as a promotional single in Mexico and the United States.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-83" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[82]  By the end of 1993, Zooropa had sold 1.8 million copies in the US.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-84" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[83] ==Reception<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Zooropa received generally favourable reviews from critics. Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone wrote in his four-star review that the album was "a daring, imaginative coda to Achtung Baby" and that "it is varied and vigorously experimental, but its charged mood of giddy anarchy suffused with barely suppressed dread provides a compelling, unifying thread".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-rollstone_2-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1]  Spin wrote a positive review, commenting that the record "sounds mostly like a band shedding its skin, trying on different selves for size". The review said the album "has the feel of real collectivity", praising the cohesiveness of the individual band members' playing. The review concluded by saying Zooropa "indicates U2 might be worthy of whatever absurd mutations the '90s throw our way".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-spin_89-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[88]  Jon Pareles of The New York Times praised the group for transforming themselves and becoming "raucous, playful and ready to kick its old habits". Pareles enjoyed the sonics and electronic effects that made the "sound of a straightforward four-man band ... hard to find", and he commented that "The new songs seem destined not for stadiums ... but for late-night radio shows and private listenings through earphones."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt_30-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  The Orlando Sentinel gave the record a rating of three-out-of-five stars, commenting, "Although U2 leans heavily on the electronic sound of contemporary dance music, the rhythm tracks on Zooropa are less than propulsive." The review said that Brian Eno's production and the electronic flourishes made the album interesting, but that ultimately, "there's nothing especially hummable" and "the songs are not very memorable".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-orlsent_33-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave Zooropa an "A", calling it "harried, spontaneous-sounding, and ultimately exhilarating album". Browne noted that it sounds "messy" and "disconnected", but clarified "that sense of incoherence is the point" in the context of the record's technology themes. He concluded, "For an album that wasn't meant to be an album, it's quite an album."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ew_31-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times gave the record a maximum score of four stars. In two separate articles, he said that it "captured the anxious, even paranoid tone of the Zoo TV Tour" so much so that "it stands as the first tour album that doesn't include any of the songs from the tour" and that it sounds like a "souvenir" of Zoo TV.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-latimesglobal_25-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-latimesreview_40-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39] In a positive review, Jim Sullivan of The Boston Globe called the album a "creative stretch", noting that the band experiments more yet retains their recognizable sound. He commented that the group's "yearning anthemic reach" and "obvious, slinky pop charm" are replaced with "darker corners, more disruptive interjections, more moodiness".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-globe_62-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[61]  Paul Du Noyer of Q gave Zooropa a score of four-out-of-five stars, finding a "freewheeling feel of going with the flow" throughout the album and calling it "rootless and loose, restless and unsettled". For Du Noyer, U2 sounded "monstrously tight as a performing unit and fluidly inventive as composers, so the results transcend the merely experimental".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-q_88-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[87]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">A review from The New Zealand Herald was more critical, noting that the album started as an EP and "just got longer but not necessarily better". The publication called it "more perplexing than challenging" and commented that it "sounds like the biggest band in the world having one of the biggest, strangest mid-life crises".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nzherald_87-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[86]  Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun Times gave the record a three-and-a-half star review, calling it "inconsistent", but admitting "it's satisfying and surprising to hear a band of U2's status being so playful, experimental, and downright weird".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chisun_85-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[84]  Robert Christgau gave the album a B−, calling it "half an Eno album" in the same manner that David Bowie's Eno-produced albums Low and "Heroes" were, but saying, "The difference is that Bowie and Eno were fresher in 1977 than Bono and Eno are today."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-RobC_86-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[85]  The Irish media was most consistently negative in their reviews of the album; George Byrne of the Irish Independent said, "The songs sound like they were knocked up in double-quick time and with about as much thought put into the lyrics as goes into a DJ's timecheck". Byrne remarked that the record resembles "a lot of mickey-taking over a variety of drum patterns".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-90" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[89]  In a retrospective, four-star review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stated that "most of the record is far more daring than its predecessor". For him, although there were moments that the album was "unfocused and meandering ... the best moments of Zooropa rank among U2's most inspired and rewarding music".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-allmusic_34-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Zooropa finished in 9th place on the "Best Albums" list from The Village Voice ' s 1993 Pazz & Jop critics' poll.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-91" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[90]  At the 36th Annual Grammy Awards, it won the award for Best Alternative Music Album.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-92" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[91]  In his acceptance speech, Bono sarcastically mocked the "alternative" characterisation the album received and used a profanity on live television: "I think I'd like to give a message to the young people of America. And that is: We shall continue to abuse our position and fuck up the mainstream."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-93" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[92] ==Zoo TV Tour<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">]  == Main article: Zoo TV TourThe band finished the album during the Zooropa leg of the Zoo TV Tour, and began playing the new songs later on the tour.<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The band began the Zoo TV Tour in February 1992 in support of their previous album Achtung Baby. In contrast to the austere stage setups of previous U2 tours, Zoo TV was an elaborate multimedia event. It satirised television and the viewing public's over-stimulation by attempting to instill "sensory overload" in its audience.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ach-stations_3-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-closeredge_22-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21]  The stage featured large video screens that showed visual effects, random video clips from pop culture, and flashing text phrases. Live satellite link-ups, channel surfing, crank calls, and video confessionals were incorporated into the shows.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-prop-tour_94-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[93]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Zooropa album was released in July 1993, halfway through the Zooropa leg of the tour. Of the 157 shows the band played during the Zoo TV Tour, approximately 30 of them were after the release of Zooropa. Many of the album's songs found permanent places in the shows' setlists. "Lemon" and "Daddy's Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car" were performed with Bono in his MacPhisto persona, during encores of the Zoomerang Leg of the tour. "Dirty Day" was also played on this leg after the acoustic set. "Numb" was performed with The Edge playing guitar and on lead vocals, with Larry Mullen Jr. performing backing vocals while drumming. "Zooropa" was played only three times and "Babyface" twice more<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-95" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[94]  at the same shows on the Zooropa leg, but were cut out of the setlist after the band were displeased with how they sounded live. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" was performed acoustically for the Zooropa and Zoomerang legs. ==Legacy<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:inherit;">"The songs are not classics but they are more experimental and interesting than classic pop songs. This is something we don't necessarily care to do anymore. We don't go down the road with a piece of music just because it's unusual. That's not enough for us now. We want something that's potent and some of these songs are not particularly potent."

