Popularity for some artists can be a detriment in hindsight. Beautiful Day, a song which has overwhelmed All That You Can’t Leave Behind through its continuing, contemporary appeal, is just one of the many examples of how U2 has popularised themselves yet never dealt with the pressure. Following up on the sheer size of Pop was an impossibility. Improving on its quality is a much easier task, and U2 manages that, just about, on All That You Can’t Leave Behind. Pop flavours of the time, which work twenty-five years on from release because they are now the alternative. A credit to U2’s longevity and their influence, for sure, even if it does enter the realm of overplayed. It may be tricky to reconnect with such songs, the Sweet Caroline and Mr. Brightside tracks which are held in the social consciousness with new meaning. But with All That You Can’t Leave Behind, there is a surprisingly strong, heartfelt range to the album which endures.
Beautiful Day may be the obvious hit, but follow-up track Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of is a worthy second song. It’s a song of boldness, of confidence in the face of whatever occasion arises, even if you’re faking that feeling. That’s as important as actually being prepared for those moments and Bono is a convincing lead through such a thought. A whispering Bono, an instrumentally broad and pop-adjacent sound which features everything from gospel-like backing vocals and slick guitar work. It’s a better song than Beautiful Day, and it’s a strong second single for All That You Can’t Leave Behind. Both Elevation and Walk On are worthy follow-ups, too, the band hitting a strong stride of relatively tame but richly produced pop rock. Once you cut through the popularity of the band and this album, the beauty of classic U2 pours through. Listeners won’t have heard that in some time, but they get an earful on Kite.
It’s those bold, roaring instrumentals paired with an impassioned Bono. His dedication to love are sincere and inspiring, it’s one of those songs that can pull you back into a proper line of thought. It’s not going to remove your doubts or ease a beating heart but it’s a moment from U2 which serves as a chance for reflection. The band has offered little of that this century, but All That You Can’t Leave Behind is built on that spirit. In a Little While has that same style but loses its way a little. All of All That You Can’t Leave Behind depends on how far you can throw Bono as a performer. How much you like his line of romantic reasoning and display of cultural empowerment. Pop, arguably, dilutes what he says. But it works well enough here. On a return to this it’s the honesty that prevails. Even a clanger like New York, which can’t help but repeat the Frank Sinatra repetition without the same heart, may win you over.
All That You Can’t Leave Behind is a strong start to the twenty-first century for U2, and they would never match that quality again. There’s still a middle-of-the-road sound to it, with the likes of Peace on Earth and When I Look at the World relatively plain but solid pop-rock stock. That sluggish, Velvet Underground riff on Grace remains unconvincing. It’s a song which hopes for listeners to look for the best in things irrespective of their situation, and while that’s as honest a message as what features on the songs preceding it, it never feels like a moment for reflection like those earlier tracks. It falls apart at the end but, for a moment there, U2 are back in a familiar form. All That You Can’t Leave Behind has the workings of a strong album but it sounds that way now because of what came before, and what was to follow.
