U2 hasn't released a greatest hits album since 2006's U218 Singles. Previously, they had released ones for the eighties and nineties. However, they haven't done one since.

It is a bit surprising, as we're well past both the 2000-2010 and 2010-2020 eras. In my world, if the band should release one, they will combine the two decades.

Looking back at the other compilation albums, the standard editions of the first two compilations featured 30 songs. In this article, I'll pitch 30 songs (15 per decade) that should be included in The Best of 2000-2020.

U2: The Best of 2000-2010

The Edge and Bono in front of Sphere with U2:UV logo.

First up is the first decade of the 2000s. Below are 15 songs from that period that should be included in U2's next greatest hits compilation.

Some may find these picks controversial. “Get On Your Boots” is not a great song, but I think front-loading this with some of the radio-friendly “fun” songs is the way to go. Of course, you have the songs that made U2 relevant again, “Beautiful Day,” “Elevation,” and “Vertigo.” The band still plays those songs in their concerts, so it's a no-brainer to include them.

I also included “All Because of You,” a true rock-and-roll song for the band. “Magnificent” deserves more praise, so it's being inserted in the early portion of this greatest hits album.  Things slow down with a trio of All That You Can't Leave Behind tracks, “Walk On,” “In a Little While,” and “Kite.”

Side 2 is a “Moment of Surrender”

That album gets a brief break when “Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own” from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb comes on. Another intimate track, “Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out of” follows.

I love the final few tracks on this album. “Breathe” and “Yahweh” slow down the pace before the anthemic “City of Blinding Lights” gets you hyped up one last time. “Moment of Surrender,” an underrated concert closer, closes out this decade of hits.

  • “Beautiful Day” (All That You Can't Leave Behind)
  • “Elevation” (All That You Can't Leave Behind)
  • “Vertigo” (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
  • “Magnificent” (No Line on the Horizon)
  • “Get On Your Boots” (No Line on the Horizon)
  • “All Because of You” (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
  • “Walk On” (All That You Can't Leave Behind)
  • “In a Little While” (All That You Can't Leave Behind)
  • “Kite” (All That You Can't Leave Behind)
  • “Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own” (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
  • “Stuck In a Moment You Can't Get Out Of” (All That You Can't Leave Behind)
  • “Breathe” (No Line on the Horizon)
  • “Yahweh” (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
  • “City of Blinding Lights” (How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb)
  • “Moment of Surrender” (No Line on the Horizon)

U2: The Best of 2010-2020

This decade got significantly harder. U2 released Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience, and several singles in this era.

Of course, “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)” had to kick things off. Its anthemic structure made it a no-brainer to include and commence the album. While I enjoy both Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, it was hard to narrow down entries from both albums.

It'd be easy to just include the Songs of Innocence tracks with narratives like “Iris (Hold Me Close).” I decided to keep “Song for Someone,” a love song for Ali.

This greatest hits album begins with some of the radio-friendly hits like “Get Out of Your Own Way” and “American Soul,” two songs tied at the hip, “Invisible,” and “The Blackout.” I also threw in “Red Flag Day,” the closest to War U2 has gotten in years.

The intensity would continue with “The Troubles” before things mellow out for a bit with “Every Breaking Wave” and “Song for Someone.”

Mellowing out in the final songs

One last radio hit, “You're the Best Thing About Me,” before a quartet of softer songs concludes the album, “Landlady,” “Ordinary Love,” “The Little Things That Give You Away,” and “Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way.”

I was torn on “The Troubles,” which is a stellar track. It closed out Songs of Innocence and worked thanks to The Edge's sinister guitar solo. But for a greatest hits album, it makes sense to end on a lighter note. The Best of 1980-1990 ended with “All I Want Is You”; The Best of 1990-2000 ended on “The First Time”; and U218 Singles ended on “Window in the Skies.”

  • “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)” (Songs of Innocence)
  • “Get Out of Your Own Way”/”American Soul” (Songs of Experience)
  • “Invisible” (Single)
  • “Red Flag Day” (Songs of Experience)
  • “The Blackout” (Songs of Experience)
  • “The Troubles” (Songs of Innocence)
  • “Every Breaking Wave” (Songs of Innocence; Single version)
  • “Song for Someone” (Songs of Innocence)
  • “You're the Best Thing About Me” (Songs of Experience)
  • “Landlady” (Songs of Experience)
  • “Ordinary Love” (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Soundtrack)
  • “The Little Things That Give You Away” (Songs of Experience)
  • “Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way” (Songs of Experience)