Bono Recounts U2 Forming in Animated Preview to His Memoir

Bono is releasing his memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story next month and has been releasing animated previews from the book. The latest preview finds the singer looking back on the fateful moment U2 formed.

Bono lovingly describes guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. in the clip below. U2 famously formed thanks to a flyer pinned to a bulletin board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School where the future bandmates all attended school.

"Drummer seeks musicians to form band. How casually our destiny arrives," begins Bono in the 3:27 animated clip. "Quite a few wannabes responded to Larry Mullen's invitation on the school notice board, and now, class is out for the day, we were all packed in 'The Oven' that was Larry's kitchen."

As previously reported, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story is due out on November 1 and is currently available for pre-order at SurrenderMemoir.com. As the book's website notes, "'Surrender's' subtitle, '40 Songs, One Story,' is a nod to the book’s forty chapters, which are each named after a U2 song. Bono has also created forty original drawings for 'Surrender,' which will appear throughout the book."

Last week, Bono announced a 14-date book tour, with seven dates set for North America and seven dates set for Europe. These shows are being dubbed "Bono: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief..." A full list of tour dates is below.

11/2 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
11/4 - Orpheum Theatre - Boston, MA
11/6 - Meridian Hall - Toronto, ON
11/8 - The Chicago Theatre - Chicago, IL
11/9 - Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN
11/12 - Orpheum Theatre - San Francisco, CA
11/13 - The Orpheum Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
11/16 - The London Palladium - London, England
11/17 - Sec Armadillo - Glasglow, Scotland
11/19 - O2 Apollo Manchester - Manchester, UK
11/21 - 3Olympia Theatre - Dublin IE
11/23 - Admiralspalast - Berlin, DE
11/25 - Le Grand Rex - Paris, FR
11/28 - Teatro Coliseum - Madrid, ES

U2 has been one of the biggest bands of the past 50 years and for good reason: Their catalog is a prime example of a band evolving and growing up before the eyes of the world.

So far, U2 has released 14 studio albums. Their catalog also features live releases, box sets, compilations and more. In total, they have sold over 175 million records worldwide.

The legend of U2 had humble beginnings. Its four members -- Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. -- were all students at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin.

One day in 1976, Mullen Jr. put a flyer on the school's bulletin board searching for musicians to start a band. He was only 14 at the time. Among the people who responded were Bono (16), The Edge (15) and Clayton (16). The band's first practice was on September 25, 1976 in the kitchen of Mullen Jr.'s childhood home.

Who would've thought all of this success started with a just simple post on a bulletin board and a practice in a kitchen?!

U2's list of accolades is nothing short of insane. They've won 22 Grammy Awards out of 46 nominations. In 2005, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The band received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2022.

In addition to those awards, they've been a massive tour draw. Per Pollstar, U2 has sold over 26 million tickets since 1980. Their tours have grossed a staggering $2.12 million. The only other act to make more money on the road is the Rolling Stones with $2.16 million.

With all of this mind, we thought we'd take on the daunting task of ranking U2's best song. Scroll through the list below to see which songs from their vast catalog we think are their 50 best!