2 First records and hits Chapter BEFORE READING 1 Answer the following questions. a. Do you think it was easy for the baby U2 band to achieve fame? Choose among the following. c Yes, they were immediately successful. c They were already well-known all over Ireland. c No, at first they had to work very hard to become famous. b. What are, in your opinion, the main themes which can be found in the first U2 records? Choose among the following alternatives (you can choose more than one). c The problem of discipline at school. c The difficult period adolescents experience in their journey to maturity. c Political problems. c Christian themes. c Hunger and sufferings in the Third World. c The problem of drug abuse. c Alcoholism. c. Sunday Bloody Sunday is the title of the song which gave the band celebrity in the first part of their career. What does the title suggest in your opinion? c A tragic event in the social history of Northern Ireland. c Bloody repressions by the British Army during Britain s imperial past. c A horror story. 2 Match the words below to their definition. 1. charts .......................... 2. lyrics ............................ 3. performance ............ 4. unforgettable .......... 5. exhibition .................. 6. homecoming ............ a. The action of entertaining by dancing, singing or acting b. The return to your home or country c. Official lists that show which pop records have sold the most copies d. The words of a song e. Having such a strong effect that it will be remembered f. A public event at which pictures, sculptures, etc., are shown 22