U2 – Songs of Surrender (Album Review)

With a history that dates back over four decades, U2 has clearly made a massive impact on the popular music landscape that goes deep beneath the surface. One of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold an estimated 150–170 million records worldwide over the course of fifteen studio records, U2 is by far and away one of the biggest Rock bands ever. That said, at this stage in their long, illustrious career the members of the band are still looking for something unique to tackle.

Doing just that, beginning in 2021 The Edge and Bono opened the band’s vault of music to record the reimagined collection of songs that make up Songs of Surrender. A companion album to Bono’s 2002 memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, the book was structured into forty chapters titled after U2 songs. Quite clever, on the other side of the coin, Songs of Surrender consists of re-recorded and reinterpreted versions of forty songs from the group’s back catalog.

A lot to digest, the album first hit the public on March 17, 2023 through Island Records / Interscope Records, and is probably still only reaching a portion of listeners. After all, something this massive might take some time to reach its full potential. So, is it worth the investment in time and money for those seeking a physical format to add to their U2 collection? The short answer is of course it is. The long answer is far more in-depth, but still a resonating yes. Why? Because U2 never does anything halfway, and this massive retrospective is no different.

As mentioned, Songs of Surrender comes with forty songs, and with that, lasts for nearly three hours. All of the tracks fans will probably recognize; regardless of how they are re-recorded and re-shaped. Most songs feature smooth re-arrangement with acoustic renditions, while others even feature some orchestral elements. Most are heavily stripped down and perhaps slower than the original records. Some even have slightly alternative lyrics; the most obviously reworked lyrics are featured in “Walk On” to match the current situation in Ukraine. 

From the well-known to the more obscure, the collection also includes reworked editions of gems like “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” and “Two Hearts Beat As One,” which offers one of the quickest, catchiest beats of the entire album. Other treasures include “The Little Things That Give You Away,” but also unique performances of classics like “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “Beautiful Day,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I Am Looking For,” and “With or Without You.” All complete with naked, relaxed melodies, you have time to wander down memory lane or just simply soak up every little bit of the newly arranged music and let it fill your soul.

Overall, Songs of Surrender is a beautiful, thoughtful look into the history of U2. Masterfully executed, it is a unique way to reflect on the past, especially for a band with such a long, in-depth history. It is nice to see that the band made good use of the lockdown years of the world from 2020 to 2022. As alluded to, The Edge and Bono thankfully did not just go with obvious selections but stepped deep into their archives to pick deep cuts to compliment the hits.

Now six years removed from their last studio record Songs of Experience, Songs of Surrender is a worthy successor, because while it may not be something new, it does give you something vastly different. That is why Cryptic Rock gives this retrospective re-recorded album 5 out of 5 stars.