U2 frontman Bono just celebrated his 60th birthday last Sunday, May 10 – with millions of fans showing their love for the rocker by extending their greetings and well-wishes. In turn, Bono thanked 60 artists that helped make him the artist that he is today, in a curated playlist titled “60 Songs That Saved My Life.”
This playlist is now available on major streaming services like Spotify and Youtube music, among others, and features a wide variety of songs. Classics like Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” and The Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand” are part of the list, as well as contemporary pop songs like Billie Eilish’s “everything I wanted” and Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.”
“These are some of the songs that saved my life. The ones I couldn’t have lived without… the ones that got me from there to here, zero to 60… through all the scrapes, all manner of nuisance, from the serious to the silly… and the joy, mostly joy,” he said in a statement. Bono will also write a fan letter for every song to explain his fascination with each and every one of them.
David Bowie was one of the first to be addressed with a letter (written to his son, Duncan Jones), which read, “When I heard your Dad’s song LIFE ON MARS? on the radio in 1973, I was hiding under the covers of my bed in 10 Cedarwood Road listening to a pirate radio station called Radio Caroline. The song was answering a much more important question when I was 13… Is there intelligent life on earth? It was proof as far as I’m concerned.”
Below is the complete list of Bono’s “60 Songs That Saved My Life.”
1. Luciano Pavarotti, Bono & Zucchero – “Miserere”
2. Sex Pistols – “Anarchy In the UK”
3. Kanye West – “Black Skinhead”
4. Billie Eilish – “Everything I Wanted”
5. David Bowie – “Life on Mars?”
6. The Beatles – “I Want to Hold your Hand”
7. Ramones – “Swallow My Pride”
8. The Clash – “Safe European Home”
9. Public Enemy – “Fight The Power”
10. Patti Smith – “People Have the Power”
11. John Lennon – “Mother”
12. The Rolling Stones – “Ruby Tuesday”
13. Elton John – “Daniel”
14. Andrea Bocelli – “Con Te Partiro”
15. Elvis Presley – “Heartbreak Hotel”
16. Johnny Cash – “Hurt”
17. This Mortal Coil – “Song to the Siren”
18. Kraftwerk – “Neon Lights”
19. Fugees – “Killing Me Softly With His Song”
20. Prince – “When Doves Cry”
21. Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers – “Get Lucky”
22. Madonna – “Ray of Light”
23. Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys – “Empire State of Mind”
24. Talking Heads – “Love Goes to Building on Fire”
25. Lou Reed – “Satellite of Love”
26. The Verve – “Bitter Sweet Symphony”
27. Joy Division – “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
28. New Order – “True Faith”
29. R.E.M. – “Nightswimming”
30. Adele – “Chasing Pavements”
31. Arcade Fire – “Wake Up”
32. Pixies – “Monkey Gone to Heaven”
33. Oasis – “Live Forever”
34. Iggy Pop – “Lust for Life”
35. Gavin Friday – “Angel”
36. Massive Attack – “Safe From Harm”
37. Kendrick Lamar feat. U2 – “XXX”
38. Bob Marley & The Wailers – “Redemption Song”
39. Echo and the Bunnymen – “Rescue”
40. Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
41. Pearl Jam – “Jeremy”
42. Bob Dylan – “Most of the Time”
43. Beyoncé feat. Kendrick Lamar – “Freedom”
44. Depeche Mode – “Walking in My Shoes”
45. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Into My Arms”
46. Simon & Garfunkel – “The Sounds of Silence”
47. Coldplay – “Clocks”
48. INXS – “Never Tear Us Apart”
49. New Radicals – “You Get What You Give”
50. Angélique Kidjo – “Agolo”
51. Lady Gaga – “Born This Way”
52. Frank Sinatra & Bono – “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”
53. David Bowie – “Heroes”
54. Simple Minds – “New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)”
55. Sinéad O’Connor – “You Made Me The Thief Of Your Heart”
56. Van Morrison – “A Sense of Wonder”
57. Bruce Springsteen – “There Goes My Miracle”
58. Daniel Lanois – “The Maker”
59. Peter Frampton – “Show Me The Way”
60. Bee Gees – “Immortality” (Demo Version)
