Bono turns off the radio when a U2 song comes because his voice makes him ‘shrink’

While talking to the Times‘ “Awards Chatter” podcast, U2 frontman Bono reveals that he hates the band’s name, his own singing voice and most of the songs the group has released.

Despite the band’s global reputation, the 61-year-old singer says he turns off the radio when he hears a U2 song because he does not like the sound of his own voice.

“I first became a singer recently, maybe it has not happened yet for some people’s ears, and I understand that well,” he says.

READ MORE: Bono explains inspiration for the new U2 song ‘Your Song Saved My Life’, teases recording session in ‘The Next Few Weeks’

During the podcast chat with Edge for the movie “Sing 2”, which has Bono in his voice acting debut and the new U2 track “Your Song Saved My Life”, the singer says he is not a fan of the band’s name, more than four decades after they became formed.

While U2’s other members – Adam Clayton, The Edge and Larry Mullen Jr. – has come to like it, Bono says: “I still do not. I really do not. But I was late in a form of dyslexia.”

“I also did not realize that the Beatles were a bad pun. In our head it was like the spy plane, the submarine, it was futuristic – when it turned out to suggest this kind of consent, no I do not like that name. I still do not really like the name, ”he admits. “Paul McGuinness, our first manager, said, ‘Look, it’s a great name, it’s going to look good on a T-shirt, a letter and a number.”

READ MORE: U2 Join TikTok with the release of the brand new song ‘Your Song Saved My Life’

The name is not the only thing Bono does not like. Nor is he a fan of his own vocal performances.

“The one I can listen to the most is ‘Miss Sarajevo’ with Luciano Pavarotti. Really, most of the others make me cringe a little bit,” he says. “Although ‘Vertigo’ is probably the one I am most proud of. That’s the way it connects with the crowd. “

While Bono may not like his “strained” voice, he says “the band sounds incredible” in their songs.

“I have been sitting in the car since one of our songs has come on the radio and I have been the color of, as we say in Dublin, scarlet. I’m just so embarrassed, ”he adds.

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The singer shares a story about what the late Robert Palmer told Clayton about Bono’s vocals in the 1980s: “‘God, would you ever tell your singer that he should just take the keys down a bit, he would do himself a favor, and he ‘d do us all a favor by having to listen to him. “

But Bono says, “I was thinking out of my body. I was not thinking about singing. I was not really thinking about changing keys. Have we ever changed a key?”

He continues: “I think U2 is pushing the boat out of embarrassment quite a bit, and maybe this is the place to be as an artist, you know, right on the edge of your level of embarrassment. And the lyrics too, I feel that on Boy and other albums it was outlined very unique and original material but I do not think I have filled in the details and I look back and say “God”.

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