The Alternative Number Ones: U2’s “Desire”

In The Alternative Number Ones, I'm reviewing every #1 single in the history of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks/Alternative Songs, starting with the moment that the chart launched in 1988. This column is a companion piece to The Number Ones, and it's for subscribers only. Thank you to everyone who's helping to keep Stereogum afloat.

If you've ever been alternative, then you'll always be alternative. Theoretically, alternative rock radio existed, at least once upon a time, to shed light on cutting-edge bands who were pushing rock 'n' roll in fresh directions. But even in these early days of looking into the Billboard Modern Rock charts, I can tell you that this has never been the case. Alternative radio programmers have always loved their sure-bet mainstays, which is why we will see the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Foo Fighters in this column approximately one million times. Even in the early days of the format, anyone who'd ever been loosely associated with punk rock could not get too commercial for alternative radio. It simply wasn't possible. Consider U2.

Were U2 ever an alternative rock band? It's a question with no answer. To come up with a response, we'd have to have a workable definition for the term "alternative rock," and we've never had one of those. Unlike the other three bands that have appeared in this column, U2 don't come from London, and they weren't direct participants in the late-'70s punk explosion. But U2 were close enough to receive the shockwaves, and punk was an early inspiration. So maybe they're post-punk? But that feels wrong.