Songs of Innocence (2014) Songwriting Credits

Authorship Breakdown 11 / 11 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 11 tracks with documented writers, by whether U2 carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%

11 trackswritten by U2 0 tracksoutside writers

U2's roles on this album

Share of the 11 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%

Composer100%

Producer0%

Performer100%

By the Numbers

11

Tracks

2

Lyricists

5

Producers

1

No.1 Single

101,000

Worldwide Copies Sold

2014

Released

Data Insight

The credit line moved on this record. A U2 album normally reads lyrics by Bono, music by U2, but Songs of Innocence credits every lyric to Bono and the Edge together, and the music credit stays with all four members on all eleven tracks. That is worth sitting with, because five outside producers worked on the album and most of them play on it. Danger Mouse produced eight of the eleven songs and plays keyboards on seven. Ryan Tedder plays keyboards, programming and acoustic guitar on the opener. Declan Gaffney turns up on nine tracks playing keyboards, guitar, programming and backing vocals. None of them took a writing share. Genius lists the writers on every track as Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., which matches the album's own credit line, so the outside names on this record are production and performance credits rather than authorship.

U2's thirteenth studio album took five and a half years and five producers to finish. Danger Mouse handled most of it, with Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Declan Gaffney and Flood brought in to close out the rest, and the songs look back at the band's teenage years in Dublin. Apple delivered it free to every iTunes account on 9 September 2014, which put it in front of more than 500 million people and made a lot of them angry.

Track Listing & Credits 11 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers

#	Title	Lyricist(s)	Composer(s)	Producer(s)	Performers
1	The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) #1	BonoThe Edge	Paul David HewsonDavid Howell EvansAdam Charles ClaytonLaurence Joseph Mullen Jr.	Danger MousePaul EpworthRyan Tedder	U2 (Performer)Brian Burton (Keyboards)Ryan Tedder (Keyboards, Programming, Acoustic guitar)Paul Epworth (Keyboards, Programming, Additional percussion)Declan Gaffney (Acoustic guitar)Greg Clark (Choir)Carlos Ricketts (Choir)Tabitha Fair (Choir)Kim Hill (Choir)Quiona McCollum (Choir)Nicki Richards (Choir)Everett Bradley (Choir)Bobby Harden (Choir)Ada Dyer (Choir)
2	Every Breaking Wave #7	BonoThe Edge	Paul David HewsonDavid Howell EvansAdam Charles ClaytonLaurence Joseph Mullen Jr.	Danger MouseRyan TedderDeclan Gaffney	U2 (Performer)Brian Burton (Keyboards)Ryan Tedder (Keyboards)Declan Gaffney (Keyboards)
3	California (There Is No End to Love)	BonoThe Edge	Paul David HewsonDavid Howell EvansAdam Charles ClaytonLaurence Joseph Mullen Jr.	Declan GaffneyPaul EpworthDanger Mouse	U2 (Performer)Paul Epworth (Keyboards)Declan Gaffney (Keyboards, Programming, Backing vocals)
4	Song for Someone #13	BonoThe Edge	Paul David HewsonDavid Howell EvansAdam Charles ClaytonLaurence Joseph Mullen Jr.	Ryan TedderFlood	U2 (Performer)Ryan Tedder (Keyboards)Flood (Keyboards)Declan Gaffney (Keyboards)
5	Iris (Hold Me Close)	BonoThe Edge	Paul David HewsonDavid Howell EvansAdam Charles ClaytonLaurence Joseph Mullen Jr.	Paul EpworthRyan TedderDanger Mouse	U2 (Performer)Ryan Tedder (Keyboards)Declan Gaffney (Keyboards)
6	Volcano	BonoThe Edge	Paul David HewsonDavid Howell EvansAdam Charles ClaytonLaurence Joseph Mullen Jr.	Declan GaffneyPaul Epworth	U2 (Performer)Brian Burton (Choral arrangement)Paul Epworth (Claps)Declan Gaffney (Acoustic guitar, Claps)Joe Visciano (Claps)Greg Clark (Choir)Carlos Ricketts (Choir)Tabitha Fair (Choir)Kim Hill (Choir)Quiona McCollum (Choir)Nicki Richards (Choir)Everett Bradley (Choir)Bobby Harden (Choir)Ada Dyer (Choir)
7	Raised by Wolves	BonoThe Edge	Paul David HewsonDavid Howell EvansAdam Charles ClaytonLaurence Joseph Mullen Jr.	Declan GaffneyDanger Mouse	U2 (Performer)Brian Burton (Keyboards, Programming)Declan Gaffney (Keyboards, Programming, Additional percussion, Vocal effects)
8	Cedarwood Road	BonoThe Edge	Paul David HewsonDavid Howell EvansAdam Charles ClaytonLaurence Joseph Mullen Jr.	Danger MousePaul Epworth	U2 (Performer)Brian Burton (Keyboards)Paul Epworth (Keyboards, Additional slide guitar)Declan Gaffney (Keyboards)
9	Sleep Like a Baby Tonight	BonoThe Edge	Paul David HewsonDavid Howell EvansAdam Charles ClaytonLaurence Joseph Mullen Jr.	Danger Mouse	U2 (Performer)Brian Burton (Keyboards)Declan Gaffney (Programming)Leo Pearson (Keyboards)
10	This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now	BonoThe Edge	Paul David HewsonDavid Howell EvansAdam Charles ClaytonLaurence Joseph Mullen Jr.	Danger Mouse	U2 (Performer)Brian Burton (Keyboards, Additional percussion)Declan Gaffney (Keyboards, Backing vocals)Joe Visciano (Backing vocals)
11	The Troubles	BonoThe Edge	Paul David HewsonDavid Howell EvansAdam Charles ClaytonLaurence Joseph Mullen Jr.	Danger MouseDeclan Gaffney	U2 (Performer)Lykke Li (Vocals)Brian Burton (Keyboards)Declan Gaffney (Keyboards)Caroline Dale (Cello, String arrangement)Natalia Bonner (Violin)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 27 contributors

