Nearly a year after U2 released their first single of new music since 2021, “Atomic City,” for their Sphere residency, they are up for a VMA award.
MTV announced the 2024 VMA nominees. U2's “Atomic City” is up for Best Rock Video. Other nominees include Bon Jovi (“Legendary”), Coldplay (“Feels Like I'm Falling in Love“), Green Day (“Dilemma”), Kings of Leon (“Mustang”), and Lenny Kravitz (“Human”).
It will be a tough race, but seeing U2 back at the VMAs is cool. Their last nomination came in 2009 for Best Video (That ShouldHave Won a Moonman) for their performance of “Where the Streets Have No Name.” Their first nomination at the ceremony was in 1985 for Best Group Video for “Pride (In the Name of Love).”
What is “Atomic City”?
“Atomic City” is a song by U2 that was released on the same day as their first Sphere show, September 29, 2023. It was an ode to the punk bands that influenced them, particularly Blondie and the Clash.
So much so that Debbie Harry and Giorgio Moroder received songwriting credit due to the chorus' similarities to Blondie's “Call Me.” Still, U2 put their own spin on it, and bassist Adam Clayton got his moment to shine.
The song was the band's first since 2021. They released “Your Song Saved My Life” as a part of the Sing 2 soundtrack. Earlier in 2023, U2 released Songs of Surrender, their fifteenth studio album. However, the album was full of songs from their back catalog that were re-recorded.
“Atomic City” featured references to Las Vegas, Nevada, where the Sphere residency took place. The title is derived from the city's nickname in the 1950s.
Right before the Sphere residency began, the band filmed a music video for it. They returned to Las Vegas a la their music video for “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For” ahead of the song's release. Larry Mullen Jr., who did not perform during the residency, was present to film the music video.
The video, which was nominated at the VMAs, gave teases of U2's Sphere show. While most of it takes place in the streets of Las Vegas, interior shots from the new venue are shown. Bono donned his iconic Fly glasses for the first time in decades, something he did to open the Sphere shows.
While it may not win the VMA, U2's “Atomic City” is an important moment in their discography. At least it is being recognized by a mainstream awards ceremony.
Who are U2?
U2 is a rock band from Dublin, Ireland, formed in 1976. Throughout their career, they have released 15 studio albums, including The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby.
Before the Sphere residency, U2 was a touring machine. Since 2015, the band has been on three concert tours — the Innocence + Experience Tour, The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 (and the 2019 leg), and the Experience + Innocence Tour.
Over the last decade, the band has released three albums, all of them being entries in the “Songs of” series. Songs of Innocence started this series in 2014, with Songs of Experience and Songs of Surrender following in 2017 and 2023, respectively.
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