"Songs of Innocence" is the thirteenth studio album by Irish rock band U2, released on September 9, 2014. Produced by Danger Mouse, with additional production from Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder, Declan Gaffney, and Flood, the album was unveiled at an Apple Inc. product launch event and made available to all iTunes Store customers at no cost on the same day. This digital release was exclusive to iTunes, iTunes Radio, and Beats Music until its physical release on October 13, 2014, through Island and Interscope Records. The album's initial release to over 500 million iTunes customers was marketed by Apple CEO Tim Cook as "the largest album release of all time."
Songs of Innocence followed the lukewarm reception of U2’s previous album, No Line on the Horizon (2009). Bono and the band expressed concerns about maintaining their musical relevance. During the five-and-a-half-year gap between albums—the longest of their career—the band worked on multiple projects with various producers, including an aborted companion album to No Line on the Horizon called Songs of Ascent. After an extended period of work and delays, U2 collaborated with Danger Mouse, Flood, Epworth, and Tedder to finalize Songs of Innocence. Thematically, the album reflects on the band members' youth in Ireland during the 1970s, exploring childhood memories, relationships, and influences from bands like the Ramones and the Clash. Bono described the album as "the most personal album we've written."
The lead single, "The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)," was prominently featured in an Apple advertisement as part of a promotional campaign reportedly costing $100 million. In its first month, approximately 81 million iTunes users listened to the album, with 26 million downloading it entirely. Despite this initial exposure, the album received mixed reviews and faced criticism for its digital release strategy, which led to many users finding the album auto-downloaded to their devices. Upon its physical release, Songs of Innocence sold 101,000 copies in North America and had relatively short chart runs in the US and UK.
The album's press tour was cut short when Bono suffered serious injuries in a bicycle accident. Despite these challenges, Songs of Innocence earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Album. The band supported the album with the successful Innocence + Experience Tour in 2015 and followed it with a companion album, Songs of Experience, in 2017.
