U2 entered the 1980's in low spirits contributed by their poor showing in the UK charts and acts and the termination of the contract with CBS Sony. Not all was bad news though, U2 still won major categories in the Hot Press readers poll. And despite their initial setbacks in their performances and recordings, U2 managed to sign up an international four label recording deal with Island Records with the help of Rob Partridge, a influential fan working in the company. This saw the release of Island record's first U2 single "11 O'Clock Tick Tock", U2's reaction towards the lack of depth contributed by the London club scene when people dress up to gain acceptance from others. This scored U2 another Irish hit.

  In October 1980, U2 released their first LP "Boy" after touring Britain. "Boy" concentrated on the theme of moving on from boyhood and departs signifcantly from U2's earlier punk roots towards a more alternative form of rock and roll. Bono would later say about "Boy" - "Boy" was a retrospective of U2 over two years - the end of our adolescence. It wasn't a question of making the music sound a certain way.".

  And even more significant is this comment from Bono (Was he making bold predictions about the band's future?) - "What we were looking for in "Boy" was a sort of cinema sound,  "panavision" - really textured and big, like a huge screen in a cinema".This comment obviously reminds us of U2's recent accomplishments of Zoo TV and the Pop Mart tours and shows us how relevant the style of music on "Boy" is to U2 today.

  "I Will Follow", examines the anger and confusion at which a child feels in being separated by its parent - either the mother or father. On the other side, the song also shows the child's love for those that care for them, and thus the very desperate urge to follow. From the lyrics, it is clear that the song was inspired by Bono's experience from the death of his mother and is perhaps Bono's way in coming to terms with the sudden loss of his mother. In later years, "I Will Follow" becomes one of the bands surviving singles, making it to the Pop Mart tour set list in 1997-1998.

  "Boy" captures the confusing aspects of life and death in "Out of Control" where making love, raising children and even death are aspects of life which people do not have control over. At the same time ,Bono makes it apparent of the freedom people have in making decisions and resolves the reason to the statement in the title.

  "Boy" continues the theme of adolescence by the examination of manhood through "Twilight". Twilight gives an account of how a boy grows into the "shadow" of a man - that he somehow changes into a man unknowingly. Thus, U2 look at this period in growing up as a "grey area" where the boy meets manhood in the shadows. Unfortunately, some people saw, "Twilight" as a song about homosexuality, an interviewer named Adam Block even labelled U2 as a gay band!

  "Boy" also became U2's first album chart success in the UK even though the singles did not make much of an impression on the UK charts. Their overall success is ironic due to the progressive nature of the music introduced by U2. Singles that were released included "I Will Follow" and "A Day Without Me". In addition, their UK shows were also a sellout.

  After the release of their album, U2 start touring Europe as well as the East Coast of America for the first time with Frank Barsolona (head of Premier Talent) booking venues in America and Warner Bros America funding their American tour. Their tour to America proved to be even more successful as the national audience showed keen interest in progressive rock. At the New York Ritz, U2 won the hearts and minds of the audience which eventually led to the manager expressing his unequivocal support for the band. But U2 knew they still had a long road ahead of them, with many other bands also competing for the American market, including Echo and the Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes and Depeche Mode.

  Around the same time, John Lennon was assasinated while signing an autograph for a fan. For U2, this came as a great loss for them as they were also admirers of the famous rock singer and both shared the same philosophy in composing music - to believe in originality, honesty and yet be culturally accepted among their peers. Lennon's influence to the band is fully expressed by Bono - "John Lennon changed my way of seeing things".