U2 - Legacy

Legacy

U2 have sold more than 150 million records, placing them amongst the best-selling music artists of all time. With 51.5 million certified units by the RIAA, U2 rank as the 21st-highest-selling music artist in the US. The group's fifth studio album The Joshua Tree is one of the best-selling albums in the US, having shipped 10 million units, and it is also among the best-selling albums worldwide with sales of 25 million copies. Rolling Stone placed U2 at number 22 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", while ranking Bono the 32nd-greatest singer and The Edge the 38th-greatest guitarist. In 2010, eight of U2's songs appeared on Rolling Stone's updated list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", with "One" ranking the highest at number 36. Five of the group's twelve studio albums were ranked on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"—The Joshua Tree placed the highest at number 26. A Q readers' poll named U2 the Greatest Act of the Last 25 Years in 2011. Reflecting on the band's popularity and worldwide impact, Jeff Pollack for The Huffington Post said, "like The Who before them, U2 wrote songs about things that were important and resonated with their audience".

U2 first received Grammy Awards for The Joshua Tree in 1988, and have won 22 in total, from 34 nominations, more than any other band. These include Best Rock Duo or Group, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Rock Album. The British Phonographic Industry has awarded U2 seven BRIT Awards, five of these being for Best International Group. In Ireland, U2 have won 14 Meteor Awards since the awards began in 2001. Other awards include one AMA, four VMAs, eleven Q Awards, two Juno Awards, three NME Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. The band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in early 2005. In 2006, all four members of the band received ASCAP awards for writing the songs, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", and "Vertigo".