Bono hates U2's name, is 'embarrassed' by most of their songs

Bono hates U2's name, is 'embarrassed' by most of their songs
Photo credit: Getty

U2 frontman Bono has revealed he's not really a fan of his own band - more specifically, the name, and his voice on many of their songs. 

Appearing on the Awards Chatter podcast, Bono discussed U2's career with a heavy dose of self-deprecation, describing his singing voice as "Irish macho". 

He also declared he still "really doesn't" like the name U2 after all these years. 

"I was late into some kind of dyslexia. I didn’t realise that The Beatles was a bad pun either. In our head it was like the spy plane, U-boat, it was futuristic - as it turned out to imply this kind of acquiescence, no I don’t like that name," he said. 

"I still don’t really like the name. Paul McGuinness, our first manager, did say, 'Look, it’s a great name, it’s going to look good on a T-shirt, a letter and a number'." 

The 'Beautiful Day' singer also said most of his vocal performances make him "cringe a little bit", adding that he is "so embarrassed" when he hears his songs on the radio. 

"I've been in the car when one of our songs has come on the radio and I've been the color of, as we say in Dublin, scarlet. I’m just so embarrassed." 

"I do think U2 pushes out the boat on embarrassment quite a lot and maybe that’s the place to be as an artist, you know right at the edge of your level of embarrassment." 

While he believes "the band sounds incredible", Bono repeatedly took aim at his own singing and songwriting. 

"I was thinking out of my body. I wasn't thinking about singing. I didn’t really think about changing keys. Did we ever change a key?" he asked. 

"And the lyrics as well, I feel that on Boy and other albums it was sketched out with very unique and original material, but I don’t think I filled in the details, and I look back and I go 'God'." 

Still, the 61-year-old rockstar did allow himself one victory, dubbing 'Vertigo' the song he's proudest of. 

"It's the way it connects with the crowd," he said.