—The Edge<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-m249_18-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17] <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Zooropa is certified 2× Platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-United_StatesU2ZooropaalbumCertRef_96-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[95]  3× Platinum in Australia,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-australia-cert_97-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[96]  Platinum in the UK,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-United_KingdomU2.7B.7B.7Btitle.7D.7D.7D.7B.7B.7Btype.7D.7D.7DCertRef_98-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[97]  and 4× Platinum in both New Zealand<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nz-cert_99-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[98]  and Canada.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CanadaU2ZooropaalbumCertRef_100-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[99]  To date, it has sold more than 7 million copies.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-101" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[100]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">After the release of record, David Bowie praised the band, writing, "[U2] might be all shamrocks and deutsche marks to some, but I feel that they are one of the few rock bands even attempting to hint at a world which will continue past the next great wall—the year 2000."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-102" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[101]  Although the record was a success, in the years following its release, the group have regarded it with mixed feelings and rarely play its material in live performances. Bono said, "I thought of Zooropa at the time as a work of genius. I really thought our pop discipline was matching our experimentation and this was our Sgt. Pepper. I was a little wrong about that. The truth is our pop disciplines were letting us down. We didn't create hits. We didn't quite deliver the songs. And what would Sgt. Pepper be without the pop songs?"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-m249_18-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  The Edge said that he did not think the songs were "potent", further stating, "I never thought of Zooropa as anything more than an interlude... but a great one, as interludes go. By far our most interesting."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-m249_18-8" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  Clayton said, "It's an odd record and a favourite of mine."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-u2byu2-248_35-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Neil McCormick wrote about Zooropa, "It feels like a minor work, and generally U2 don't do minor. But if you're not going to make the Big Statement, you're maybe going to come up with something that has the oxygen of pop music."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ach-stations_3-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  In 1997, Spin wrote, "Zooropa took U2 as far from the monastic mysticism of The Joshua Tree as they could go. It freed U2 from itself."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-103" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[102]  Edna Gundersen of USA Today said in 2002, "the alien territory of Achtung Baby and Zooropa cemented U2's relevance and enhanced its cachet as intrepid explorers".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-104" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[103]  In 2011, Rolling Stone ranked the record at number 61 on its list of "100 Best Albums of the Nineties".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-105" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[104] ==Track listing<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">All music composed by U2. <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">After "The Wanderer" fades out, a "hidden track", consisting of a ringing alarm used to alert disc jockeys of "dead air", plays for 30 seconds.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-106" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[105] ==Personnel<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Charting and certifications<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==
 * U2<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-albumnotes_32-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]
 * Bono – vocals, guitar
 * Adam Clayton – bass guitar
 * The Edge – guitar, piano, synthesisers, vocals
 * Larry Mullen, Jr. – drums, percussion, backing vocals
 * Additional performers<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-albumnotes_32-8" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]
 * Brian Eno – synthesisers, piano, arcade sounds, backing vocals, loops, strings, harmonium
 * Des Broadbery – loops (tracks 2, 6, 7)
 * Flood – loops (tracks 6, 10)
 * Johnny Cash – lead vocals (track 10)
 * Technical<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-albumnotes_32-9" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]
 * Production – Flood, Brian Eno, The Edge
 * Mixing – Flood, Robbie Adams
 * Engineering – Flood, Robbie Adams
 * Engineering and mixing assistance – Willie Mannion, Rob Kirwan, Mary McShane
 * Digital editing – Stewart Whitmore
 * Mastering – Arnie Acosta