Claim: U2 is a rock band.

Songs of Innocence is the thirteenth studio album by Irish rock band U2 . Released on 9 September 2014 , it was produced by Danger Mouse , with additional production from Paul Epworth , Ryan Tedder , Declan Gaffney , and Flood . The album was announced at an Apple Inc. product launch event and released the same day to all iTunes Store customers at no cost . It was exclusive to iTunes , iTunes Radio , and Beats Music until 13 October 2014 , when it received a physical release on Island and Interscope Records . The digital release made the record available to over 500 million iTunes customers , for what Apple CEO Tim Cook marketed as `` the largest album release of all time '' .   After the relatively lukewarm commercial performance of their previous record , No Line on the Horizon -LRB- 2009 -RRB- , lead singer Bono expressed uncertainty over how the band could remain musically relevant . During the five-and-a-half-year gestation period for Songs of Innocence -- the longest gap between albums of their career -- the group reportedly worked on three separate projects with multiple producers , including an aborted companion to their previous record called Songs of Ascent . However , they struggled to complete an album to their satisfaction and continually delayed a release . After working with Danger Mouse for two years , the group collaborated with Flood , Epworth , and Tedder to complete the record . Thematically , it revisits the group members ' youth in Ireland in the 1970s , touching on childhood memories , loves , and losses , while paying tribute to musical inspirations Ramones and the Clash . Bono described it as `` the most personal album we 've written '' .   The album 's lead single , `` The Miracle -LRB- Of Joey Ramone -RRB- '' , was featured in an Apple television commercial as part of a promotional campaign for the band on which the company reportedly spent $ 100 million . Approximately 81 million iTunes users listened to the album in its first month of release , 26 million of whom downloaded the entire record . Songs of Innocence received mixed reviews and drew criticism for its digital release strategy ; the album was automatically added to users ' iTunes accounts , which for many , triggered an unprompted download to their devices . Upon its commercial release , Songs of Innocence sold just 101,000 copies in North America and charted for just eight and nine weeks in the US and UK , respectively . The group 's press tour for the album was interrupted after Bono was seriously injured in a bicycle accident . The record received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Album . In 2015 , U2 supported the album with the successful Innocence + Experience Tour .