AC

Adam Charles Clayton

Writer

On this album11 written

B

Bono

Writer

On this album11 written

DH

David Howell Evans

Writer

On this album11 written

LJ

Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr.

Writer

On this album11 written

PD

Paul David Hewson

Writer

On this album11 written

TE

The Edge

Writer

On this album11 written

DM

Danger Mouse

Producer

On this album9 produced

DG

Declan Gaffney

Producer · Vocals

On this album5 produced

PE

Paul Epworth

Producer · Keyboards

On this album5 produced

RT

Ryan Tedder

Producer · Keyboards

On this album4 produced

F

Flood

Producer · Keyboards

On this album1 produced

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Frequently Asked Questions Songs of Innocence

Who wrote the songs on Songs of Innocence?

Lyrics are credited to Bono and the Edge, music to U2, meaning all four members: Paul David Hewson, David Howell Evans, Adam Charles Clayton and Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. The five outside producers on the album do not hold writing credits on any track.

Why did Songs of Innocence appear in my iTunes library?

Apple made the album available at no cost to every iTunes customer on 9 September 2014, announced during the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch launch event. It showed up in accounts as an already purchased item, and users with automatic downloads switched on found it on their devices without asking for it. Apple published a tool to remove it on 15 September, six days later.

How many people actually got the album?

The giveaway reached more than 500 million iTunes accounts. Apple said 81 million customers played some part of it during the free window and that the full album was downloaded 26 million times.

Who produced Songs of Innocence?

Danger Mouse produced most of it. Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Declan Gaffney and Flood produced or added production to the rest, and the per-track producer credits differ across all eleven songs.

Did Songs of Innocence chart?

The free release delayed chart eligibility until the commercial release on 13 October 2014. It then debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 with 28,000 first-week copies, and at number six in the UK with 15,998, U2's lowest UK debut in 33 years. It topped the charts in France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Croatia and the Czech Republic.

What singles came from Songs of Innocence?

Three: The Miracle (of Joey Ramone), Every Breaking Wave, and Song for Someone. None of them reached the Billboard Hot 100, but The Miracle went to number one on Adult Alternative Songs and number four on Canada Rock.

Who sings with Bono on The Troubles?

Swedish singer Lykke Li. Caroline Dale plays cello and wrote the string arrangement on that track, with Natalia Bonner on violin.

How long is Songs of Innocence?

Forty-eight minutes and eleven seconds across eleven tracks. The deluxe edition adds a second disc of 46:58 with Lucifer's Hands, The Crystal Ballroom, six acoustic recordings and alternate versions.

What happened to Songs of Ascent?

It was meant to be a companion record to No Line on the Horizon and Bono promised it for late 2009. The band kept delaying, moved on to sessions with Danger Mouse in 2010, and by 2013 the material had turned into Songs of Innocence. Every Breaking Wave started life in the Songs of Ascent period and was played live on the U2 360 tour in 2010.

Data note: No worldwide sales figure is published for this album. The only sourced number is 101,000 copies sold in North America per Nielsen SoundScan, reported by The New York Times in May 2015, so the sales field carries a single region rather than a US and worldwide pair. The free iTunes delivery to more than 500 million accounts is not counted as a sale by any chart body.

Sources

Songs of Innocence Songwriting Credits by U2

Authorship Breakdown 11 / 11 documented

By the Numbers

Track Listing & Credits 11 tracks

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 27 contributors

More from U2

Frequently Asked Questions Songs of Innocence

Sources