Want to feel old? U2 singer Bono turns 60 today. Maybe if you’re young, maybe he’s always been old. But that’s not the point here.
In honor of his big birthday, Bono shared a playlist of artists who have inspired him. It’s diverse and wide-ranging that includes expected artists like David Bowie, Sex Pistols, the Ramones, (as in “The Miracle [of Joey Ramone]”), Nirvana and the Clash but also included Kanye West, Billie Eilish, Arcade Fire and Kendrick Lamar.
Additionally, he shared a series of letters he wrote to each artist mentioned on the list, thanking them for inspiring him along the way and what their music meant to him.
“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… I wanted to thank the artists and everyone who helped make them… They were doing the same for me… I am writing a fan letter to accompany each song to try and explain my fascination… I’ll be sharing some here and on U2.com…,” he said.
You can see a sampling of the letters that he shared in an Instagram post.
You can listen to the playlist below.
