Bono Still Doesn’t Really Like the Name U2 Or His Own Voice

Bono has fronted U2 since 1976, but ever since the band landed on that name, he hasn't been quite fond of it.

Bono appeared on the podcast Award Chatter (as transcribed by U.K.'s The Times) and said of the name, "I still don’t [like the name.] I really don’t. But I was late into some kind of dyslexia. I didn’t realize that The Beatles was a bad pun either. In our head it was like the spy plane, U-boat, it was futuristic — as it turned out to imply this kind of acquiescence, no I don’t like that name. I still don’t really like the name."

He added, "Paul McGuinness, our first manager, did say, 'Look, it’s a great name, it’s going to look good on a T-shirt, a letter and a number'."

On top of that, Bono isn't really fond of his own vocals, which is very interesting for someone who once sang, "I like the sound of my own voice/I didn't give anyone else a choice."

"I’ve been in the car when one of our songs has come on the radio and I’ve been the color of, as we say in Dublin, scarlet. I’m just so embarrassed," said Bono. "The one that I can listen to the most is 'Miss Sarajevo' with Luciano Pavarotti. Genuine, most of the other ones make me cringe a little bit. Although 'Vertigo' probably is the one I’m proudest of. It’s the way it connects with the crowd."