U2 Grammy-winning Studio Album Zooropa First Released (1993)

Produced by Flood, Brian Eno, and The Edge, U2’s Grammy-winning eighth studio album, Zooropa, was released July 5, 1993, on Island Records.

The band began writing and recording Zooropa in Dublin in February of that year, during a six-month break between legs of the industry-defining ZOO TV Tour. Initially intended as just an EP, Zooropa became a fully-fledged album with 10 tracks – including singles “Numb,” “Lemon,” and “Stay (Faraway, So Close!)” – recorded in just six weeks, making it the fastest U2 album ever produced.

Inspired by the band’s experiences on the ZOO TV Tour, Zooropa expanded on many of the tour’s themes of technology and media oversaturation. The album went to Number 1 in Ireland, the USA, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Sweden, Austria, France, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland.

In 1994, Zooropa saw the band collect the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.