Editing U2 (section)

===''War'' and ''Under a Blood Red Sky'' (1982–1983)===
After the October Tour, U2 decamped to a rented cottage in Howth, where they lived, wrote new songs, and rehearsed for their third album, ''[[War (U2 album)|War]]''. Significant musical breakthroughs were achieved by the Edge in August 1982 during a two-week period of independent songwriting, while the other band members holidayed and Bono honeymooned with his wife, [[Ali Hewson|Ali]].<ref name="mcc135">McCormick (2006), pp. 130, 135</ref><ref name="mcg59">McGee (2008), pp. 59–60</ref> From September to November, the group recorded ''War'' at Windmill Lane Studios. Lillywhite, who had a policy of not working with an artist more than twice, was convinced by the group to return as producer for a third time.<ref name="warpeace">{{cite magazine|title=War & Peace|magazine=NME|first=Adrian|last=Thrills|date=26 February 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Producer: Steve Lillywhite|magazine=U2 Magazine|first=Geoff|last=Parkyn|date=March 1985|issue=14}}</ref> The recording sessions featured contributions from violinist [[Steve Wickham]] and the female singers of [[Kid Creole and the Coconuts]].<ref name="warpeace"/> For the first time, Mullen played drums to a [[click track]] to keep time.<ref name="mcc135"/> After completing the album, U2 played a short tour of Western Europe in December.<ref>de la Parra (2003), pp. 35–37</ref>

{{listen
|pos=left
 | filename     = U2 Sunday Bloody Sunday.ogg
 | title        = "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (1983)
 | description  = "Sunday Bloody Sunday" features a martial drumbeat, raw guitar, and lyrically, a bleak emotionally charged response to violence.
 | format       = [[Ogg]]
}}
''War''{{'}}s lead single, "[[New Year's Day (U2 song)|New Year's Day]]", was released in January 1983. It reached number 10 in the UK and became the group's first hit outside Europe; in the US, it received extensive radio coverage and peaked at number 53.<ref name="mcg63">McGee (2008), pp. 63–64, 66, 72</ref> Resolving their doubts of the ''October'' period,<ref>Stokes (1996), p. 36</ref> U2 released ''War'' in February.<ref name="mcg63"/> Critically, the album received favourable reviews, although a few UK reviewers were critical of it.<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 102</ref> It was the band's first commercial success, debuting at number one in the UK, while reaching number 12 in the US.<ref name="mcg63"/> ''War''{{'}}s sincerity and "rugged" guitar were intentionally at odds with the trendier [[synthpop]] of the time.<ref>Graham (2004), p. 14</ref> Described as a record on which the band "turned pacifism itself into a crusade",<ref>Reynolds (2006), p. 367</ref> ''War'' was lyrically more political than their first two records,<ref>McPherson (2015), p. 14</ref> focusing on the physical and emotional effects of warfare.<ref name="warpeace"/> The album included the [[protest song]] "[[Sunday Bloody Sunday]]", in which Bono lyrically contrasted the events of the [[Bloody Sunday (1972)|1972 Bloody Sunday]] shooting with [[Easter|Easter Sunday]].<ref name="mcc135"/> Other songs addressed [[nuclear proliferation]] ("Seconds") and the Polish [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] movement ("New Year's Day").<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 98</ref> ''War'' was U2's first record to feature Corbijn's photography.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Anton Corbijn|magazine=Propaganda|publisher=U2 Information Service|date=April 1989|issue=10}}</ref> An adolescent Rowen was again featured on the album cover, with his previously innocent expression replaced by a fearful one.<ref name="mcg63"/>

[[File:U2 War Tour-1983-05-30 - Devore.jpg|thumb|alt=U2 playing on an outdoor stage. The Edge is on the left playing guitar, Bono in the centre with a microphone, and Adam Clayton on the right playing bass guitar. A drum set is partially visible on the right side.|U2 performing at the [[US Festival]] in May 1983]]

On the subsequent 1983 [[War Tour]] of Europe, the US and Japan,<ref name="mcg63"/> the band played progressively larger venues, moving from clubs to halls to arenas.<ref>de la Parra (2003), p. 42</ref> Bono attempted to engage the growing audiences with theatrical, often dangerous antics, climbing scaffolding and lighting rigs and jumping into the audience.<ref name="wsj85">Lambert, Paul, "U2: Keeping the Faith with Unforgettable Fire", ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', 2 April 1985. In Bordowitz (ed.), ''The U2 Reader'', pp. 44–47.</ref> The sight of Bono waving a white flag during performances of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" became the tour's iconic image.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://motherjones.com/media/1989/05/bono-bites-back|title=Bono Bites Back|magazine=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]|first=Adam|last=Block|date=1 May 1989|access-date=18 June 2010|archive-date=3 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603072638/http://motherjones.com/media/1989/05/bono-bites-back|url-status=live}}</ref> The band played several dates at large European and American [[music festival]]s,<ref name="snow56">Snow (2014), p. 56</ref> including a performance at the [[US Festival]] on [[Memorial Day]] weekend for an audience of 125,000 people.<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 107</ref> Nearly rained out, the group's 5 June 1983 concert at [[Red Rocks Amphitheatre]] was singled out by ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' as one of "50 Moments that Changed the History of Rock and Roll".<ref name="redrocks">{{cite magazine|last=Cave|first=Damien|date=24 June 2004|title=U2's Gamble at Red Rocks|magazine=Rolling Stone|page=146|issue=951|display-authors=etal}}</ref> The show was recorded for the concert video ''[[U2 Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky|Live at Red Rocks]]'', and was one of several concerts from the tour captured on their live album ''[[Under a Blood Red Sky]]''.<ref>Jobling (2014), pp. 108–111</ref> The releases received extensive play on MTV and the radio, expanding the band's audience and showcasing their prowess as a live act.<ref name="redrocks"/> During the tour, the group established a new tradition by closing concerts with the ''War'' track "[[40 (song)|40]]", during which the Edge and Clayton would exchange instruments and the band members would leave the stage one by one as the crowd continued to sing the refrain "How long to sing this song?".<ref>Graham (2004), pp. 20–21</ref><ref>McCormick (2006), p. 142</ref> The War Tour was U2's first profitable tour, grossing about {{USD|2&nbsp;million}}.<ref>Jobling (2014), p. 112</ref>